 USA
Maryland National Parks
National parks, monuments, natural reserves, historic sites of Maryland. Pages with photos are indicated with (pictures).
Antietam
Sharpsburg
Antietam (pictures)
Sharpsburg
Appalachian
Lake Superior
Assateague Island (pictures)
Berlin
Catoctin Mountain (pictures)
Thurmont
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (pictures)
Potomac River
Clara Barton (pictures)
Glen Echo
Fort McHenry and Historic Shrine
Baltimore
Fort Washington
Fort Washington
Glen Echo (pictures)
Glen Echo
Greenbelt
Greenbelt
Hampton (pictures)
Towson
Harmony Hall
Prince George's County
Monocacy
Frederick
Oxon Cove and Oxon Hill Farm
Oxon Hill
Piscataway
Fort Washington
Saugus Iron Works (pictures)
Saugus
Thomas Stone (pictures)
Port Tobacco
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Greenbelt Park
Greenbelt, MD
Greenbelt Park is a retreat from the pressures of city life and a refuge for native plants and animals just twelve miles from Washington, D.C.
Greenbelt Park has a 174 site campground open all year round.
Long before colonial settlers appeared here, trees and flowers covered these rolling hills and wildlife roamed the woodlands. Algonquin Indians hunted this land in competition with other smaller tribes. A balance existed between the land and its plants, animals, and native people. Then the colonists arrived. Trees fell and forests gave way to farmland. Wildlife retreated to the frontier. For the next 150 years, people cleared the land, plowed the fields, and planted tobacco, corn, and other crops. The rich fertile soil returned high yields. The people did not give back to the land as much as they took. The land wore out, producing less each season and farming ceased. The land was left bare and defenseless. Erosion caused many scars before nature could slow the process with new growth. Since the early 1900's the land has been recovering.. Today the mixed pine and decidious forest testifies to the land's ability to recover. The land of Greenbelt Park was acquired by the National Park Service in 1950 under Public Law 643.
Backpacking, Biking, Bird Watching, Camping, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Interpretive Programs, Nature Walks, Wildlife Viewing
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