Photo: Nonvirtual · CC BY-SA 3.05% of Mount Rainier’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 18 acres are parks and preserves, 2.2 per 1,000 residents. 5% of Mount Rainier’s land is conserved, about 24 acres.
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns · #183 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Mount Rainier?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Mount Rainier have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mount Rainier is ahead of 55% of U.S. towns, #183 of 261 in Maryland. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Mount Rainier’s 5% is ahead of 29% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 18% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park
Queenstown Park
24 conserved acres
5% of Mount Rainier’s land. Who manages Mount Rainier’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 6 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magruder Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 13 | Unknown |
| Mt. Rainier Neighborhood Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 6 | Unknown |
| Mt. Rainier North Park Local Park | Regional agency | 2 | Open |
| Mt. Rainier 30Th Street Park Local Park | Regional agency | 1 | Open |
| Cora B. Wood Senior Center Local Park | County | 1 | Open |
| Mt. Rainier South Park Local Park | Regional agency | 1 | Open |
10 places to go in Mount Rainier
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Mount Rainier: April to June
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 44 | 47 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 84 | 88 | 86 | 80 | 68 | 57 | 48 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.6 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 4.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Mount Rainier →
Mount Rainier and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Rainier | 5% | 0.2 | 2 | 99%+ | B− |
| Chillum | 17% | 0.5 | 4 | 99%+ | A− |
| Brentwood | 11% | under 0.1 | 2 | 99%+ | B− |
| Hyattsville | 11% | 0.4 | 3 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Cottage City | 41% | 1.5 | 7 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Mount Rainier
How much of Mount Rainier is conserved land?
5% of its land, against a typical 9% for a Maryland town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Mount Rainier’s trails?
Mount Rainier Neighborhood Park and Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mount Rainier?
1.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes and 0.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Mount Rainier?
13,681 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mount Rainier or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 18 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Mount Rainier have?
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #183 of 261 in Maryland. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Mount Rainier neighbors.
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →