Anacostia River Stream Valley Park
Managed by Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
161 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Riversdale · Photo: Quarterczar · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Riverdale Park
27% of Riverdale Park’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. 27% of Riverdale Park’s land is conserved, about 271 acres. 1.9 miles of mapped trail cross Riverdale Park, 1.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #17 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
27%
271 acres · of 1.6 sq mi of land
Trails
1.9 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
105 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.9 mi
0.8 mi lanes · 2.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Riverdale Park?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild27% of the land is conserved; a typical Maryland town, 9%.Parks close to homeVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.A trail town1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 84% of U.S. towns.History along the way4 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Riverdale Park have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Riverdale Park is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #17 of 261 in Maryland. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Riverdale Park’s overall grade.
Conserved land27% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (105 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13BParks 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 95%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 94%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Riverdale Park’s 27% is ahead of 94% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 77% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 Anacostia River Stream Valley Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Riverdale Recreation Center
Managed by Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
37 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Park and Recreation Administration Building
Managed by Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
6 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Paint Branch Stream Valley Park
Managed by Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
11 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 14 parks & preserves
Anacostia River Stream Valley Park161 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsRiverdale Recreation Center37 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsPark and Recreation Administration Building6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsFletcher's Field Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsArt Walk at Discovery District2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverdale Road Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
Paint Branch Stream Valley Park11 acres · Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
Riversdale Historic Site9 acres · Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
Riverside Drive Park9 acres · Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsPaint Branch Parkway Park8 acres · Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
Riverdale Neighborhood Playground3 acres
DirectionsKenilworth Roadside Park2 acres · Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsGateway Park1 acres
DirectionsCalvert Memorial1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
271 conserved acres
27% of Riverdale Park’s land. Who manages Riverdale Park’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency70 ac
County16 ac
Other state land8 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government7 ac
Not recorded233 ac
State Other or Unknown · 225 acLocal Park · 70 acConservation Easement · 16 acLocal Other or Unknown · 8 acHistoric or Cultural Easement · 8 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 12 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 9 of 19 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Creek Stream Valley Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 225 | Unknown |
| Riverdale Recreation Center Local Park | Regional agency | 36 | Open |
| Madison Hill Park Local Park | Regional agency | 21 | Open |
| Riversdale Historic Site Local Park | Regional agency | 9 | Open |
| Riverdale Mansion Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 8 | Unknown |
| Riverdale Park Local Park | Regional agency | 3 | Open |
Things to do
18 places to go in Riverdale Park
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Riverdale Park
Riverdale Park Community PlaygroundIn Riverdale Road Park
DirectionsPlus 12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Riverdale Park
Waggertail Dog ParkIn Riverdale Recreation Center
DirectionsPicnic areas in Riverdale Park
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.9 mi
off-road bike paths
0.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
9Baseball
4Basketball
2Tennis
1Soccer
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
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 Riverdale Park: 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) | 43 | 47 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 84 | 88 | 86 | 79 | 68 | 57 | 48 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.6 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 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 Riverdale Park →
Next door
Riverdale Park and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Greenbelt17 miCollege Park4.3 miRiverdale Park1.9 miHyattsville1.2 miEdmonston0.5 miEast Riverdale0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverdale Park | 27% | 1.2 | 15 | 99%+ | A |
| East Riverdale | 10% | 0.1 | 1 | 99%+ | B |
| Edmonston | 28% | 1.2 | 16 | 99%+ | A+ |
| College Park | 12% | 0.8 | 6 | 99% | A− |
| Hyattsville | 11% | 0.4 | 3 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Greenbelt | 40% | 2.8 | 10 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Riverdale Park
Where can I hike in Riverdale Park?
The longest trail networks: Anacostia River Stream Valley Park, 0.5 miles; Riverdale Recreation Center, 0.3 miles; Park and Recreation Administration Building, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Riverdale Park is conserved land?
27% 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 Riverdale Park’s trails?
Anacostia River Stream Valley Park and Riverdale Recreation Center don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Riverdale Park?
3.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes, 2.9 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Riverdale Park?
14,270 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Riverdale Park or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 105 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Riverdale Park have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #17 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 Riverdale Park 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 →