Robert V. Riddell State Park
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
1,290 acres2.1 mi of trail
Mud Lake TrailC2 Connector
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Twentieth Century Steam Riding Gallery No. 409 · Photo: Richard Whitby · CC BY 2.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Maryland
Maryland has 2,011 acres of parks, 1,342 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Robert V. Riddell State Park (2.1 mi). 7% of Maryland’s land is conserved, about 2,253 acres. 4.1 miles of mapped trail cross Maryland, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
2,253 acres · of 52.4 sq mi of land
Trails
4.1 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,011 ac
1,342 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
40%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,326 ft
Hooker Mountain
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Maryland?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Maryland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Maryland is ahead of 59% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Maryland’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4CPark land1,342 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,011 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home40% of residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 59%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Robert V. Riddell State Park, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hooker Mountain State Forest
Nature preserve
358 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
South Hill State Forest
Nature preserve
213 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Davenport Forest Preserve Detached Parcel
Nature preserve
15 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
2,253 conserved acres
7% of Maryland’s land. Who manages Maryland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks1,349 ac
State conservation592 ac
County255 ac
Town or city69 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits4 ac
State Park · 1,349 acState Conservation Area · 592 acLocal Conservation Area · 255 acLocal Park · 69 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 9 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert V. Riddell State Park State Park | State parks | 1,349 | Open |
| Hooker Mountain State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 361 | Open |
| Otsego County Lands Local Conservation Area | County | 255 | Restricted |
| South Hill State Forest State Conservation Area | State conservation | 215 | Open |
| Town Of Maryland Land Local Park | Town or city | 58 | Unknown |
| Davenport Fp Detached Parcel State Conservation Area | State conservation | 16 | Open |
| Andrew S Draper Cen Schoo Land Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Unknown |
| Boy Scouts of America Lands Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 4 | Closed |
Things to do
3 places to go in Maryland
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Maryland
Hooker Mountain2,326 ft elevation
DirectionsDog Hill2,224 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Maryland
Emmanuel Christian CampgroundsTri-County Baptist
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.2 mi
Mud Lake Trail1.5 mi
C2 Connector0.2 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.
Courts & fields
2Basketball
2Soccer
2Baseball
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).
Twentieth Century Steam Riding Gallery No. 409Object · listed 1998
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Maryland: May and July to September
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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 32 | 41 | 54 | 66 | 74 | 78 | 77 | 70 | 58 | 45 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Maryland →
Next door
Maryland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 7% | 0.1 | 1,342 | 40% | B |
| Harpersfield | 1% | 0.1 | 21 | 24% | C |
| Davenport | 5% | 0.3 | 610 | 24% | B |
| Milford | 9% | 0.1 | 570 | 43% | B |
| Westford | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Worcester | 1% | under 0.1 | 139 | 53% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Maryland
Where can I hike in Maryland?
The longest trail networks: Robert V. Riddell State Park, 2.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Maryland is conserved land?
7% of its land, against a typical 5% for a New York town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Maryland’s trails?
Robert V. Riddell State Park and Hooker Mountain State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Maryland?
18,228 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Maryland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,011 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Maryland have?
Ahead of 59% 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 Maryland 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 →