Updated review. I…read moreabsolutely love Piney Orchard Nature Trail! It's my go-to jogging destination because of how peaceful and serene it is. On any given day, you can spot a wide variety of bird species, which adds to the tranquility of the surroundings. The trails through the woods are well-maintained and offer a wonderful escape into nature. I especially enjoy the paths that lead to the fresh water ponds, where you can admire the beauty of the area while getting some exercise. If you're looking for a relaxing and scenic place to jog or simply unwind, Piney Orchard Nature Trail is the perfect spot!

This is such a sweet little enclave of trees and flowers and birds and people walking dogs and…read morecrackling leaves. I've been here to walk 4-5 times, in different seasons, and each has its charm. In the spring, you will see myriad flowers in bloom, hear the lovely song of little streams and birds trilling. Winter is very different, with frosty pine cones and leaves to photograph, and everything so still. Fall is lovely! I saw two does with their mostly grown fawns, and encountered a baby rattlesnake! That surprised me greatly as I've never seen or heard of them around here. I confess that fall is my favorite season; I love the bluest skies and the aroma of leaves. I prefer not walking on asphalt too much, so as soon as I can (where the duck loop cuts off and so does the vernal trail) I cut down to the sand/dirt path along the water. Both trails, asphalt and dirt, eventually end up at a sort of trail end. The other day when I was here, since there was no water in the stream, I crossed over to see if I could go any farther - ermmm not really. There are numerous access points from the neighborhood that borders the preserve, so lots of folks seem to walk their dogs close to home. The water was extremely low since we've had very little rain; I was surprised at how far the mud banks extended into the lake. There are NO services whatsoever! Go potty before you get out to walk!

My grandkids are 10 & 12, so I didn't expect them to like most of the playground equipment. They…read moreliked the swings for 5 minutes, then tossed a frisbee a little, but were ready to go - total of 15 minutes. However, I wanted to post a review because nobody has for a long time and maybe it will help others with younger kids. First, getting there. The address is Davidsonville Rd but it's actually a side street called Ed Dokes (I think). There is a signal light that doesn't appear in Google maps (I reported all this to Google). Just look for the Crofton High School marquee, and turn there! The equipment looked fairly new to me, and definitely well maintained, with plenty of climbing opportunities as well as the swings. There are two adaptive swings There are several picnic tables here and there, and lots of lovely trees. We didn't go check out the trails, but I will probably go back alone to do that sometime.

Great small park. It has a couple of playground areas, a pond with fish and turtles, and a small…read morewalking trail. Great for younger children (under 10).

Dinosaur Park in Laurel, MD (near DC) is the perfect educational gem, family affordable admissions,…read morescientifically significant fossil site. Open regularly, but best visited on the first/third Saturdays for supervised digs, it features authentic, healthy outdoor exploration and paleontologist-led learning for kids, making it a priceless activity. Happy & Active: Kids love finding fossils, exploring the outdoor, fenced-in site.

Unless you go to one of their interpretive programs on the first and third Saturdays of the month…read more (What they said) ...It was pretty much only a few fact boards to look at/read, and like one thing for kids to climb around. So just because the stated hours are open during the week, doesn't mean there's anything going on and you can't like go behind the fence and there's no digs or anything, or even any place to walk. Sure there's picnic tables if you wanna just sit and eat your lunch with a bunch of corporate office buildings all around but it's definitely not something I would drive 45 minutes to unless you're actively going to one of the scheduled interpretive program.

Great park nestled in between 97 and Crofton. I never knew it was there but it offers great trails…read morewith lots of incline. It's a bit small but great for being right in the middle of everything

September is a great time of year to visit Bacon Ridge. The trails are well marked. Had a fun walk…read moreenjoying the park and the nature it provides.

Always a great place to walk or watch the birds in the lake. Nice place to park if you work or live…read morenearby to do some thinking. This is on a military facility. I love quiet time. Unless there's a cookout going on this is a very peaceful place to just unwind. Or bring the kids to play at the playground. You can also walk your dog. Just make sure he is on a leash.

I live on Fort Meade (2nd time). The previous reviews are accurate for their time. When I first…read morelived here, 2000-2003, Burba was really nice, well maintained, the water quality was good and there were enough little bluegill/sunfish to make a kid tired of catching them. This is no longer a "good" fishing spot, and not the overall family recreation area that it could be. This not just an old guy "get off my lawn" observation [okay its a little bit of that]. For many complex reasons the resource is no longer in good shape. There are far too many year round Canada Geese (nutirent load/water quality aspects), the shoreline is not regualrly groomed/maintained. The asphalt path that rings the lake is also in rough shape. It looks nice from a distance, and the playgrounds are still usable. But Burba Lake is a shadow of its former self right now. I understand the realities of the resources to restore it - but I do wish there was a way to do so. If there were a magic wand: -greatly reduce geese -restore water flow into lake (feeder streams in terrible shape) -maintain bank vegetation -restore native water plants -manage algae blooms -drop in structure for fish habitat -stock a variety of native fish species (I've only seen sunfish/turtles)

Clean equipment and a great atmosphere. The grounds were being cut and kept while we were out there.read more

My boyfriend and I enjoy heading to Gorc Park when we want to take our workouts outside. There's…read moreton of multi-purpose fields and open space to do whatever you want if there isn't a game going on. We've run sprints and suicides, jogs around the field and other general HIIT workouts. There's an extra added challenge because part of Gorc sits on a hill. There's a playgrounds nearby if you wanted to use the monkey bars for calinsthetics. Docking a star because, as someone without kids, it seems like there are games or practices going on there practically all the time, so we haven't really gotten to enjoy it as often as we'd like. Parking is plenty, with overflow into the street. Get outdoors during this time if you (safely) can!

Spring time in Baltimore does not get any better without a visit to Sherwood gardens for the full…read morebloom of the tulips. Me and my friends made a quick stop on the way home from brunch in the Cross Keys area, and the day was perfect for it. The park was alive with families and their furry friends just having small picnics and taking in the scenery. If you're not familiar with Sherwood Garden's, it's a privately owned community park in the Guilford section of Baltimore City. It's been famous for its annual tulip since the 1920's by John Sherwood, whose home bordered the park. To this day up to 70000 tulips are planted annually along with other flowers such as magnolias and dogwoods to name a few. Best time to visit is always towards the end of April and beginning of May. Although a private park, the public is always invited to stroll at your leisure throughout the grounds. The ongoing displays are 100% privately funded and depends entirely on contributions to fulfill its mission of providing a natural place for recreation for the community and related education.

I love tulips, so when I read about this place, I couldn't wait to visit. It's located as the…read morecenter of an expensive Baltimore block, surrounded by million dollar homes. There is no start or end, so just park on one of the surrounding streets and walk over. We were there the third weekend in April, and while the tulips were definitely past their peak, and many were completely gone, there were plenty of flower beds of tulips still blooming. Plus, almost all of the azaleas were blooming. I loved that they had so many different colored tulips and azaleas. They did different combination of colors in all the different flower beds, so we ended up seeing some surprisingly beautiful displays, even with some tulips no longer blooming. We weren't there very long because it was cold out, but this would be a great spot for engagement pictures or a picnic.

Beautiful trails. Only wish people wouldn't litter. The…read morewalk with the kids was fun and educational.

Hate it if you want, but I consider this park a gem! In part because it's often empty, so please…read morefeel free to stay away ;) I have an older dog who struggles to walk very far at all, but she loves to smell and hunt in the woods and brush. Patuxent Ponds Park had all of that in a little trail in a little park that was just the perfect tiny package for my darling pup. There are benches around a pond and it has pretty scenery... not sure what more you're looking for to relax in a park but I was definitely happy. Still, in the summer, the pond is just a bunch of still water and I imagine it is a mosquito and tick (if that's also a Maryland thing?) haven. But for winter and fall it is great. The path winds around to another part of the pond, the only bummer is it doesn't circle fully so you have to turn back around. Still, very pretty and calm. If I had to really come up with a complaint, it's that there is no garbage can. Had to bring both of my dogs' poop bags in the car with me and drive it up the road to the walking trail to get a garbage. Either way, I'll be back.

Hidden park and bike trail back off of race track road. When we pulled up we weren't sure it was…read morethe right place, but we trusted the process and took the walk back towards the building. The park is beautiful and has a pavilion to chill. Nobody was there the whole time we were at the park, so my daughter got the run of things. The playground is very nice, and the highlight is a decent size Zipline. There's a small skateboard area, and some ride on obstacles for bikes. Plenty of parking but there is a short walk from there to the park. It's the perfect place to spend a lazy day, and just a cool little park overall...

Our retired women's group walks each week at Jonas Green Park. The paths are paved & well…read moremaintained. The loop is short but we go around several times. Parking and bathrooms are available and you can't beat the views.

We wanted to go to Sandy Point Beach Park one Saturday afternoon, but the lot was full. I asked one…read moreof the cops directing traffic for another recommendation and he said "Google Jonas Green." Which I did, and 15 minutes later we were at Jonas Green, and there were lots of spots available. Jonas Green is a small park, with a small and very calm beach -- perfect for our toddler. Like most of the waterfront around Annapolis, it has beautiful views, plus restrooms, grills and picnic tables, and a nice variety of people: couples, families, kids. Very family friendly and quiet. We loved it, and will definitely go back.