Catoctin Mountain Park
Managed by National Park Service
19 acres0.4 mi of trail
Gateway Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Andrew Bain · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Thurmont
5% of Thurmont’s land is conserved: 108 acres
94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2.2 miles of mapped trail cross Thurmont, 0.7 per square mile of land. 100 acres are parks and preserves, 16 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #98 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
108 acres · of 3.1 sq mi of land
Trails
2.2 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
100 ac
16 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.0 mi
1.0 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Thurmont?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Thurmont have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Thurmont is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #98 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 Thurmont’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land16 acres of park per 1,000 residents (100 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13BParks close to home94% 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 78%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 63%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Thurmont’s 5% is ahead of 28% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 61% 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 Catoctin Mountain Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 6 parks & preserves
Catoctin Mountain Park19 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsThurmont Memorial Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsEyler Road Recreation Area30 acres
DirectionsThurmont Park25 acres
DirectionsEast End Park12 acres
DirectionsWoodland Park2 acres
Who protects it
108 conserved acres
5% of Thurmont’s land. Who manages Thurmont’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government63 ac
National Park Service23 ac
Town or city13 ac
Other state land8 ac
County2 ac
Local Park · 76 acSpecial Designation Area · 23 acState Resource Management Area · 8 acForest Stewardship Easement · 1 acConservation Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 14 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eyler Road Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 26 | Open |
| Catoctin Mountain Park Special Designation Area | National Park Service | 23 | Restricted |
| Thurmont Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 22 | Open |
| East End Recreation Area Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 15 | Open |
| MD State Highway Administration 1 State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 8 | Open |
| Orchard Hills Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Woodland Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Thurmont Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Ice Plant Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Carroll Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
6 places to go in Thurmont
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Thurmont
Thurmont Community Kiddie ParkIn Thurmont Park
DirectionsPlus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
2 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.5 mi
Library Loop Trail0.3 mi
Gateway Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
1.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Basketball
2Tennis
2Pickleball
2Soccer
2Football
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Roddy Road Covered BridgeStructure · listed 1978
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Thurmont: 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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 44 | 53 | 65 | 74 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 67 | 55 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.7 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Thurmont →
Questions about parks and trails in Thurmont
Where can I hike in Thurmont?
The longest trail networks: Catoctin Mountain Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Thurmont is conserved land?
5% 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 Thurmont’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Catoctin Mountain Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Thurmont?
1.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Thurmont?
19,107 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Thurmont or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 107 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Thurmont have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #98 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 Thurmont 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 →