Ocean City Beach Erosion Control District
Managed by Other Unit
10 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Captain Robert S. Craig Cottage · Photo: Linda Roy Walls · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Ocean City
Ocean City has 12 miles of mapped trails, 2.8 for every square mile of land
82% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 6% of Ocean City’s land is conserved, about 158 acres. 83 acres are parks and preserves, 12 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #89 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
158 acres · of 4.4 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
2.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
83 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
21 mi
2.1 mi lanes · 2.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
3 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Ocean City?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ocean City have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ocean City is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #89 of 261 in Maryland. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ocean City’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%BTrails2.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (83 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home82% of residents within a half mile of a park · MD 87% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 80%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 66%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Ocean City’s 6% is ahead of 30% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 96% of them.
Water is more than half of Ocean City’s area (5 of 10 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
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 Ocean City Beach Erosion Control District, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Devil Island Area
Managed by Other Unit
47 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Sinepuxent Bay Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Wildlife and Heritage Service
3 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 11 parks & preserves
Ocean City Beach Erosion Control District10 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Other Unit
DirectionsNorthside Park32 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLittle Salisbury Neighborhood Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGorman Avenue Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Devil Island Area47 acres · Other Unit
DirectionsSinepuxent Bay Wildlife Management Area3 acres · Wildlife and Heritage Service
DirectionsFiesta Park2 acres
North Surf Park2 acres
DirectionsOcean City Tennis Center2 acres · Ocean city
DirectionsEntry Park1 acres
DirectionsSunset Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
158 conserved acres
6% of Ocean City’s land. Water is left out: Ocean City has 4.4 square miles of land and 5.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Ocean City’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources49 ac
County7 ac
Town or city6 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government2 ac
Not recorded94 ac
Local Park · 65 acState Resource Management Area · 49 acState Conservation Area · 34 acState Other or Unknown · 10 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 12 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean City North Side Park Local Park | Not recorded | 49 | Unknown |
| Devils Island Area State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 47 | Open |
| Sinepuxent Bay Wma State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 34 | Unknown |
| Ocean City Beach Erosion Control District State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 11 | Unknown |
| Downtown Recreation Complex Local Park | County | 5 | Open |
| 61St Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Gorman Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 2 | Open |
| Fiesta Park Local Park | County | 2 | Open |
| North Surf Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Little Salisbury Neighborhood Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
24 places to go in Ocean City
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Ocean City
Maryland Beach
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Ocean City
Playgrounds in Ocean City
7 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Ocean City
94th Street Ocean City Dog Playground
DirectionsBoat launches in Ocean City
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Ocean City
Bayside Pier
DirectionsTrails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
21 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.1 mi
off-road bike paths
17 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
38Tennis
6Pickleball
3Baseball
2Basketball
2Softball
1Volleyball
1Soccer
1Skate park
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 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Ocean City: 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) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 46 | 47 | 53 | 63 | 71 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 79 | 69 | 58 | 50 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.1 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 3.9 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.6 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Ocean City →
Questions about parks and trails in Ocean City
Where can I hike in Ocean City?
The longest trail networks: Ocean City Beach Erosion Control District, 0.4 miles; Northside Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ocean City is conserved land?
6% 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 Ocean City’s trails?
Ocean City Beach Erosion Control District and Devil Island Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ocean City?
21 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.1 of painted or protected lanes, 2.1 of off-road paths and 17 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Ocean City?
9,883 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ocean City or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 132 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ocean City have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #89 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 Ocean City 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 →