Takoma-Piney Branch Local Park
Managed by Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
12 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Takoma Park
7% of Takoma 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. The biggest trail networks: Takoma-Piney Branch Local Park (0.6 mi). 7% of Takoma Park’s land is conserved, about 94 acres.
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns · #125 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
94 acres · of 2.1 sq mi of land
Trails
1.1 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
59 ac
3.4 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.1 mi
0.2 mi lanes · 2.4 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Takoma Park?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Takoma Park have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Takoma Park is ahead of 71% of U.S. towns, #125 of 261 in Maryland. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Takoma Park’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4BPark land3.4 acres of park per 1,000 residents (59 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13C−Parks 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 71%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 52%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Takoma Park’s 7% is ahead of 40% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 50% of them.
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 Takoma-Piney Branch Local Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
51 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Long Branch Stream Valley Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
9 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Sligo Mill Neighborhood Conservation Area
Nature preserve
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 16 parks & preserves
Takoma-Piney Branch Local Park12 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
DirectionsSligo Creek Stream Valley Park51 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsSpring Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Long Branch Stream Valley Park9 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsSligo Mill Neighborhood Conservation Area7 acres
DirectionsSilver Spring Intermediate Neighborhood Park4 acres
DirectionsHillwood Manor Neighborhood Park3 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsBelle Ziegler Park3 acres
DirectionsHefner Park2 acres
DirectionsOpal A. Daniels Neighborhood Park2 acres
Sligo Creek North Neighborhood Park2 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsTakoma Park South Neighborhood Park2 acres
DirectionsForest Park1 acres
Becca Lilly Neighborhood Park1 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsTakoma Urban Park1 acres
DirectionsSligo Mill Overlook Neighborhood Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
94 conserved acres
7% of Takoma Park’s land. Who manages Takoma Park’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency40 ac
Town or city8 ac
Other state land1 ac
County1 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1 ac
Not recorded54 ac
State Other or Unknown · 54 acLocal Park · 38 acLocal Conservation Area · 9 acLocal Recreation Area · 2 acConservation Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 21 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sligo Creek Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 33 | Unknown |
| Takoma Piney Branch Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 18 | Unknown |
| Takoma-Piney Branch Lp Local Park | Regional agency | 13 | Open |
| Long Branch Svu 1A Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 9 | Open |
| Takoma Park Np Local Park | Regional agency | 7 | Open |
| Silver Spring Int Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 4 | Unknown |
| Spring Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Hillwood Manor Np Local Park | Regional agency | 3 | Open |
| Jequie Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Opal A. Daniels Np Local Park | Regional agency | 2 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
35 places to go in Takoma Park
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Takoma Park
29 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Takoma Park
Takoma Park Dog ParkIn Hefner Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Takoma Park
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Community gardens in Takoma Park
Maple Avenue Community Garden
DirectionsPlus 3 community gardens without a name on the map.
Biking & sports
4.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.4 mi
off-road bike paths
1.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
14Basketball
8Soccer
5Tennis
3Baseball
1Softball
1Football
1Skate park
1Beach volleyball
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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Takoma Park Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1976
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Takoma Park: 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 | 46 | 55 | 66 | 75 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 79 | 68 | 57 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Takoma Park →
Next door
Takoma Park and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Takoma Park | 7% | 0.5 | 3 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Silver Spring | 15% | 1.4 | 3 | 99%+ | A− |
| Chillum | 17% | 0.5 | 4 | 99%+ | A− |
| Langley Park | 6% | 0.1 | under 1 | 99%+ | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Takoma Park
Where can I hike in Takoma Park?
The longest trail networks: Takoma-Piney Branch Local Park, 0.6 miles; Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Takoma Park is conserved land?
7% 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 Takoma Park’s trails?
Takoma-Piney Branch Local Park and Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Takoma Park?
4.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of painted or protected lanes, 2.4 of off-road paths and 1.5 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Takoma Park?
17,059 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Takoma Park or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 59 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Takoma Park have?
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #125 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 Takoma 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 →