1
Lake Roland
Managed by Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks
452 acres12.9 mi of trail
Red TrailYellow TrailPurple TrailPink TrailGreen Trail
Dogs on leashMapped in OpenStreetMap
Outdoors · Towson
Towson, MD parks, trails & bike paths
About 6.6% of Towson is conserved land, roughly 597 acres. There are about 30 miles of mapped trails, and the biggest networks are in Lake Roland (12.9 mi), Essex Farms Park (0.9 mi), and Glen Arboretum (0.6 mi).
Conserved land, trails, parks and bike routes in Towson, measured from OpenStreetMap and USGS data.
At a glance
Towson outdoors
Conserved land
6.6%
597 of 9,096 acres
Trails
30 mi
2.1 mi per sq mi · 12 on conserved land
Parks & preserves
19
10 conserved acres per 1,000 residents
Bike routes
8.1 mi
7.0 mi lanes · 0.4 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
Essex Farms Park
Managed by Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks
16 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo the parking lot
3
Glen Arboretum
Park
10 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo Glen Garage
4
Roland Run Greenway
Managed by Baltimore County Department of Public Works
37 acres0.4 mi of trail
Royal Farms Trail
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo the parking lot
All 19 parks & preserves
Showing 1–10 of 19 parks & preserves
Lake Roland452 acres · 12.9 mi of trail · Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks
Essex Farms Park16 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks
Glen Arboretum10 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Roland Run Greenway37 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Baltimore County Department of Public Works
Ridervale Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks
Forge Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
West Towson Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Baltimore County Government
Radabaugh Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Glendale Park15 acres
Overlook Park12 acres
Things to do
Beaches, playgrounds, falls & more
Pick a kind of place for the list, directions, or pins on the map above.
2Public pools58Playgrounds3Dog parks1Fishing spot1Waterfall3Scenic views3Peaks15Picnic areas2Community gardens
Scenic views in Towson
Abandoned QuarryIn Lake Roland
Old Transmission Tower
Quarry OverlookIn Lake Roland
Trails
Named trails
Open to bikes 6.3 miHorses 2.0 miUnpaved 26.5 mi
Showing 1–10 of 21 trails
- Red Trail1.9 mi
- Yellow Trail1.1 mi
- Blue Trail0.8 mi
- Pink Trail0.6 mi
- Purple Trail0.6 mi
- Green Trail0.5 mi
- North Centrail Railroad Towson Spur (unbuilt)0.5 mi
- Orange Trail0.5 mi
- White Trail0.4 mi
- Field Loop Path0.4 mi
Water
Lakes & rivers
Tap a name for directions.
Who protects the land
597 conserved acres
Who manages it, from PAD-US. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn't always mean open to visitors. 76 acres are conservation easements, which are usually private land. Public access isn't recorded for 24 of 51 parcels. The places listed above are parks and preserves people visit.
Biking & sports
Bike routes, courts & fields
- Painted or protected bike lanes7.0 mi
- Off-road bike paths0.4 mi
- Shoulders & shared lanes0.6 mi
- East Coast Greenway (MD) (bike route)0.5 mi
Courts & fields
- Tennis121
- Baseball31
- Pickleball24
- Basketball18
- Soccer17
- Multi-sport12
- Tracks10
Counts include school and college facilities, which aren't always open to the public.
Public lands
The biggest protected places in Towson
From USGS PAD-US: who manages each one and whether visitors are welcome.
Local Other or Unknown 380 acLocal Park 129 acConservation Easement 89 acUnknown Easement 51 acForest Stewardship Easement 28 ac
Showing 1–10 of 15 places
| Place | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert E. LeeLocal Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 308 | Access unknown |
| Jones Fall ParkLocal Park | Not recorded | 53 | Access unknown |
| Essex FarmLocal Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 40 | Access unknown |
| Glendale ParkLocal Park | County | 29 | Open |
| Drainage And UtilityLocal Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 26 | Access unknown |
| Lp5014Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 15 | Open |
| Bunting Acquisition (Met)State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 13 | Open |
| Riverdale ParkLocal Park | County | 13 | Open |
| Local Open SpaceLocal Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 10 | Access unknown |
| Overlook ParkLocal Park | County | 7 | Open |
History
Historic places to visit
Showing 1–10 of 64 places
1854 to 2004. 150 years as a county seat. Time capsule to be opened in 2154.Plaque
Army National GuardPlaque
Auburn HouseManor · 1849
Baltimore County CourthousePlaque
Baltimore County CourthousePlaque
Bare Hills HouseHouse
Boys' Latin Athletic Hall of Fame PlaquePlaque
Boys' Latin lacrosse national championship yearsPlaque
Brick PileIn Lake Roland · Ruins
COVID=19In Lake Roland · Memorial
Nearby
Towson and its neighbors
Towns whose outdoors data has been built so far.
| Town | Conserved | Trails | Parks & preserves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Towson | 6.6% | 29.8 mi | 19 |
| Baltimore | 7.9% | 85.1 mi | 240 |
| Pikesville | 7.5% | 7.2 mi | 6 |
| Parkville | 3.2% | 1.0 mi | 11 |
| Hampton | 43.2% | 44.1 mi | 3 |
| Mays Chapel | 7.4% | 6.3 mi | 9 |
| Lutherville | 3% | 0.6 mi | 4 |
Trail talk
Conditions & tips from neighbors
No recent posts about Towson'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.