Rock Creek Stream Valley Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
51 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Rock Creek Woods Historic District · Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in North Kensington
11% of North Kensington’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. 11% of North Kensington’s land is conserved, about 108 acres. 42 acres are parks and preserves, 4.7 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #111 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
108 acres · of 1.5 sq mi of land
Trails
0.6 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
42 ac
4.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.4 mi
0.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is North Kensington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does North Kensington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Kensington is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #111 of 261 in Maryland. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of North Kensington’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4BPark land4.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (42 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13CParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · MD 87% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 74%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 58%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so North Kensington’s 11% is ahead of 60% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 41% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Rock Creek Stream Valley Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ken-Gar Palisades Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
19 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Newport Mill Local Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
9 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Kensington Heights Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Rock Creek Stream Valley Park51 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsNewport Mill Local Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsKen-Gar Palisades Park19 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsKensington Heights Park4 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsPleasant View Local Park4 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsConnecticut Avenue Neighborhood Park1 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsWho protects it
108 conserved acres
11% of North Kensington’s land. Who manages North Kensington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government22 ac
Regional agency19 ac
County6 ac
Not recorded82 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 71 acLocal Park · 36 acConservation Easement · 12 acState Other or Unknown · 11 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 8 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 14 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Creek Stream Valley Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 71 | Unknown |
| Ken-Gar Palisades Lp Local Park | Regional agency | 19 | Open |
| Newport Mill Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 11 | Open |
| Pleasant View Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 11 | Unknown |
| Kensington Heights Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 4 | Open |
| Connecticut Avenue Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
Things to do
18 places to go in North Kensington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in North Kensington
Wayne M. Goldstein PlaygroundIn Kensington Heights Park
DirectionsPlus 14 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in North Kensington
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.9 mi
off-road bike paths
0.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
10Basketball
9Tennis
7Baseball
4Soccer
1Football
1Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →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.
When to get out
The best walking months in North Kensington: April to June and August
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) | 43 | 46 | 54 | 66 | 75 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in North Kensington →
Next door
North Kensington 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Kensington | 11% | 0.4 | 5 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Wheaton | 22% | 1.7 | 13 | 99% | A |
| Kensington | 8% | 0.2 | 8 | 99%+ | B+ |
| North Bethesda | 7% | 0.3 | 3 | 97% | B |
| South Kensington | 20% | 0.9 | 3 | 85% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North Kensington
Where can I hike in North Kensington?
The longest trail networks: Rock Creek Stream Valley Park, 0.3 miles; Newport Mill Local Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Kensington is conserved land?
11% 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 North Kensington’s trails?
Rock Creek Stream Valley Park and Ken-Gar Palisades Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in North Kensington?
1.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of off-road paths and 0.5 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near North Kensington?
18,555 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Kensington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 42 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does North Kensington have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #111 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 North Kensington neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
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 →