Photo: Devin Morris · CC BY-SA 4.09% of National Harbor’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
9% of National Harbor’s land is conserved, about 79 acres. 13 acres are parks and preserves, 2.9 per 1,000 residents. 0.4 miles of mapped trail cross National Harbor, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns · #154 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is National Harbor?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does National Harbor have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, National Harbor is ahead of 64% of U.S. towns, #154 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 National Harbor’s 9% is ahead of 51% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 32% of them.
Water is 24% of National Harbor’s area (0 of 2 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
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.
79 conserved acres
9% of National Harbor’s land. Water is left out: National Harbor has 1.3 square miles of land and 0.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages National Harbor’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 8 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 10 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betty Blume Neighborhood Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 70 | Unknown |
3 places to go in National Harbor
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 playground without a name on the map.
3.7 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.
The best walking months in National Harbor: 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 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 45 | 48 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 85 | 89 | 87 | 80 | 69 | 58 | 48 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 4.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in National Harbor →
National Harbor 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Harbor | 9% | 0.3 | 3 | 99% | B |
| Forest Heights | 51% | 2.1 | 197 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Fort Washington | 18% | 0.5 | 25 | 87% | A− |
| Oxon Hill | 17% | 0.3 | 4 | 64% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in National Harbor
How much of National Harbor is conserved land?
9% 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 National Harbor’s trails?
Rosilie Island Community Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in National Harbor?
3.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.3 of painted or protected lanes and 2.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near National Harbor?
19,046 acres of parks and open public land lie inside National Harbor or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 13 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does National Harbor have?
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #154 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 National Harbor 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 →