Reddy Branch Stream Valley Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
216 acres4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Olney
19% of Olney’s land is conserved: 1,981 acres
17 miles of mapped trail cross Olney, 1.1 per square mile of land. 95% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Reddy Branch Stream Valley Park (4 mi), North Branch Stream Valley Park (2.4 mi), Olney Boys and Girls Community Park (0.9 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #31 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
1,981 acres · of 16.2 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
769 ac
21 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
31 mi
1.6 mi lanes · 29 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Olney?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Olney have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Olney is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #31 of 261 in Maryland. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Olney’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (17 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land21 acres of park per 1,000 residents (769 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home95% of residents within a half mile of a park · MD 87% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 92%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 88%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Olney’s 19% is ahead of 86% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 74% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Reddy Branch Stream Valley Park, with 4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
North Branch Stream Valley Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
548 acres2.4 mi of trail
Kengla TrailNorth Branch Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Olney Boys and Girls Community Park
Park
110 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Olney Family Neighborhood Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
32 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 15 parks & preserves
Reddy Branch Stream Valley Park216 acres · 4 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsNorth Branch Stream Valley Park548 acres · 2.4 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsOlney Boys and Girls Community Park110 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsOlney Family Neighborhood Park32 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsEast Norbeck Local Park28 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSoutheast Olney Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLongwood Park15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCherrywood Park12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsOlney Oaks HOA Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Olney Manor Park57 acres
DirectionsGreenwood Park35 acres
DirectionsCashell Neighborhood Park21 acres
Norbeck-Muncaster Mill Neighborhood Park13 acres
DirectionsNorbeck Grove6 acres
DirectionsOlney Square Park4 acres
Who protects it
1,981 conserved acres
19% of Olney’s land. Who manages Olney’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County732 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government593 ac
Other state land186 ac
Regional agency178 ac
Private owners130 ac
Not recorded918 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,107 acState Other or Unknown · 772 acLocal Park · 384 acHistoric or Cultural Easement · 163 acLocal Other or Unknown · 125 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 813 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 129 of 280 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Creek Stream Valley Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 778 | Unknown |
| Reddy Branch Svu Local Conservation Area | County | 113 | Open |
| Red Door Store Historical/Cultural Park Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 77 | Open |
| Reddy Branch Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 61 | Unknown |
| Olney Manor Recreational Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 57 | Open |
| Olney Family Np Local Park | Regional agency | 32 | Open |
| County Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 32 | Unknown |
| Montgomery County Local Park | County | 31 | Open |
| Greenwood Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 26 | Unknown |
| Manor Oaks Lp Local Park | Regional agency | 23 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
47 places to go in Olney
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Olney
Manor Oaks Swimming Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Olney
Christie Estates Playground
DirectionsHollow Crest Community Playground
DirectionsJames Creek Playground
DirectionsJames Creek Playground
DirectionsManor Oaks Playground
DirectionsNorbeck Meadows Park
DirectionsswingsIn Olney Manor Park
Directions40 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Olney
Olney Manor Dog Park (large dogs)In Olney Manor Park
DirectionsOlney Manor Dog Park (small dogs)In Olney Manor Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Olney
4 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.8 miHorses · 1.1 miUnpaved · 7.2 mi
Kengla Trail0.7 mi
North Branch Trail0.4 mi
East Norbeck Loop Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
31 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
29 mi
off-road bike paths
Needwood LoopBike route
1.1 miCourts & fields
62Tennis
28Basketball
17Soccer
12Baseball
12Softball
6Pickleball
4Beach volleyball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Olney: 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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 45 | 53 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 78 | 67 | 55 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Olney →
Next door
Olney and its neighbors
Olney has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olney | 19% | 1.1 | 21 | 95% | A |
| Ashton-Sandy Spring | 24% | 0.7 | 101 | 77% | A |
| Aspen Hill | 13% | 1.3 | 11 | 89% | A− |
| Brookeville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Leisure World | 2% | under 0.1 | 1 | 71% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Olney
Where can I hike in Olney?
The longest trail networks: Reddy Branch Stream Valley Park, 4 miles; North Branch Stream Valley Park, 2.4 miles; Olney Boys and Girls Community Park, 0.9 miles; Olney Family Neighborhood Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Olney is conserved land?
19% 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 Olney’s trails?
Reddy Branch Stream Valley Park and North Branch Stream Valley Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Olney?
31 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of painted or protected lanes and 29 of off-road paths. Named routes: Needwood Loop.
Is there public land near Olney?
22,212 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Olney or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 769 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Olney have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #31 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 Olney 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 →