More than 27,000 acres of M-NCPPC-owned parkland, forests, open space, and stream valleys, along with thirteen special conservation areas (SCAs), highlight the breadth of the County’s environmental resources and natural places. The SCAs-areas of designated countywide significance are:
- Belt Woods
- Beltsville Agricultural Research Center
- Broad Creek
- Cedarville State Forest and Zekiah Swamp Watershed
- Greenbelt National Park
- Jug Bay complex
- Main stem of the Anacostia River
- Mattawoman Creek Stream Valley
- Patuxent Research Refuge
- Patuxent River Corridor
- Piscataway Park
- Potomac River Shoreline
- Suitland Bog
The County’s trail system, important both regionally and locally and over 90 miles long, crisscrosses the County and helps connect these environmental assets. Major trails include:
- Anacostia Tributary Trail System
- Henson Creek Trail
- Patuxent Water Trail
- WB&A Trail
- Woodrow Wilson Bridge Trail