$4.28 million secured. Baltimore's first-ever State Park designation is on the way.

Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park spans nearly 1,000 acres on the western edge of Baltimore, making it the second-largest urban woodland park in the US. A park of this scale needs more than any one department can provide. Baltimore City Recreation and Parks brings real expertise to this park, including a top-notch forestry program, but BCRP is a single department responsible for more than 250 facilities across nearly 5,000 acres. It cannot carry a park this size alone.

For four decades, the Friends of Gwynns Falls Leakin Park (FOGFLP) has  worked for the park -- leading volunteers, neighbors, and nonprofit partners in helping to care for this park ; running cleanups, stewarding trails, hosting events, and building the community that keeps the park alive.

In 2023, we took that work to Annapolis.

Now, 3 years later the Maryland legislative session that ended April 13 delivered $4.28 million to establish the first-ever State Park designation in Baltimore's history at Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park.  $2.28 million for FY27, with another $2 million committed for FY28. It is the largest single state investment in this park's history.

This is just the beginning. With sustained resources and continued community help, Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park is reaching the point where it can begin to give back to the 18 neighborhoods that surround it. Keeping that momentum going is the work ahead.

The Win, in Plain Numbers

What This Means for Baltimore

While HB959, the bill that would have formally established the park, did not pass in the 2026 session, the funding commitment behind it did. That  says the State of Maryland is prepared to invest in the place West Baltimore has loved and protected for generations, and that Baltimore is on the path to joining Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and all the other major American cities whose footprint includes a state park.

It also says that this park  -- that has long been asked to give more than it receives --  can, with sustained investment and community voice, become the place it has always had the potential to be.

"While Gwynns Falls Park in its current state might be described as a diamond in the rough, it could be a crown jewel for the city — much like New York's Central Park, San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, and Washington, D.C.'s Rock Creek Park."

— Maryland Chapter, Sierra Club, written testimony on HB959, February 2026

How We Got Here

2020 — Exploring the Possibilities 

FOGFLP, looking to preserve the mature woodlands in the park, begins conversations that reveal the scale of what the park could be — and what it is missing.

2023 — The Seed is Planted 

A FOGFLP board member gives a tour of the park to a first-time visitor. Impressed by what they see, the visitor remarks, “This should be a state park.” Not a bad idea. The FOGFLP board brings on consultants and pulls up their shirtsleeves and starts talking to anyone who  might be able to help.

2024 — The Foundation 

In the 2024 Maryland legislative session, Delegate Malcolm Ruff introduces House Bill 1358, requiring the Maryland DNR and Baltimore City to study establishing Gwynns Falls as a partnership state park. The Baltimore City House Delegation votes the bill favorable unanimously. The Nature Conservancy, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Audubon Mid-Atlantic, community members, and dozens of advocates testify in support. Governor Wes Moore signs the bill into law.

December 2024 — The Work Begins

Maryland DNR convenes the Gwynns Falls State Park Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC), including FOGFLP, community members, Delegate Ruff, and representatives from Audubon Mid-Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School, among others. BCRP hosts the first meeting at Cahill Recreation Center.

2025 — FOGFLP at the Table

Throughout 2025, FOGFLP serves on the Gwynns Falls SAC , helping shape the report DNR and Baltimore City are charged with delivering. We rally neighbors to participate in public focus groups on topics from capital improvements to natural resource management to public safety. In September, we join Maryland District 41 delegates and city staff on a park field trip so decision-makers can meet the park in person. When DNR, BCRP, and the Mayor's Office submit the draft park report, FOGFLP returns detailed comments to keep community priorities in the final version.

Gwynns Falls State Park Stakeholder Advisory Committee Field Trip on September 27, 2025

December 2025 - HB959

The Baltimore Mayor's Office,  BCRP, and DNR submitted their official report to the General Assembly, and .Delegate Ruff introduces House Bill 959 to establish Gywnns Falls State Park.

February 25, 2026 — Advocacy Day in Annapolis

FOGFLP Executive Director Pickett Slater Harrington leads a delegation of community advocates, nonprofit partners, and elected officials to testify before the House Environment and Transportation Committee. Delegate Ruff, DNR Secretary Kurtz, FOGFLP Board President Erica Lewis, Audubon Mid-Atlantic, Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound, Hope Harbor CDC, Forest Park Action Council, and Hunting Ridge Community Association all speak in support.

FOGFLP board president Erica Lewis and Executive Director, Pickett Slater Harrington n Annapolis.

April 15, 2026 — The Funding Comes Through

HB 959 dies in committee. But Delegate Ruff announces the $4.28 million funding package at a press event. It's the first dedicated state investment to designate a State Park in Baltimore.

What's Next: The Master Plan

The $280,000 for an independent Master Plan consultant is the single most consequential line item in the April 2026 package. The plan will shape this park for generations.

Here are the some of the essentials for the master plan:

• Define the boundaries of Gwynns Falls State Park
• Develop an annual operating budget and identify priority needs — capital improvements, critical maintenance, natural resource management, historic site restoration, trail improvements, staffing and equipment, and public safety
• Address climate resilience — flood barriers, forest buffers, green spaces, stormwater infrastructure, wetlands restoration, and environmental protection
• Improve access and connection — bike lanes, trails, walkability, easy access from surrounding neighborhoods, parking, and accessibility for people with disabilities
• Care for historic assets and activate new recreational spaces

Did you know?

Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park is larger than three Maryland State Parks--Assateague, Sandy Point, and Rock State Park - combined.

FOGFLP is Here to Promote the Community's Voice

A master plan is only as good as the voices it reflects. The 18 neighborhoods that surround Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park and the West Baltimore residents who have loved this park through its hardest decades deserve to shape the plan from the beginning, not weigh in at the end.

FOGFLP's work through the master plan process:

• Engage citizens, local park and environmental advocates, and representatives of the neighborhoods that border the park at every phase of planning
• Convene  groups of community members and neighborhood stakeholders to collect input directly.
• Advocate for community priorities with DNR, BCRP, elected officials, and planning consultants
  
• Keep the work visible so residents know what is being decided, by whom, and on whose behalf

The park got the money. Now our work begins over. 

It's time to pay attention to  the fine print, listen to neighbors, show up at meetings, and make sure that what was promised actually gets built. That is our most important work for the next decade.

FOGFLP is small. But we wooed Pickett Slater Harrington, our part-time Executive Director,  to us from Maryland state government from an important job leading a multi-million-dollar effort to address concentrated poverty. Pickett's leadership is a big part of how we got this far.

But Pickett is our only paid staff. One part-time director who is supported by minimal consultant hours, and a volunteer board, cannot carry a 1,000-acre park and a multi-year master plan process alone.

The community has stated loud and clear that they want a park with dedicated staff, well-maintained trails, enhanced amenities, and expanded programming that highlights the distinctive natural, historical, and cultural features of this unique jewel in Baltimore City. This is more than a park designation. It is an investment in equity, stewardship, safety, and pride for the residents who live alongside and cherish this remarkable space.

— Gale Fletcher, Hunting Ridge Community Association · Gwynns Falls State Park Stakeholder Advisory Committee · testimony on HB959

Help us Keep the Momentum Going

To make sure the community gets the park it has earned, FOGFLP needs to grow.

Every dollar we raise pays for Pickett's hours, additional support for Pickett, community meetings, advocacy, master plan input sessions, trail work, park events, and the year-round stewardship that has been our quiet gift to this park for four decades.

Donate to FOGFLP 

Three simple ideal guide everything we do. We are working for:

1. A park that is open, welcoming, safe, and usable for all people and all neighborhoods.
2. A park that is safe, clean, restorative, and maintained to the highest standard.
3. A park shaped and protected by the people who use it — with shared governance, shared voice, and shared responsibility.

DONATE

Join our Email List 

We send emails approximately once a month. Hear about master plan community input windows, cleanups, events,  Second Sundays, and park news.

SUBSCRIBE

Volunteer

Stay Informed

Join our email list and stay up-to-date on the state park process 

We send emails approximately once a month covering news and events in the park.

(We are a nonprofit with expenses, so we will send a few emails a year asking for donations. Feel free to ignore and delete those as needed.)