At a Glance

Hours: Daily 7 am – dusk; closed on Thanksgiving & Christmas Day.

Cost: Free.

Tips: Best in early morning and on weekdays, to avoid busy times for the athletic fields. ◾ Restrooms are available in the park. ◾ Note that the park map at the link below is oriented with north to the left.

Best Seasons: Fall, winter, spring.

Breeding Bird Atlas Block: Round Bay NE

Local MOS Chapter: Anne Arundel Bird Club

Official Website

Park Map

eBird Hotspot

Lake Waterford Park

830 Pasadena Road, Pasadena, MD 21122
(410) 222-7313

Lake Waterford Park is a 108-acre community park in north-central Anne Arundel County that provides a natural area in a predominantly residential neighborhood. The main body of the park surrounds the twelve-acre pond, Lake Waterford, created by a dam on the Magothy River. There are also two elongated, wooded sections of the park that follows the stream valleys of the Magothy Branch and Rouse’s Branch. Approximately one mile of natural-surface hiking trails wind through the park, with some ups and downs, and there are paved paths near the sports fields.

Recreational amenities include a baseball field, basketball courts, concession stand (open seasonally), fishing, a multipurpose sports field, pavilions for rent, pickleball courts, picnic areas, a playground, and tennis courts. The park is known for its wheelchair-accessible sports and play facilities.

Birdlife:

Over 125 species have been reported on eBird from Lake Waterford Park.

Breeding Season Species: Osprey, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Green Heron, Great Blue Heron, Chimney Swift, Wood Thrush, orioles, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Eastern Phoebe.

Winter: Pied-billed Grebe, Ring-billed Gull, kinglets, Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, sparrows.

Spring and Fall Migration: Wood Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Common Loon, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, thrushes, vireos, 21 species of warblers. An Anhinga was present in the park for a couple of weeks in May of 2012.

Summer: Herons and egrets, flycatchers, vireos, swallows.

Year-round: Great Blue Heron, Belted Kingfisher, woodpeckers, small woodland birds such as chickadees and titmice.

Wheelchair Access:

The All Sensory Trail encourages participants of all abilities to stimulate their senses as they walk along the 0.3 mile paved, wheelchair-accessible trail. A guide rope directs vision- impaired participants and gives them an opportunity for independent interaction with nature.

Special Features:

The local chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society is the Anne Arundel Bird Club, which offers field trips and meetings with informative programs, all free and open to the public.

Parking:

Ample parking available; see park map at the link at left.

Directions:

From the Annapolis area, or from the Eastern Shore after crossing the Bay Bridge: From US Route 50, take Exit 21 for I-97 Northbound. Go north on I-97 for 9.5 miles, then take Exit 10 for Benfield Boulevard eastbound. Go east on Benfield Boulevard for 0.6 miles, then turn left (north) onto Governor Stone Parkway. Stay on Governor Stone Parkway for 1.1 miles and then turn right (east) onto East-West Boulevard. In approximately 1.3 miles, you will come to a traffic circle; go around the circle and take the third exit to stay on East-West Boulevard for another 1.4 miles. Note that East-West Boulevard becomes East Pasadena Road after crossing MD Route 2. Stay on East Pasadena Road; the entrance to the park will be on your left (north side of the road) about 0.9 miles after crossing MD Route 2. Turn left to enter the park.

From the Baltimore area: Take the Baltimore Beltway to Exit 4 for I-97 South. Stay on I-97 for 3.7 miles and take Exit 14 for MD Route 100/Paul Pitcher Memorial Highway eastbound. Stay on MD Route 100 for 6.4 miles and take Exit 19 for Catherine Avenue turning right off the ramp to go south on Catherine. Catherine Avenue will make a curve to the right to go west and will become East Pasadena Avenue after crossing MD Route 648/Waterford Road. The entrance to the park will be on your right in just 30 feet after crossing MD Route 648/Waterford Road. Turn right to enter the park.

Nearby Sites:

Anne Arundel County: Davidsonville Park ◾ Downs Memorial Park ◾ Fort Smallwood Park ◾ Greenbury Point◾ Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary ◾ Kinder Farm Park ◾ Mandares Creek MOS Sanctuary ◾ Oxbow Natural Area ◾ Patuxent Research Refuge – North Tract ◾ Piney Orchard Nature Preserve◾ Quiet Waters Park ◾ Sandy Point State Park ◾ Smithsonian Environmental Research Center ◾ Swan Creek Wetlands | Cox Creek Dredged Material Containment Facility