Rockville Civic Center Park
Managed by City of Rockville
153 acres2.2 mi of trail
Croydon Creek Woodland TrailCroydon Creek Heritage TrailCroydon Creek Overlook Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Frieda Fromm-Reichmann Cottage · Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Rockville
10% of Rockville’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. 19 miles of mapped trail cross Rockville, 1.4 per square mile of land. 10% of Rockville’s land is conserved, about 907 acres.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #34 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
907 acres · of 13.6 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,092 ac
16 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
48 mi
6.4 mi lanes · 30 mi paths
Highest peak
512 ft
Hunting Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
What kind of outdoors town is Rockville?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rockville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rockville is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #34 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 Rockville’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4APark land16 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,092 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 92%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 87%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Rockville’s 10% is ahead of 57% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 82% 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 Rockville Civic Center Park, with 2.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Upper Watts Branch Forest Preserve
Nature preserve
72 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail signWebsite ↗
Woodley Gardens Park
Park
40 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Potomac Woods Park
Managed by City of Rockville
39 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Dogwood Park
Managed by City of Rockville Department of Recreation and Parks
56 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
King Farm Park
Park
12 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Dawson Farm Park
Park
9 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 55 parks & preserves
Rockville Civic Center Park153 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · City of Rockville
DirectionsUpper Watts Branch Forest Preserve72 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsWoodley Gardens Park40 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsPotomac Woods Park39 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · City of Rockville
DirectionsDogwood Park56 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Rockville Department of Recreation and Parks
DirectionsWelsh Park33 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsKing Farm Park12 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Dawson Farm Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsFallsgrove Stream Valley39 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsFallsgrove Park18 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsElwood Smith Park11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSenior Center Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Maryvale Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Lone Oak Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Montrose Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Rockville
RedGate Park131 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Rockville
DirectionsGlenora Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Monument Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Bullards Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Isreal Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMillenium Garden Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPeg Santee Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Woottons Mill Park79 acres
DirectionsKing Farm Stream Valley Park51 acres
DirectionsRock Creek Stream Valley Park36 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsHorizon Hill Park27 acres
Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park26 acres
DirectionsRockmead Park21 acres
Anderson Park14 acres
DirectionsRockcrest Park12 acres
King Farm Farmstead10 acres
DirectionsMark Twain School Athletic Park10 acres · City of Rockville
DirectionsWatts Branch Park10 acres
DirectionsRose Hill Stream Valley Park9 acres
Twinbrook Park8 acres · City of Rockville
DirectionsCollege Gardens Park6 acres
North Farm Park5 acres
David Scull Park5 acres · Rockville Department of Recreation and Parks
Calvin Park5 acres
Open Space (SWM)5 acres
Hillcrest Park4 acres
Silver Rock Park3 acres
Open Space3 acres
Memorial Park2 acres
Orchard Ridge Park2 acres
DirectionsCourthouse Square Park2 acres
DirectionsBeall-Dawson House1 acres
DirectionsCroydon Park1 acres · City of Rockville
First Street Park1 acres
Jacquilin Trells Williams Park1 acres
DirectionsVillage Green Park1 acres
DirectionsWilma Shelton Bell Park1 acres
James Monroe Park1 acres
DirectionsKinship Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
907 conserved acres
10% of Rockville’s land. Who manages Rockville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city438 ac
County317 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government90 ac
Other state land2 ac
Not recorded393 ac
Local Park · 576 acLocal Other or Unknown · 342 acLocal Conservation Area · 183 acConservation Easement · 72 acState Other or Unknown · 37 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 46 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 15 of 75 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| County Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 262 | Unknown |
| Montgomery County Local Park | County | 262 | Open |
| Wootons Mill park Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 117 | Unknown |
| Fallsgrove Stream Valley Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| King Farm Stream Valley Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 52 | Open |
| Rock Creek Stream Valley Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 37 | Unknown |
| Welsh Park Local Park | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Fallsgrove Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Rockmead Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
72 places to go in Rockville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Rockville
Potomac Woods Swim Club (private club)
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Rockville
Horizon Hill ParkIn Horizon Hill Park
DirectionsRitchie Park Playground
DirectionsRockcrest PlaygroundIn Rockcrest Park
DirectionsRockville Civic Center PlaygroundIn Rockville Civic Center Park
Directions59 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Rockville
Dog Park at King FarmIn Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park
DirectionsPlus 3 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Rockville
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Rockville
Hunting Hill512 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Rockville
5 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.1 mi
Croydon Creek Woodland Trail0.8 mi
Croydon Creek Heritage Trail0.4 mi
Forest Trail0.2 mi
Pond Trail0.2 mi
Croydon Creek Overlook Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
48 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
30 mi
off-road bike paths
11 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
84Tennis
59Basketball
34Baseball
12Soccer
5Pickleball
5Football
5Tracks
3Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →11 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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Beall-Dawson HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itRockville Railroad StationBuilding · listed 1974
About itWest Montgomery Avenue Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1975
About itThird Addition to Rockville and Old St. Mary's Church and CemeteryDistrict · listed 1978
About itBingham-Brewer HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itDawson FarmBuilding · listed 1985
About itMontgomery County Courthouse Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1986
About itGlenview FarmBuilding · listed 2007
About itRockville Park Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2011
About itNew Mark CommonsDistrict · listed 2017
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Rockville: April, 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 | 54 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 78 | 67 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 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 Rockville →
Next door
Rockville and its neighbors
Rockville has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Potomac53 miRockville19 miRedland17 miNorth Potomac15 miTravilah13 miAspen Hill13 miNorth Bethesda2.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockville | 10% | 1.4 | 16 | 99%+ | A |
| North Bethesda | 7% | 0.3 | 3 | 97% | B |
| Travilah | 18% | 0.8 | 64 | 65% | A |
| Potomac | 21% | 2.1 | 26 | 92% | A+ |
| Aspen Hill | 13% | 1.3 | 11 | 89% | A− |
| Redland | 32% | 2.3 | 58 | 99%+ | A+ |
| North Potomac | 6% | 2.3 | 5 | 92% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Rockville
Where can I hike in Rockville?
The longest trail networks: Rockville Civic Center Park, 2.2 miles; Upper Watts Branch Forest Preserve, 0.7 miles; Woodley Gardens Park, 0.5 miles; Potomac Woods Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rockville is conserved land?
10% 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 Rockville’s trails?
Rockville Civic Center Park and Upper Watts Branch Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Rockville?
48 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.4 of painted or protected lanes, 30 of off-road paths and 11 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Rockville?
24,033 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rockville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,092 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Rockville have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #34 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 Rockville 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 →