1
Patapsco Valley State Park Glen Artney Area
Managed by Maryland Park Service
738 acres12.9 mi of trail
SoapstoneSantee Branch TrailCollege LoopVineyard Spring TrailNun's Trail
Dogs on leashMapped in OpenStreetMap
Outdoors · Catonsville
Catonsville, MD parks, trails & bike paths
About 3% of Catonsville is conserved land, roughly 268 acres. There are about 53 miles of mapped trails, and the biggest networks are in Patapsco Valley State Park Glen Artney Area (12.9 mi), Patapsco Valley State Park Hilton Area (11 mi), and Patapsco Valley State Park Rockhaven Area (7.1 mi).
Conserved land, trails, parks and bike routes in Catonsville, measured from OpenStreetMap and USGS data.
At a glance
Catonsville outdoors
Conserved land
3%
268 of 8,940 acres
Trails
53 mi
3.8 mi per sq mi · 3 on conserved land
Parks & preserves
17
6 conserved acres per 1,000 residents
Bike routes
13.4 mi
4.8 mi lanes · 4.3 mi off-road paths
Conserved land is a share of the whole town area. Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number or a place below to zoom in© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Parks & preserves with trails
Ranked by mapped trail miles. Directions go to the nearest marked trailhead or public parking.
2
Patapsco Valley State Park Hilton Area
Managed by Maryland Park Service
437 acres11 mi of trail
Buzzards Rock TrailSantee Branch TrailSawmill Branch TrailBuzzards Rock RerouteForest Glen Trail
Dogs on leashMapped in OpenStreetMap
3
Patapsco Valley State Park Rockhaven Area
Managed by Maryland Park Service
300 acres7.1 mi of trail
Rockhaven TrailMill Race TrailJaneNew RocksStairway to Haven
Dogs on leashMapped in OpenStreetMap
4
Patapsco Valley State Park Gray's Mill Area
Managed by Maryland Park Service
233 acres4 mi of trail
Gray's Mill TrailHillTop ConnectorFarm Connector Trail
Dogs on leashMapped in OpenStreetMap
5
Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum
Managed by Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks
127 acres3.9 mi of trail
Red TrailBlue Powerline LoopYellow TrailStory PathWhite Trail
Dog rules not recorded
6
Conservation and Research Areas of UMBC
Nature preserve
66 acres1 mi of trail
CERA Trail
Dog rules not recorded
7
Catonsville Park
Park
41 acres0.8 mi of trail
Catonsville Park Nature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo the parking lot
All 17 parks & preserves
Showing 1–10 of 17 parks & preserves
Patapsco Valley State Park Glen Artney Area738 acres · 12.9 mi of trail · Maryland Park Service
Patapsco Valley State Park Hilton Area437 acres · 11 mi of trail · Maryland Park Service
Patapsco Valley State Park Rockhaven Area300 acres · 7.1 mi of trail · Maryland Park Service
Patapsco Valley State Park Gray's Mill Area233 acres · 4 mi of trail · Maryland Park Service
Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum127 acres · 3.9 mi of trail · Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks
Conservation and Research Areas of UMBC66 acres · 1 mi of trail
Catonsville Park41 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Banneker Community Center29 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Trolley Line #9 Trail15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks
Scenic Easement5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Things to do
Beaches, playgrounds, falls & more
Pick a kind of place for the list, directions, or pins on the map above.
Playgrounds in Catonsville
Showing 1–10 of 30 playgrounds
Catonsville Community Park PlaygroundIn Catonsville Park
Catonsville Community Park PlaygroundIn Catonsville Park
Holly Manor ParkIn Catonsville Park
Holly Manor ParkIn Catonsville Park
Natural play areaIn Patapsco Valley State Park Hilton Area
Tire playgroundIn Patapsco Valley State Park Hilton Area
Unnamed playground in Patapsco Valley State Park Glen Artney Area
Unnamed playground
Unnamed playground
Unnamed playground
Trails
Named trails
Open to bikes 29.3 miHorses 8.1 miUnpaved 45.6 mi
Showing 1–10 of 25 trails
- Gray's Mill Trail3.6 mi
- Soapstone3.4 mi
- Santee Branch Trail3.4 mi
- Rockhaven Trail1.9 mi
- Short Line Railroad Trail1.7 mi
- Mill Race Trail1.4 mi
- Red Trail1.2 mi
- Buzzards Rock Trail1.1 mi
- College Loop1.1 mi
- Jane1.0 mi
Water
Lakes & rivers
Tap a name for directions.
Who protects the land
268 conserved acres
Who manages it, from PAD-US. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn't always mean open to visitors. 97 acres are conservation easements, which are usually private land. Public access isn't recorded for 21 of 45 parcels. The places listed above are parks and preserves people visit.
Biking & sports
Bike routes, courts & fields
- Painted or protected bike lanes4.8 mi
- Off-road bike paths4.3 mi
- Shoulders & shared lanes4.3 mi
- Patapsco Traverse (north mtb) (bike route)9.3 mi
- Santee Branch Trail (bike route)4.2 mi
- Gray's Mill Trail (bike route)3.3 mi
- Soapstone (bike route)2.5 mi
- Catonsville Short Line Trail (bike route)1.7 mi
Courts & fields
- Baseball32
- Tennis25
- Soccer19
- Golf19
- Basketball13
- Pickleball10
- Multi-sport7
Counts include school and college facilities, which aren't always open to the public.
Public lands
The biggest protected places in Catonsville
From USGS PAD-US: who manages each one and whether visitors are welcome.
Local Other or Unknown 118 acConservation Easement 58 acHistoric or Cultural Easement 45 acLocal Park 37 acForest Stewardship Easement 28 ac
| Place | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catonsville ParkLocal Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 37 | Open |
| Local Open SpaceLocal Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 33 | Access unknown |
| Drainage And UtilityLocal Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 31 | Access unknown |
| George F Bragg Nature CenterLocal Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 30 | Access unknown |
| Banneker Community CenterLocal Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 26 | Access unknown |
| Benjamin BannekerLocal Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Local Government | 9 | Open |
| Baltimore National CemeteryPrivate Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 8 | Access unknown |
| Patapsco Valley SpState Park | Not recorded | 5 | Access unknown |
History
Historic places to visit
Showing 1–10 of 13 places
Banneker SchoolIn Banneker Community Center · Monument
Castle ThunderPlaque
Catonsville NinePlaque
Ellicott's MillsPlaque
Farm Field RemnantsIn Patapsco Valley State Park Gray's Mill Area · Ruins
Farm Field RemnantsIn Patapsco Valley State Park Gray's Mill Area · Ruins
Generator Shed (former)Ruins
Railroad Crossing Lookout for the LocomotivePlaque
Union DamIn Patapsco Valley State Park Rockhaven Area · Ruins
Union Dam Race EmbankmentIn Patapsco Valley State Park Rockhaven Area · Ruins
Nearby
Catonsville and its neighbors
Towns whose outdoors data has been built so far.
| Town | Conserved | Trails | Parks & preserves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catonsville | 3% | 52.8 mi | 17 |
| Ellicott City | 15.9% | 62.6 mi | 18 |
| Ilchester | 18.7% | 35.0 mi | 8 |
| Arbutus | 3.2% | 3.6 mi | 7 |
| Woodlawn | 4% | 16.3 mi | 10 |
| Baltimore | 7.9% | 85.1 mi | 240 |
Trail talk
Conditions & tips from neighbors
No recent posts about Catonsville's trails yet. Muddy, icy, a bridge out, where to park: a quick post helps the next person.
Sources: trails, parks, preserves, courts and bike lanes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), map data as of 2026-09-28. Conserved land: USGS Gap Analysis Project, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US). Measured against the Census town boundary.
How we measure
"Trails" are OpenStreetMap paths, bridleways, public tracks and unpaved footways, plus footways inside a park or preserve or on a named trail route. Sidewalks are left out. Areas are counted on a 20-meter grid, so overlapping parcels count once. "Conserved" includes conservation easements, which protect land from development but are usually private property. Trailheads are the nearest marked trailhead, public parking lot or information board within about 150 meters of a preserve. Dog rules come from OpenStreetMap when someone has tagged them; otherwise we show what's typical for the land manager, or say the rules aren't recorded.