Lake Needwood (Rock Creek Regional Park)

Save
Lake Needwood (Rock Creek Regional Park)

Photo: G. Edward Johnson · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

🥾 Hike · Rockville

2 hours · Free · No reservation needed

age fit
0–1 yr
★ 5.0
1–3 yrs
★ 5.0
3–5 yrs
★ 5.0
5–10 yrs
★ 5.0
  • 🚗
    About 10 min drive
    From Rockville · Parking: Several free lots at the dock and picnic areas, fairly full on fall weekend afternoons
  • 🍼
    Stroller-friendly
    Flat surfaces — bring the stroller
  • 🌳
    Some shade
    Great on sunny days · Good on cool days · Handles heat
  • ⏱️
    Typical visit: 2 hours
    Best seasons: Spring · Summer · Fall

Rockville's own lake: 75 acres of water, with rowboat, pedal boat, and kayak rentals on weekends May through September, or a ride on the Needwood Queen tour boat; the paved Rock Creek Trail runs south from here, so push the stroller as far as you feel like.

💡 Tips
Most of the Lake Needwood Trail around the lake is dirt; with a stroller, stick to the paved stretch from the dock to the picnic area at the north end. Boat rentals take cards only; rentals pause during summer algae advisories, so check the park website.

What this place offers

✓lake
✓boat rentals
✓paved trail
✓playground
✓picnic
✓restrooms
✓herons

Featured in these guides

This weekend's weather in Rockville

Forecast at the destination itself (coast and hills often differ from home)

🌦️
Sat 10/17
Drizzle · 42–57°F · 41% rain
☀️
Sun 10/18
Sunny · 39–61°F · 2% rain

Location

Rockville, Maryland

More like this

Rock Creek Park Nature Center and Planetarium
Kid favorite

Rock Creek Park Nature Center and Planetarium

5.0

Washington · 25 min drive

2 h · stroller-friendly

Free · Parking: Free nature center lot, plenty of room on weekend mornings

Gravelly Point plane watching
Kid favorite

Gravelly Point plane watching

5.0

Arlington · 35 min drive

1.5 h · stroller-friendly

Free · Parking: Free lot reachable only from the northbound GW Parkway, packed on sunny weekend afternoons

Huntley Meadows Park wetland boardwalk
Kid favorite

Huntley Meadows Park wetland boardwalk

5.0

Alexandria · 50 min drive

1.5 h · stroller-friendly

Free · Parking: Free lot at the Lockheed Blvd entrance, next to the visitor center

Black Hill Regional Park (Little Seneca Lake)
Kid favorite

Black Hill Regional Park (Little Seneca Lake)

5.0

Boyds · 20 min drive

2 h · stroller-friendly

Free · Parking: Free lots by the visitor center and the dock