1
Cabin John Regional Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
510 acres12.2 mi of trail
Cabin John TrailCampground Loop TrailHighway Loop TrailKidney Bean Loop TrailTulip Tree Trail
Dogs on leashMapped in OpenStreetMap
Outdoors · Potomac
Potomac, MD parks, trails & bike paths
About 20% of Potomac is conserved land, roughly 3,420 acres. There are about 53 miles of mapped trails, and the biggest networks are in Cabin John Regional Park (12.2 mi), Cabin John Stream Valley Park (4.1 mi), and William F. Bolger Center (1 mi).
Conserved land, trails, parks and bike routes in Potomac, measured from OpenStreetMap and USGS data.
At a glance
Potomac outdoors
Conserved land
20%
3,420 of 16,922 acres
Trails
53 mi
2 mi per sq mi · 41 on conserved land
Parks & preserves
28
75 conserved acres per 1,000 residents
Bike routes
32.2 mi
3.6 mi lanes · 20.8 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
Cabin John Stream Valley Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
368 acres4.1 mi of trail
Cabin John TrailRidgeleigh Trail
Dog rules not recorded
3
William F. Bolger Center
Managed by Dolce Hotels and Resorts / US Post Office
78 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
4
Avenel Local Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
25 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
5
Falls Road Park
Managed by Montgomery Parks
22 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
All 28 parks & preserves
Showing 1–10 of 28 parks & preserves
Cabin John Regional Park510 acres · 12.2 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
Cabin John Stream Valley Park368 acres · 4.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
William F. Bolger Center78 acres · 1 mi of trail · Dolce Hotels and Resorts / US Post Office
Avenel Local Park25 acres · 1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
Falls Road Park22 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park115 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Buck Branch Stream Valley Park102 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
Beverly Farms Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Heritage Farm Neighborhood Park30 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Buck Branch Neighborhood Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Montgomery Parks
Things to do
Beaches, playgrounds, falls & more
Pick a kind of place for the list, directions, or pins on the map above.
Playgrounds in Potomac
Showing 1–10 of 50 playgrounds
Cabin John Park Adventure PlaygroundIn Cabin John Regional Park
GISW Lower-School Playground
GISW Upper-School Playground
Hadley's ParkIn Falls Road Park
Nature Exploration AreaIn Cabin John Regional Park
Tot Lot
Unnamed playground
Unnamed playground in Avenel Local Park
Unnamed playground
Unnamed playground
10 more unnamed playgrounds are mapped in Potomac.
Trails
Named trails
Open to bikes 14.2 miUnpaved 35.7 mi
Showing 1–10 of 25 trails
- Cabin John Trail7.4 mi
- Ford Mine Trail2.1 mi
- Billy Goat Trail Section A1.8 mi
- Gold Mine Loop1.6 mi
- Billy Goat Trail Section C1.6 mi
- Billy Goat Trail Section B1.4 mi
- Campground Loop Trail1.2 mi
- Highway Loop Trail1.1 mi
- River Trail1.0 mi
- Gold Mine Spur0.8 mi
Water
Lakes & rivers
Showing 1–10 of 14 places
Great Falls Estate LakereservoirTadpole NurserypondVeronica Mason PondpondChesapeake and Ohio CanalLock 13Lock 14Lock 15Lock 16Lock 17Lock 18
Tap a name for directions.
Who protects the land
3,420 conserved acres
Who manages it, from PAD-US. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn't always mean open to visitors. 311 acres are conservation easements, which are usually private land. Public access isn't recorded for 131 of 281 parcels. The places listed above are parks and preserves people visit.
Biking & sports
Bike routes, courts & fields
- Painted or protected bike lanes3.6 mi
- Off-road bike paths20.8 mi
- Shoulders & shared lanes7.8 mi
- Cabin John Trail (bike route)6.6 mi
Courts & fields
- Tennis142
- Basketball44
- Golf32
- Baseball23
- Soccer20
- Softball6
- Multi-sport6
Counts include school and college facilities, which aren't always open to the public.
Public lands
The biggest protected places in Potomac
From USGS PAD-US: who manages each one and whether visitors are welcome.
Special Designation Area 1,244 acState Other or Unknown 1,205 acLocal Park 499 acConservation Easement 461 acHistoric or Cultural Area 258 ac
Showing 1–10 of 15 places
| Place | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington Memorial ParkwaySpecial Designation Area | National Park Service | 1,244 | Restricted |
| Cabin John Regional ParkState Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 846 | Access unknown |
| Watss Branch Stream Valley ParkState Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 301 | Access unknown |
| Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical ParkHistoric or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 258 | Restricted |
| Cabin John Creek ParkState Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 206 | Access unknown |
| C & O Canal National Historical ParkPrivate Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 127 | Open |
| Buck Branch SvpLocal Park | Regional agency | 101 | Open |
| Kilgour Branch SvpLocal Park | Regional agency | 77 | Open |
| Potomac Gorge PreservePrivate Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 52 | Restricted |
| Rock Wood ParkLocal Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 47 | Open |
History
Historic places to visit
Lockhouse 16Building
Locust GroveBuilding · 1781
Ruins of Worker's Houses for Nearby QuarriesIn Cabin John Stream Valley Park · Ruins
Saint Gabriel CemeteryCemetery
Nearby
Potomac and its neighbors
Towns whose outdoors data has been built so far.
| Town | Conserved | Trails | Parks & preserves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potomac | 20.2% | 52.5 mi | 28 |
| Travilah | 16.5% | 12.9 mi | 11 |
| McLean | 14.8% | 43.2 mi | 42 |
| Great Falls | 14.2% | 46.7 mi | 13 |
| Rockville | 10.5% | 18.8 mi | 55 |
| North Bethesda | 7.4% | 2.5 mi | 23 |
| Cabin John | 31.8% | 4.8 mi | 8 |
Trail talk
Conditions & tips from neighbors
No recent posts about Potomac'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 21.2-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.