Top rated State parks in Washington, United States to elevate your visit (Updated May, 2024)

Top rated State parks in Washington

Experience the best that Washington has to offer with our curated list of top-rated places. Sorted by average review scores from venues boasting over 30 reviews, these establishments promise exceptional quality and experiences to elevate your visit in the city. This list contains 27 places from State park category.

Sort results by

Best

Top rated

Most reviewed

Hidden gems

Worst rated

Recently discovered

🆕

Search radius

1 km 2 km 5 km 10 km 30 km 50 km 100 km 250 km

Within Washington

United States National Arboretum

Arboretum

Free to visitors, this outdoor space boasts trees, shrubs, & plants, plus a picnic area & museum.

4.70 (5.6K reviews) (~6.41 km from centre)

Seneca Creek State Park

State park

This 6,300 acre park of forest & farmlands offers hunting, fresh water fishing & hiking trails.

4.70 (2.2K reviews) (~33.33 km from centre)

Rock Creek Regional Park

Park

Parkland with multiple hiking trails & lakeshore wildlife-watching, plus playgrounds & boat rentals.

4.70 (2K reviews) (~26.63 km from centre)

Mason Neck State Park

State park

Riverfront home to nesting bald eagles, osprey & herons, with woodland & marsh boardwalk trails.

4.70 (1K reviews) (~30.53 km from centre)

Trailside Park

Park

This 20-acre park with a playground also has 3 lighted baseball fields & a roller hockey rink.

4.70 (459 reviews) (~44.26 km from centre)

Swinging Bridge at Orange Grove

State park

👍 The Swinging Bridge is a great little walk or the whole it's approximately 4 miles round trip. The way there and back is a paved surface and the river and train tracks parallel you all the way given a nice scenic surrounding. It is wheelchair accessible with several places along the way to sit and t...

4.70 (446 reviews) (~45.76 km from centre)

Patapsco Valley State Park - Hilton Area

State park

State park providing rental sites for campers, playground areas, a nature center & hiking trails.

4.70 (301 reviews) (~46.4 km from centre)

Mount Vernon Trail

State park

👍👍 Great paved trail between DC and Mt Vernon. Parked at Jomes point rode to Mt. Vernon and back. Gets twisty and fun in some areas. Alternates from woods to Great views of the river. More hills than advertised gets hillier the closer you get to Mt. Vernon. Great ride.

4.70 (284 reviews) (~11.39 km from centre)

Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary

State park

👍👍 I never knew this park existed and it was within 15 minutes of me. It's great with the scenery, the trails, and I loved going on my Sierra Club hike/walk. I highly recommend for a naturegoer, nature enthusiast, and park lover!

4.70 (222 reviews) (~33.99 km from centre)

Patapsco Valley State Park - Hollofield Area

State park

Founded in 1907, this large park along the Patapsco River offers recreation from hiking to camping.

4.60 (6.3K reviews) (~49.44 km from centre)

Leesylvania State Park

State park

Small, scenic park on the Potomac offering picnicking, boating & hiking, plus a visitor's center.

4.60 (2.8K reviews) (~38.94 km from centre)

Fort Washington Park

State park

Historic, early 19th-century battlements & war relics plus nature trails, fishing & picnicking.

4.60 (1.4K reviews) (~20.38 km from centre)

Patapsco Valley State Park - Avalon Area

State park

Riverside trails for hiking & mountain biking, plus waterfalls, swimming holes & a swinging bridge.

4.60 (688 reviews) (~46.06 km from centre)

Glover Archbold Park

State park

Forest parkland offering miles of trails for runners & walkers through canopied trees.

4.60 (263 reviews) (~5.15 km from centre)

Difficult Run Stream Valley Trail, Georgetown Pike

State park

👍👍 It’s my favorite place to hike in the dmv area. In the summer, there are many places to wade around in the water with friends. For a challenging hike, try the old ridge hike here, which connects all the way to great falls park. A romantic spot is the river hike which leads you to a sandy area- see p...

4.60 (183 reviews) (~20.59 km from centre)

Chapman State Park

State park

Shoreline views, a Colonial-era home & 1,000-plus acres of woodlands with trails & diverse habitats.

4.60 (181 reviews) (~31.89 km from centre)

Patuxent River State Park

State park

👍👍 We enjoyed the beautiful bamboo grove by the river at the nature center picnic area. A hike along the Flowing Free Trail (yellow blaze trail) took us through diverse ecosystems. Fresh air, sound of gentle river flow, lush pine forest, echo of birds singing, and old farmland grass make you feel like...

4.60 (179 reviews) (~38.17 km from centre)

Grist Mill Walking Bridge

State park

🫤 THERES NO LEGAL PARKING!!!! I got told to move by a bunch of rangers cars get towed, and they follow through. Nice area but it’s a long walk to get to it from the other side. I don’t recommend going here unless you can find a tow free parking spot!

4.60 (142 reviews) (~45.82 km from centre)

Clopper Lake

State park

👍👍 This place is glorious. It's really good for hiking.

4.60 (105 reviews) (~33.17 km from centre)

Saw Mill Branch/Buzzard Rock/Forest Glen Trails

State park

👍👍 Grist Mill trail flat, paved, scenic, and can branch off to steeper trails through stone railroad tunnels.

4.60 (43 reviews) (~46.08 km from centre)

« Previous page
Next page »

Tip: Click on the rating to open it on Google Maps

Top rated State parks in Washington, United States