Battle Creek Cypress Swamp State Preserve is located in Prince Frederick MD. Had an opportunity to…read moreenjoy the flora and fauna of the preserve, and an amazing Boardwalk trail over the swamp itself! This is a relatively short (only 0.90 miles of trails) but nonetheless a fascinating adventure!

A cypress swamp sounds like something you'd find in Belize or in Dinotopia, but in fact we have one…read moreright here in Maryland. It's free, and from the parking lot one finds a visitor center with several animals (including some disabled rescue raptors outside). Restrooms are the first thing you see upon walking in, a wise choice given that this place is a pretty decent drive from almost anywhere. It is, however, not far off Route 4, and a viable stop on the way to other things in the region. After the visitor center, a boardwalk leads out into the swamp, and make no mistake it is pretty swampy. The trees apparently put their roots out aboveground to stabilize themselves, leading to a bizarre aesthetic of knobby root bits sticking up everywhere. The area is quiet but for the slow flow of water, and you can almost feel nature renewing itself; wetlands are tremendously valuable. It isn't a large area; not something you'd spend a whole day at with just the boardwalk and a few other areas to walk through, but it makes for a nice diversion.

Absolutely worth the visit! I was looking up nearby beaches to DC for a day trip, and this one…read morepopped up. Who wants to cross the Bay Bridge in traffic? (No one.) You won't have to with this find! 1000% better than Calvert Cliffs Park. 2025 rates: $20/car for non-county residents on weekends. Parking is easy if you get there early, and there are real bathrooms at the visitor center. It's still a .5 mile hike to the beach, but it's mostly a firm gravel path with more sand as you get to the beach. Lots of other hiking trails that I didn't try on this visit. Signs help you navigate your way to the beach. There are restrooms and a rinse off station prior to the boardwalk onto the sand. Once to the beach, it's a pretty narrow strip of sand, but off to the right of the main path there is more space. Bring your own everything--shade, seats, snacks, and any digging/sifting equipment for finding fossils! Pack lightly. I saw some people with big beach carts and I'd not recommend it as coming back from the beach it's mostly uphill! Signs at the entrance indicate jellyfish may be present but I didn't see any for the 3 hours I was there. The waves are not very rough and the water is clear out to about 3 feet. I'd recommend water shoes as there are lots of shells/rocks at the shore. I hiked in Teva sandals and it was the perfect shoe for me hiking and on the beach and in the water. Because parking is limited, the beach was not too crowded. It was fun watching other people find fossils as I relaxed in the sun and enjoyed the peace of the sand and surf!

What a total gem of a park- obviously our first time there and it was just a gorgeous Fall day!…read moreApparently this spot is "lesser known" or less visited than the nearby Calvert Cliffs but offers a lot of the same views and perks like finding fossils and shark teeth. Part of the beach have a very small shoreline but around the corner it opens up to this huge wide beach area with a little look out deck. We walked along some of the other pond trails and they were just beautiful. Saw tons of birds and turtles. A lot of the paths are maintained by boardwalks, and sometimes you're just walking along the dirt/sand mix but it's very peaceful and picturesque! We brought our dog and she loved it too! Being that it was November, it felt like a very few amount of people around- I imagine its much busier when it's warm out- but if you're looking for a day on the water- this is a very accessible and fun spot! I would imagine you'd want a wagon or something to carry chairs or anything that you were planning on bringing to the beach as it's a bit of a walk from the parking areas. They do have a handicap accessible lot close to the shore for those that can't do the walk.

For a State Forest, the park is not special; it has nice, easy to navigate flat trails which is…read morenice especially for novice hikers/trail walkers, but the park can be confusing to drive around, and during off season you need to call a park ranger for assistance. The park specializes in camping and seems like it would be nice for camping, but the park should have more signage for instructions/procedures during off season for more clarity. There are pretty trees and fall foliage to take advantage of. There should be more defined trailway and signs though for the different pathways. There is potential, but I would say that the park is average. I like the abundance of trees, (State Forests) and the pretty leaves during the fall time and the fact that this park is a lot better than Rosaryville, as the trailways are flat and not hilly and as dangerous as Rosaryville. There are regular parks that may not be state parks or forests that are more worth the experience. This is cool, if you are local to Brandywine or live in maybe Waldorf, Accokeek, Upper Marlboro or someplace, but if you are driving over half an hour coming from Bowie, Greenbelt, or other areas, than for a walking trail/hiking forget about it just not worth it. I don't know how the camping experience is never camped her but for trails nope.

What a gem of a campgrounds, so glad I found this spot in PG County…read more The online reservation system is great and easy to use. I like how there are pictures of each campsite so we were able to select a site that was just right for us. Checking in the day of the our trip was a breeze also, since we paid ahead for the site we just had to sign a few documents and get on our way. I will say, that charging $1 for a trails map caught us a bit offguard -- $1 hardly broke the budget but why charge us for a map if we're already paying for a campsite for the weekend? All the general family campsites are found in nice sized loop towards the back of the park. We went in early October and were pleased to see a good number of families and couples also out camping for the weekend. Generally, folks abode by quiet hours so no issues there but man were the kid campers chatty in the mornings. Neighboring kids seemed to get up an sunrise full of energy which woke us up a couple of times. Our site was clean and free of debris and we were able to set up camp within an hour or two. As we were setting up, the friendly camp ranger made rounds to come say hello and to ask if we needed anything which was a nice touch. The ranger made a few rounds around the camp loop each night just to make sure things were swell. Cedarville is great in that you don't have to buy wood only from the camp ranger (as is the case with many other sites that we tried to stay at). We were allowed to use fallen wood for campfires. We did buy one bundle of wood for $5 (got about 8 pieces) just to have as backups but our site was a goldmine of fallen limbs. I had a bow saw with me, so I just spent about an hour ear day cutting wood for the morning and evening fires. Feels so much more like camping when you gather and cut your own wood! We went for a long hike on Saturday through the blue, white, and orange trail areas. Remember to pack some water and a snack for those long hikes. The trails were well cleared and decently marked -- there were a couple of times where we were unsure exactly which trail we were on but we soon figured it out (with the help of that $1 map). The views from the trails were quite nice, definitely stopped to take a photo or two! Overall, a great camping experience for a getaway weekend. Just out of the way enough to allow you to take a break from it all, but still close enough to major roads like 301 to stock up on food, drinks, ice, etc. Definitely check Cedarville out!

Attended a family reunion at indoor facility. The indoor space was very nice. Holding many people…read more Bathrooms right at entrance. Sadly there are no playground areas in the park. We couldn't find picnic tables either. So for us with little ones in tow, being outdoors wasn't a good experience. It's such a beautiful park hopefully a playground area is in the works.

This is a great hidden park It's very quiet and clean and…read moreeveryone is very friendly. They have a peer that you can go fishing on as well as crabbing and they also have a kid friendly outdoor pool which is separate from where the pier is located. It's very inexpensive only three dollars to enter and everyone is nice. I've never had any problems and the kids are super friendly Cash Only (it's not posted on the web site) and be ready to have a lot of fun!!

This is a beautiful state park. The 7.5 mile trail is flat, spacious and beautiful. Unfortunately,…read morewe only had time to do 1.5 miles round trip. We turned around 30 minutes in walking with our Aussie dog. But we got to the end of the dam and it was beautiful! We hiked the first weekend of January so some parts was a little muddy. But it wasn't too bad. The only thing I wished this park had was running toilets. I believe it was only an outdoor porta potty. But then again, we didn't do the entire trail, so I might be wrong. Parking is $3/car for in-state (Maryland) cars and $5/car for out-of-state.

Saint Mary's Lake Loop was awesome! This is a 7.2 mile loop trail that goes around a smaller, murky…read morebut very pretty lake. The trail is well-worn, gravel, mud, dirt, lots of tree roots, moss and great little foot bridges here there. The path peeks out of the woods for a view of the lake only two or three times. There isn't really any shoreline but I'm not sure I'd swim or wade in this lake. Anyways, I'm reviewing the trail here, since I'm not much of a watercraft or fishing person. We did see kayaks and canoes out on the lake. The small parking lot is new, and we assume so is the fully equipped washroom/toilet building. Fresh water is available from a dispenser there. Nice! Zero shade for parked cars though, which I've always thought was weird in any car park. There are extra long and easy park spots for trailering. There's a small boat launch and dock. Locals suggested we use the trail between May and October, but to beware of the usual forest nasties like ticks, horseflies, mozzys and other biting critters and snakes. We saw lots of tiny frogs, turtles, birds and squirrels. We went on a Sunday and crossed paths with 3 cyclists, 4 pedestrians, 2 dogs and horse prints along the trail. Dogs are allowed on leash. The trail was super clean, no litter or dog poop along the way. Loved the hike! Took us about 2h45min to complete the loop. Bring your debit/credit card for the automated entry gate: $5 out of state, and $3 in state. Worth it!!!

This little spot has a bit of beach territory which looks out across the Patuxent to the rather…read morespectacular bridge nearby, as well as some trails. The trails were thickly wooded and wide but unevenly surfaced. The beaches are pretty, but modest. It's nice that there's a public space here, but if you really want a beach, Elms Beach is better (no idea why my review for that place blew up). If you want a place to eat by the riverside, Greenwell is prettier. If you want to views of the river and the bridge, Solomons Island is better. So this place is fine to stop if you're around, but it's not great for anything. They charge admission only on peak days (weekends and holidays starting in May, according to the website), at which point they charge a lot. I wouldn't pay it, but if I was in the area I would stop by now and then.

Locked all visitors inside the park against our will over an hour before close & refused to unlock…read moreand let us leave. Still waiting now- going on two hours in a line of cars and calling the police. Park is supposed to close at 8. Completely irresponsible to lock the only entrance out at 6:45 when there are still nearly 30 people inside trying to get out. This is completely illegal and messed up. Loved how beautiful this park was but will never be back. Somebody else managed to get through to the police and they suggested leaving cars here and walking but couldn't guarantee our vehicles wouldn't be impounded. The walk home would be many hours on a dark highway at night- not an option, there are elderly people and a pregnant woman in the car ahead of me. Do not come here- you may be held against your will.

A fairly large park in northern St Mary's county, close to RT 235. Has ample parking and numerous…read moreplaying fields. Pickleball and basketball courts are available and a rest room. This park is also the south terminus of the 11 mile long three notch trail for biking and jogging. This trail is wonderful; nice and level and well marked. Winds thru forest and fields and farms.

This is probably my favorite park in St. Mary's County. It is family friendly with a lot of things…read moreto do. Not only is there a playground, but they have tennis courts, a basketball court, multiple baseball and soccer fields, and two trails (one that runs in the back of the park behind the fields, and the other is the entrance to the Three Notch Trail). The 10.6 mile trail is paved and is perfect for a family bike ride or a run. It stretches from Bagget Park up into Charlotte Hall. My only complaint is regarding the trail in the woods behind the athletic fields and playground - the trail loops around itself multiple times and it can be hard to follow where you are. I would recommend to Rec and Park to put in routes spray painted with different colors instead of just yellow, and a few more map stands (currently only one at the entrance).

New little adventure for Desmond and I. I was on Yelp looking for a new dog park or trail for my…read moredog and I to explore not too far from home. Dora Kelley nature park was such a great find! There are several entrances. We entered off the Sanger Ave entrance next to the Nature Center. There's lots of informational signs along the trail, explaining all of the different things to be on the lookout for, including plants, flowers, birds, and other species you may encounter. There's a paved and unpaved trail that runs along a creek. I usually keep an AirPod in and listen to music or audiobook, but there were so many earthly sounds that made me want to walk in silence and take in everything nature was offering.

This is a lush, peaceful neighbourhood park. We parked on N Chambliss and headed south, and…read moreimmediately past the playground, a tree-lined paved trail opened up. The trails are mostly wide enough for 3 adults, and mostly flat with gentle slopes. The trail ran along a wide gorge creek, and we came across several families enjoying the outdoors. It's easy enough to navigate, and connects multiple nearby neighbourhoods. I appreciate this green space being maintained and freely available to the community.

Very friendly helpful staff…read more Reasonable boat rental rates 2 mile hike around the lake Beautiful beaver dam at far end of the park's lake

I was in the need of water therapy and found this hidden gem! The location is not too far, but far…read moreenough so that it's not a crowded, heavily populated park. They have ample parking all over, depending on where you choose to be, which I loved. Limits walking, especially if you are coming with grills etc, children. The lake itself was absolutely beautiful and very relaxing. I noticed they have paddle boats, so I'll definitely do that the next time I come back. Overall, I had a very peaceful and relaxing experience, especially seeing the joy from the little boy near me as he caught fish after fish!

My family visited Greenwell State Park for a photography session a few weeks ago. I can't speak…read moremuch to the amenities as we were only there for pictures but the grounds are gorgeous. There are some wooded areas, a few small beaches, and even horses. Highly recommend for a scenic walk or photography.

This is a great spot for fishing, kayaking, hiking and horseback riding. They have a large barn…read morewith several horses there. There are also several trails, though I have heard mixed reviews about their upkeep or the amount of ticks in summer. We went to kayak and couldn't be happier. It has a great launch site and the water and scenery were great. There was plenty of parking as well.