This park is a ton of fun. Built within the past 5 years, this park has everything. It has swings,…read moremega slides, a spider web climber, and baby zones. It even has disability friendly options and party zones. I love taking my kids here to just run free. The only downfall I see is when some neighborhood teenagers come around and play aggressive tag games and curse. It is a place for smaller children and they are welcome, but bring inappropriate and unsafe behaviors.

This might be the best playground I've ever been to. Multiple layers to the playground with a…read morevariety of equipment that is age appropriate and safe. Tons of spaces to explore and play. I love the secured locked gate. I can't not wait to go back when the weather is nicer. We had the best time despite the foggy conditions!

Read the reviews before coming here and it's still a very nice playground. There are a couple…read moredifferent areas that need repair but at least they are blocked off so that parents are aware and keep their kids away from those areas. One review mentioned a grilling area but I didn't see any grill at the pavillion.

This playground is huge and has tons of features…read more Unfortunately several are broken. However there are still enough features to keep a ton of kids entertained. The maze of features are y'all enough so that adults can access all elements and thus play with or keep track of their kids, which is a HUGE plus. I would have listed a 5+ except for the two broken features

The Howard County Recreation & Parks Summer Concert Series at Centennial Park is a fantastic way to…read morespend a summer evening! We saw I&I Riddim at the Centennial Park Amphitheater, and they brought incredible music and such a fun, relaxing vibe. The beautiful park setting made it even better. This was the first of the five-concert summer series, with free concerts taking place on Thursday evenings through August 5. If you're looking for a laid-back night with great live music, this is definitely worth checking out. Bring a lawn chair or blanket, relax, and enjoy a wonderful evening outdoors!

I love summertime and this park is perfect to park in the shade and enjoy breakfast. This moment…read morewas followed by a break walk around the loop. Without my dog, this time,I was approached by a squirrel and even two deer. It's nice having so many wonderful things to do outside!

There is a free entrance off of Landing Rd. A month ago I started a walk at the Landing Rd. I…read morewalked to the Avalon area (3 miles). I walked north on the ridge trail 6 miles. I turned around and walked 6 miles back to Avalon. Then walked 3 miles to the landing road starting point. It was 97 degrees. Brought 7 liters of water and about 30% of it was electrolytes. brought some snacks. overall it was a good solid hike of 6 hours. I rested a bit at cascade falls (CF) CF parking lot, Avalon (in both directions) Total mileage was around 18 miles. Trail reference: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/afternoon-hike-at-a-long-but-exciting-walk-65af16a

I came to Patapsco after planning a hike here for my run/walk/hike club. We chose the Cascade Falls…read moreloop trail as it seemed easy for beginner hikers which were a lot of members of my group and like it would not require any extra supplies. We came on a Sunday morning, parking was $2 as our shuttle was an in state vehicle ($4 for out of state!) and when we arrived around 9:30, there was already a decent amount of people at the trailhead parking lot, but we were able to easily park. There is a bathroom located nearby that is clean and has running water. I do think it is relatively well maintained and looked after, though there was 1 stall missing toilet paper. The hike itself was lovely, with fall foliage still around in sight. We did not come across any big wildlife like deer but given the amount of people this made sense. We did use bug spray on our shoes and bottoms of our leggings / ankle area to prevent any ticks. The trail itself was beautiful, there are 2 water crossing areas where you could get by on rocks but I have waterproof hiking shoes and just walked straight through. I would recommend this trail to beginners!

This is one of my favorite places to visit when I'm in Maryland. I had a marvelous hike there on my…read morelast trip by Cascade Falls. It was beautiful! The waterfall isn't that big but it was still enjoyable to see. There are some rough spots to navigate if you're expecting an easy hike. But overall, it is definitely worth the trip!

My friend and I really enjoyed coming here for a good afternoon hike. The signs were clear and the…read morehike with the waterfall was really nice. There were restrooms by the parking lot and the park wasn't too crowded. We had a great time exploring this part of Patapsco!

Patapsco State Park is a huge, beautiful plot of land accessible from multiple areas of MD…read more For only $2 car, collected in an unattended Honor Box, you get access to acres and acres of nature's finest greenery scattered among hills and rocks and boulders to hike through trails of trees, streams, waterfalls, and more. Because of the tall trees, you get plenty of shade while walking through the woods. I take my young children who can effortlessly conquer 3 miles of the trail without hesitation. It's an awesome nature experience hearing the birds chirp & insects buzz, seeing the small schools of fish being carried down the stream, the crawling creatures perfectly positioned for nature enthusiasts capturing photos. The park entry also allows you to use the open grass areas to picnic or grab a grill. The water is practically a beach area as I've seen multiple families lined up on both sides of the bridge enjoying the cool water. As well as my children and I. There's plenty of parking. The bridge is a highlight boasting wonderful opportunities for pictures with beautiful natural lighting. There's also some train tracks on the other side of the bridge perfect for photo ops but BEWARE! it is a functional and operating train track! My family and I can't get enough of this park. Definitely experience it for yourself.

There's a resident Bald Eagle in the park now and I've seen him five times this spring. Saw him…read moreflying upstream with a fish in his talons today. Woodpeckers, blue jays, and nuthatches were there today.

Nice quant lake in Columbia. Came here to watch a bit of the World Cup game vs. Turkey which was…read morefun even though we got tired to stay and they lost.

An update to my previous review. Still a beautiful trail for your hot girl/guy walk in…read moreColumbia/Howard County ‍

The Trolley Trail is one of my favorite local hiking and/or walking trails. I mentioned both hiking…read moreand walking because you can go off the walking path and into deeper forest trails. There are also a few streams that are not roped off and you can go off the walking path down to the water. This trail has a lot of wildlife, including snakes, bunnies, ducks and deer, therefore, it is best that you keep your pets on a leash. There is one spot of the trail that is underneath a bridge and a lot of the dogs and cats get spooked due to the loud shaking noises. I frequent this trail a lot with my cat, Rune and we have never had an issue. It is very quiet and most of the people coming and going are incredibly respectful. The trail is easy to get to, and there is a lot of free parking, especially if you come early! At the beginning of the trail there is a café which is the perfect spot to grab a coffee, tea or a breakfast sandwich to enjoy on your walk!

This is my favorite trail in Ellicott City. It's fairly easy, not too long and, surrounded by…read morebeauty. It's close to where I live so I often come here for a quick jog or hike. The difficulty level is very low; the trail is wide and most of it is paved. It's about three miles and there are markers every 1/2 mile. The view along the trail is absolutely beautiful during, it doesn't matter what time of the year you go. There's a stream which you easily can go down to. As for parking, there's a huge parking lot right at the start of the trail and since this trail isn't busy, it stays pretty empty. If you don't want a difficult hike and just want a relaxing walk, this is a great trail for that. Plus, it's great for kids and pets.

Quaint waterfront in a bustling suburb. Was at a show at the Encore and then saw they had a World…read moreCup watch party here so saw some of it Too bad I got too tired to stay and then Turkey upset USA.

The Lakefront area surrounds LakeKittamaqundi. It is a large open space that includes a small…read moreamphitheater, a fountain, a pedestrian promenade, and several restaurants and retail establishments (including While Foods) overlooking the lake. It's such a pretty area to eat, gather, or just chill. It's also a great place to exercise. You can walk/run around the lake and there are several other trails in the area. I walked about 1.2 miles from Blandair Park and thoroughly enjoyed the trails. There was plenty of signage so I always knew where I was going. There was some nice foliage and even some hills. A nice change from the flat Florida terrain!

The Font Hill Wetland Park is a wooded area around ponds and a stream. There's a well-used…read moremostly-paved path about 1-mile-long, a small wooden boardwalk and two wooden bridges. What we like the most is that this park supports quite a variety of wildlife. On a recent visit (May 2026), we saw a deer, an egg-laying snapping-turtle, and even a hummingbird! It is said that on the summer it has the highest population of dragonflies in Howard County MD :-) Many folks walk here during open hours, between sunrise and sunset. Dogs on leashes are allowed (with cleanup). You'll see us here more than weekly! This is an active park with lots of watchful neighbors. You can enter from Centennial Lane, or Font Hill Drive where there's free on-street parking.

This is such a little hidden gem. a smart park with two body of waters, and sit on top of the…read morewetland as is named. Very quiet and peaceful . Many people come to walk their dogs and/or with strollers. If you walk a complete round from one entrance, go around the water one time and come back , it's about .9 miles and along the way you get to see all the vegetations, birds, turtles, ducks and more. Highly recommend by @winedinenvacay