Overall this is a decent place for a hike and viewing. Very kid and family friendly, bunch of dogs too. Big parking area, visitor center was closed, and there was a single outside bathroom from what I saw. Very flat and easy trails either looping through the forests or along the “lakes.” Honestly nothing special, saw very little wildlife, and there weren’t many places to sit and just soak it in. Relatively crowded on the weekends as well. Don’t forget it’s hunting season so many of the trails are closed and for those you opt not follow the rules and stay on the trails - think again. Overall nothing special hence the 4. Recommend heading up to the less traversed north tract side.

This is a wonderful park to stroll in nature. Parking is plenty. The trails circumnavigate the lake. You walk in marchland on floating bridges. Information boards are placed along the trail.

A little crowded but lovey area with nice walking trail for kids and dogs. Almost everyone was masked, which was good to see.

Quiet place never really crowded. Nice walking trails, trails are not wheelchair accessible. On my digit I seen two juvenile bald eagles in the area.

Such a lovely hidden gem. Several nice easy well marked walking paths.

Great for a morning of nature walks. We saw a few heron, and not too many people. There are some bridges over the lake that give an excellent view of water lilies.

Patuxent Wildlife Research Center is a MASSIVE wildlife refuge created by FDR in 1936 just 30 minutes north of Washington, D.C. in Maryland. When you arrive at the entrance to the visitor center, youll drive slowly for 1.4 miles until you reach the center. Theres a large parking lot with trails off of the it leading to boardwalks over lakes, shacks to watch birds and many wooded trails. Its a great place for the entire family!

One of my favorite places in the D.C. metro area! The museum, exhibits, activities, and grounds are top notch. The employees are always friendly and happy to answer questions. They do a wonderful job of maintaining the grounds to attract many kinds of birds. I come here often because this is an ideal place for birdwatching!

Super beautiful. A wonderful 3 mile hike. Beautiful lake and pond. Birds. Frogs. Fishing.

Wonderful, well-maintained trails for getting out and getting fresh air instead of staying locked up at home. Bring your mask; it can get a little busy.

Lovely place with tons of trails and few bodies of water to fish in. I really enjoy visiting this place to hike and bike. The trails are all pretty much two track though so dont expect anything too tough.

Our favorite family trail. A two mile loop around a lake with lots of shade that starts and ends at a visitor nature center, free parking, free entrance, great gift shop to support the center, air conditioning, bathrooms and educational fun for the kids and adults. Theres much more available and theres always a friendly guide at the Center for maps, directions and advice for help.

Great place for hiking and fishing.

A great place to walk around and clear your mind while surrounded by nature...

If you like a beautiful and serene setting, then this is the place for you.

My almost 5 year old daughter loved the visitor center so much she didnt want to leave. The trails are beautiful, we saw a frog and a snake plus lots of butterflies and dragonflies. The lily pads and flowers on the pond are really pretty. There is no fee but we donated on the way out because this place is a treasure.

A beautiful place to take a walk in nature. The parking lots are big and the trails are great

If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of this area, this a good place to visit. Immerse yourself in nature, go for a walk or hike, see native Maryland nature up close.

Lovely nature walk. Lots of Lily pads and cute good dogs.

Highly recommend for hiking! There are floating bridges that cross over the water, giving you a gorgeous view. Hikes are not difficult, relatively flat, and paths are well maintained. There is a pit toilet. If it has rained recently, the trails do get muddy!

Trails are nice but hard for strollers. Not all the maps tell distance of trail.

The Patuxent Research Refuge has a several nice flat trails and lots of wildlife. There is even an electric car charger, and a visitor center that will probably reopen once COVID-19 goes away.

Very nice nature area. uncrowded. lots of birds. hiking trails are easy. the floating bridges are a nice touch.

Excellent place to fish. Hunting grounds are well separated and marked. Perfect place for any bird watcher... I was fortunate enough to see a Bald Eagle swooping for lunch along Cash Lake.

I love how interactive it is. This is a great place to go on a rainy. My son loves running around and looking at all the interesting exhibits. This is also a beautiful place to go on a pretty day. You can always spot quite a few birds flying around on the paths

A most beautiful and vast National Park within driving distance. Its great to visit and watch the changes from season to season.

A nice place to enjoy nature, although a bit noisy at times from traffic from the adjacent highways and airport.

Make sure you have bugspray but there are different trails to take and many lakes/ponds to see.

Great trails. Fun floating bridge. Adorable tiny frogs. Check for ticks after visiting

This is a hidden gem to spend the day at exploring. I didnt know about this place until I attended a conference held there about ticks. I plan to go again over the summer and fall to walk the 5 miles of trails and enjoy the wildlife and scenery. There is a wonderful visitors center that would be a great place to take your pre K and older kids to.

Neat nature preserve with walking trails and opportunities for bird watching

Wonderful for bird watching! Lots of trails and beautiful scenery. There are two sides, north tract and south tract. Both are worth visiting.

Beautiful hiking trails. Make sure to wear hiking boots!

A very quiet place. Scenery is very beautiful.

Very peaceful lots to see.

Great little spot for a short hike, to walk the dogs or take the kids. Unfortunately a lot of the animated displays were not working when I passed through, but this is probably due to the lack of funding. Everything is free so make sure to throw a few dollars in the tip jar at the Visitor Center. This is a beautiful spot to view nature so bring your binoculars and camera along! Business is currently closed on Thursdays.

A little hidden jewel of a nature reserve with a great little visitor center

Great walking trails and places to watch wildlife

Great little park! I took the pups for a hike on the trail (~2 miles) and found it very well marked and maintained. Its an easy hike with minor hills but please note that there are a lot of roots so be wary if you have balance issues. When we got back, we rested at the bench by the station and watched the hummingbirds and dragonflies flying around and feeding. Highly recommend!

Excellent for bird watching. Two lakes, facilities for visitors and an excellent visitor center with good exhibits.

Beautiful trails. Lv this place.

Great place to spend hours and recharge.

Great green space between Baltimore, Maryland and Washinhron, D.C. to take hike or bike ride

Easy access to trails, well marked and blazed.

Great hikes. Beautiful lakes.

The place is great! The trails and scenery are awesome. The nature center has really cool exhibits and they offer a free tram tour of the park.

Lovely park with lots of wildlife, plenty of room to hike/take a walk, and plenty of parking!

BEGINNER HIKE!!! This is a great place for family hike or someone looking for a beginners hike. The terrain is mostly flat with some elevation. There is also a great pier that you can fish from, and a mini museum that is great for kids and learning about the wildlife. If you are looking for an advance hike or a long hike this is not the place it is more for a family hike or a daily run.

Such a wonderful place to relax and enjoy nature. They are doing great things to preserve and protect our wildlife there. Take one of the team rides when you go there. You will love it!

Good park with great museum. The hikes close to the visitors center are short, but good for kids. The lake is beautiful.

A surprisingly enjoyable and well executed museum and nature preserve. I drove past this place for years. I glad we finally stopped in.

The Screech owl & Kestrel experience was informative and interesting for all ages. Tim Parker led an interactive opportunity, sharing facts and allowing the small audience to ask questions and participate in discussions. We greatly enjoyed this experience at Patuxent.

Very serene. A wonderful place to reconnect with your inner self.

Fantastic place to take a nature walk and bring your kids as well...indoor nature center, activities, gift shop. Great trails, beautiful scenery. A hidden gem.

A great nature fix in the middle of the hustle and bustle madness. Very relaxing and an unbelievable education center.

I did all the trails at the south side of the refuge and I went to the visitors center. The center had cool exhibits and activities. The trails were nice and quiet. The lake was beautiful.If you like animals, quiet scenery and something for kids or yourself I would recommend here.

This is a really great place the I love to spend time at! Wish I would have known about it a lot sooner!

Great place to take a stroll and relax. Fishing in summer is always pleasant. And the indoor exhibits are fun.

Great place for kids to see wildlife and information on the migration of birds.

Beautiful place..

Serene trails

Great hidden place for a nice nature walk.

Great stop between DC and Baltimore for water and friendly conversations. Check out the gift shop while you are there.

Overall nice little walk in the woods but not overly awe-inspiring or breathtaking. The grounds are overgrown with weeds and the place looks abandoned but the trails are still visible. Paths are short and relatively flat but you can wind your way around to make a decent hike out of it. Be sure to grab a map from the visitors center before heading out! The trails are not always marked the best and you could get turned around quite easily. The place isnt huge, but its still always a good idea to know where you are on the trails. Great place for a last-minute outdoor venture.

Wonderful place for family weekend. You can have not only a lot fun close to nature, but also learn a lot in the very well prepared center. The walking path takes you through many interesting botanical areas and you can observe a lot of birds as well.

We went to a lichen meeting. We need more volunteers. Please consider getting involved.

Ive already really liked it here as a place to get out of the city and relax. However, on my recent visit, my car was broken into. Please watch your valuables and be safe, especially if you are alone. Very sad that this happened at a place meant for relaxing and enjoying nature. It might be awhile until I feel safe enough to come back. I only wish that the center was well-funded enough to have cameras around the parking lot.

Beautiful place to take the family or just get away for a hike. The visitor center has shortened hours so if you plan to stop by it may or may not be open. There is also the opportunity to fish if you have your license at 2 lakes. They are on separate tracts so you may need to see which is closer to you! All in all a great way to spend a few hours getting back in touch with nature!

This is a very quiet and serene place in Laurel, MD. The nature trails are awesome and we saw a lot of interesting birds and other wildlife. Very nice place!!

Nice but lacks good trails to run. Lots of rocks, twisted ankle. Too many big rocks? Why? No need. There are better places to trail run.

amazing find off the beaten path. Great for information entertainment and a bathroom break.

Beautiful hiking trails!

Lovely place to take my doggo on a cool fall day. Photographer boyfriend loves taking photos here too.

A getaway paradise.

Very peaceful walks

Well maintained. Very peaceful place to spend time with family. Lot of trails to hike. Visitor center staff are very helpful. Gift shop is their inside the visitor center. Visitor center has lot of exhibits which are interactive, variety of endangered species for viewing. Also their is a theater which has various short shows and last show is at 347pm.

The shade and water are perfect for a summer stroll

Great for hiking with kids

The Patuxent Research Refuge was a beautiful place to visit. I was impressed with the research-based exhibits and information available. Just one thing I didnt like was the frosted glass exhibits. They frost made it difficult to see the contents. Other than that, its definitely a must visit. Educational, Clean, Organized, and Spacious :)

Great place to get away from the city.

Peaceful with plenty of natures sculptures.

Peaceful and tranquil. Not many walking paths but lots of birds.

Awesome trails.

This is a lake that has all features it would be expected to have. Some of which include actual real water and many real trees. The the lake does this thing where it looks like the sky and trees. This is a good sign. It indicates an absence of impurities. When entering the park visitors travel down a winding narrow street with hair pin turns. Those looking to drag race here will find it to be especially difficult as the occasional speed bump and small wood land creature obstruct the road. Unfortunately atv use is not allowed here as park officials say it disturbs the animals, whatever that means. They also discourage visitors from feeding the animals big Macs. The paths run along the lake and are an easy walk but some places become muddy after a rain. They close the gates at night, so you have to leave before then or your vehicle will be locked in. This is to keep the mountain lions on the inside. This can be especially distressing if you have dinner plans, as reservations to fancy restaurants need to be made months in advance. Over all this is a great place to visit if you like the features described above.

A great place to connect with nature, relax and unwind. If picknic is your thing, you will love this place where you can hang out with friends, family and colleagues. You could also host an informal event at this lovely place. Access is reserved with fees with ample car park which is well managed. There are public rest rooms all over the place and should you want to take a few dives or plunges into the water, it is not far away.

One of my new favorite places

Well kept trails and plenty of area to explore.

Great place to go for a walk and enjoy nature.

Soothing walk around the lake on a crisp day like today. Great place to go.

Its an interesting place, just a couple roads open for cars, but they are long, one is 6 miles. Several other trails and roads open for bikes and walking, several just walking. The asphalt roads are in a state of disrepair once you get by the visitors center. The trails through the woods are decently maintained they are a great place to go birding. There are several ponds that are fishing ponds and the Little Patuxent River is accessible also for fishing. Not the place for peace and quiet as highway noise and aircraft noise is pretty common.

Best random bathroom trip on our drive from FL to NY! What a hidden gem.

Beautiful and tranquil. We had a great walk around the lake and in the forest. I cant wait to bring more folks from family here.

Nice place to be!

This is a wonderful and spacious park with an amazing interactive wildlife center. There are walking trails that are easy to walk and traverse several different views and settings, fields, woods, plateau, marsh, and woods. A great place to go for a short nature walk, a Family afternoon, or a quiet meditative walk. Hiking shoes or boots recommended. Trails are not stroller friendly. Staff is very courteous and facility is very clean and well maintained. When my family and I went several displays were out of service for maintenance. But in the past this was not always the case. Five stars for sure.

Saw a blue bird, a king bird, deer. Great place for a nice walk. Quiet and peaceful. The wildlife center is also great.

A lot of great events to do on the weekends and, if you are available, great things to do during the week as well.

Walking in the park is ok with my friends makes me feel better but sometimes the dirty water makes it feel worse like I like to enjoy walking in a clean environment instead

Great place to take your family

I love the trails and quiet beautiful nature

A quaint getaway directly between DC and Baltimore. Trails are walking friendly and decently managed. Visitors center has some museum exhibits, too.