Baltimore-Washington Parkway
Managed by National Park Service
184 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Montpelier · Photo: The original uploader was Quarterczar at English Wikipedia. · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in South Laurel
30% of South Laurel’s land is conserved: 1,522 acres
96% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 6.6 miles of mapped trail cross South Laurel, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Baltimore-Washington Parkway (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #30 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
30%
1,522 acres · of 8.1 sq mi of land
Trails
6.6 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
619 ac
21 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.6 mi
0.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is South Laurel?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does South Laurel have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, South Laurel is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #30 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 South Laurel’s overall grade.
Conserved land30% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land21 acres of park per 1,000 residents (619 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home96% 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 89%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so South Laurel’s 30% is ahead of 96% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 68% 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 Baltimore-Washington Parkway, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Patuxent Research Refuge
Nature preserve
566 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Blue Ponds Park
Nature preserve
74 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 17 parks & preserves
Baltimore-Washington Parkway184 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsPatuxent Research Refuge566 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
South Laurel Neighborhood Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsContee Road Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSnow Hill Manor Park16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Snowden Oaks Community Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Patuxent River Park I234 acres
DirectionsBlue Ponds Park74 acres
Pheasant Run Community Park38 acres
Snow Hill Manor Historic Site22 acres
DirectionsBedford Neighborhood Park12 acres
Montpelier Park10 acres
DirectionsMontpelier Community Association6 acres
DirectionsLarchdale Park5 acres
DirectionsHolly Park4 acres
DirectionsDinosaur Park2 acres · Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation;Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
Maryland City Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,522 conserved acres
30% of South Laurel’s land. Who manages South Laurel’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service1,114 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government378 ac
County230 ac
National Park Service227 ac
Other state land18 ac
State parks1 ac
Not recorded501 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 1,114 acLocal Park · 563 acState Other or Unknown · 293 acSpecial Designation Area · 227 acLocal Other or Unknown · 191 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 24 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 19 of 48 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patuxent Research Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 1,114 | Restricted |
| Montpelier Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 283 | Unknown |
| Putuxent River Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 255 | Open |
| National Capital Parks Special Designation Area | National Park Service | 227 | Restricted |
| Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Property Property Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 118 | Unknown |
| Montpelier Cultural Arts Center Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 71 | Unknown |
| Blue Ponds Park Local Park | County | 70 | Open |
| Longwood Park Local Park | County | 58 | Open |
| Snowden Oaks Community Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 53 | Open |
| Pheasant Run Community Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 40 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
25 places to go in South Laurel
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in South Laurel
25 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
12Tennis
7Basketball
6Baseball
1Beach volleyball
1Multi-sport
1Volleyball
1Football
1Soccer
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).
When to get out
The best walking months in South Laurel: 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 | 47 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 84 | 88 | 86 | 79 | 68 | 57 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.7 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.7 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 South Laurel →
Next door
South Laurel and its neighbors
South Laurel has the second most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Laurel | 30% | 0.8 | 21 | 96% | A |
| Maryland City | 18% | 0.3 | 26 | 98% | A− |
| Laurel | 4% | 1.2 | 5 | 96% | B+ |
| Konterra | 6% | 1.3 | 48 | 90% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in South Laurel
Where can I hike in South Laurel?
The longest trail networks: Baltimore-Washington Parkway, 0.5 miles; Patuxent Research Refuge, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of South Laurel is conserved land?
30% 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 South Laurel’s trails?
Baltimore-Washington Parkway and Patuxent Research Refuge don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in South Laurel?
0.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near South Laurel?
19,327 acres of parks and open public land lie inside South Laurel or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 619 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does South Laurel have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #30 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 South Laurel 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 →