Muddy Branch Stream Valley Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
99 acres1.9 mi of trail
Muddy Branch Greenway TrailMuddy Branch Rock Garden
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Edward Beale House · Photo: Mona80x · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Travilah
18% of Travilah’s land is conserved: 1,854 acres
745 acres are parks and preserves, 64 per 1,000 residents. 13 miles of mapped trail cross Travilah, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Muddy Branch Stream Valley Park (1.9 mi).
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #50 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
1,854 acres · of 15.9 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
745 ac
64 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
65%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.8 mi
0.7 mi lanes · 3.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Travilah?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Travilah have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Travilah is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #50 of 261 in Maryland. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Travilah’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land64 acres of park per 1,000 residents (745 acres) · MD 9 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home65% of residents within a half mile of a park · MD 87% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 87%
LessMore
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 81%
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Travilah’s 18% is ahead of 83% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 67% of them.
Water is 10% of Travilah’s area (2 of 18 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 16%.
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 Muddy Branch Stream Valley Park, with 1.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Watts Branch Stream Valley Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
355 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Serpentine Barrens Conservation Park
Nature preserve
339 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Islands of the Potomac Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Wildlife and Heritage Service
304 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 11 parks & preserves
Muddy Branch Stream Valley Park99 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsPennyfield Lock Neighborhood Conservation Area2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsWatts Branch Stream Valley Park355 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsSerpentine Barrens Conservation Park339 acres
Islands of the Potomac Wildlife Management Area304 acres · Wildlife and Heritage Service
Blockhouse Point Conservation Park95 acres · Montgomery Parks
DirectionsGlen Hills Local Park25 acres
Greenbriar Local Park25 acres
Adventure Conservation Park15 acres · Montgomery Parks
Riverbend Park4 acres · Fairfax County Park Authority
Tobytown Neighborhood Park3 acres
Who protects it
1,854 conserved acres
18% of Travilah’s land. Water is left out: Travilah has 15.9 square miles of land and 1.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Travilah’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County702 ac
Regional agency678 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government389 ac
National Park Service348 ac
Joint4 ac
State natural resources4 ac
Not recorded815 ac
Conservation Easement · 735 acLocal Conservation Area · 676 acLocal Park · 355 acLocal Other or Unknown · 320 acState Conservation Area · 289 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 525 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 158 of 318 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watts Branch Svu Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 339 | Open |
| County Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 320 | Unknown |
| Montgomery County Local Park | County | 320 | Open |
| ISLANDS OF THE POTOMAC Wildlife Management Area - Islands of the Potomac Wildlands State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 289 | Unknown |
| Serpentine Barrens Cp - North Unit Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 255 | Open |
| Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 198 | Restricted |
| Blockhouse Pt. Park Local Park | Not recorded | 94 | Unknown |
| Watss Branch Stream Valley Park State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 92 | Unknown |
| Serpentine Barrens Cp - South Unit Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 65 | Open |
| Greenbriar Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 25 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
4 places to go in Travilah
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Travilah
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Travilah
Lock 21 “Swains” CampgroundNational Park Service
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.9 miHorses · 6.4 miUnpaved · 6.7 mi
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail3.0 mi
Muddy Branch Greenway Trail2.2 mi
Potomac Horse and Bridle Trail0.7 mi
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath0.4 mi
Potomac Heritage Trail0.2 mi
Blue-Return Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.3 mi
off-road bike paths
0.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
50 (Maryland)Bike route
3.4 mi9/11 National Memorial Trail (Maryland)Bike route
3.4 miChesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath (Maryland)Bike route
3.4 miTransVirginia Bike RouteBike route
3.4 miMoCo EpicBike route
2.6 miMoCoEpic SouthBike route
2.6 miCourts & fields
28Tennis
4Basketball
1Soccer
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).
Edward Beale HouseBuilding · listed 1996
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Travilah: April 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) | 42 | 46 | 54 | 66 | 75 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.3 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Travilah →
Next door
Travilah 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travilah | 18% | 0.8 | 64 | 65% | A |
| Potomac | 21% | 2.1 | 26 | 92% | A+ |
| Darnestown | 13% | 2.3 | 83 | 31% | A |
| Rockville | 10% | 1.4 | 16 | 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 Travilah
Where can I hike in Travilah?
The longest trail networks: Muddy Branch Stream Valley Park, 1.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Travilah is conserved land?
18% 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 Travilah’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Muddy Branch Stream Valley Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Travilah?
4.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.7 of painted or protected lanes, 3.3 of off-road paths and 0.9 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: 50 (Maryland), 9/11 National Memorial Trail (Maryland) and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath (Maryland).
Is there public land near Travilah?
24,500 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Travilah or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 745 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Travilah have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #50 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 Travilah 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 →