Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Managed by National Park Service
95 acres1.5 mi of trail
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5AOutdoors
Outdoors in Williamsport
12% of Williamsport’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. 1.7 miles of mapped trail cross Williamsport, 1.7 per square mile of land. 12% of Williamsport’s land is conserved, about 77 acres.
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
77 acres · of 1.0 sq mi of land
Trails
1.7 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
31 ac
16 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Williamsport?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild12% of the land is conserved; a typical Maryland town, 9%.Parks close to homeVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.A trail town1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 91% of U.S. towns.History along the way5 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Williamsport have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Williamsport is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns. 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 Williamsport’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical MD town 9% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · MD 0.5 · U.S. 0.4APark land16 acres of park per 1,000 residents (31 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 94%
LessMore
Maryland towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Williamsport’s 12% is ahead of 67% of Maryland towns, while its trails per square mile lead 86% 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 Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
77 conserved acres
12% of Williamsport’s land. Who manages Williamsport’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service41 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government14 ac
Town or city4 ac
Not recorded27 ac
Historic or Cultural Area · 35 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 27 acLocal Park · 18 acHistoric or Cultural Easement · 6 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 6 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 7 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Byron Park Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 37 | Unknown |
| Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 35 | Restricted |
| Doub Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Lp5014 Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 2 | Open |
| River Bottom Park Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1 | Unknown |
Things to do
2 places to go in Williamsport
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Williamsport
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Williamsport
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.3 miHorses · 1.1 miUnpaved · 1.3 mi
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail0.9 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
50 (Maryland)Bike route
0.9 mi9/11 National Memorial Trail (Maryland)Bike route
0.9 miChesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath (Maryland)Bike route
0.9 miCourts & fields
6Tennis
5Baseball
4Multi-sport
2Basketball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Williamsport: 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) | 41 | 45 | 53 | 66 | 75 | 83 | 88 | 86 | 79 | 67 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 4.1 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Williamsport →
Questions about parks and trails in Williamsport
Where can I hike in Williamsport?
The longest trail networks: Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, 1.5 miles; Byron Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Williamsport is conserved land?
12% 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 Williamsport’s trails?
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park and Byron Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Williamsport?
1,797 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Williamsport or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 31 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Williamsport have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Williamsport 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 →