Along Park trails, large concentrations of sycamore trees, creeping cedar and skunk cabbage, uncommon in most of the rest of Montgomery County, are found. Although rare in the state of Maryland, several populations of American chestnut trees can be found in Little Bennett. Please see the Vegetation section of our website for further information about the many different types of trees and other plants found in the Park.

Sycamore trees such as these, with their distinctive white bark,
are widely found along Little Bennett Creek.

Several large areas of Creeping Cedar are found in Little Bennett, especially near the heavily forested hiker-only trails.

In addition to vegetation, Little Bennett also has interesting physical and geological dimensions that can be best experienced by walking through the Park. For example, Little Bennett Creek gradually drops over 200' from its northeast entry point into the Park near the intersection of Kingstead and Burnt Hill Roads to its southwestern exit point near the intersection of MD 109 and I-270. The rather narrow valley that encloses the creek features many interesting exposed rock formations that help dramatically illustrate the transition from Maryland's coastal plain to the mountains in the west.

Little Bennett features many large, exposed rock formations such as this one along Prescott Road Trail.
These many formations are indicative of Maryland's Piedmont region.

Naturalists from the nearby Black Hills Regional Park occasionally schedule guided nature walks in Little Bennett Park. View their current schedule.

For those desiring a little more background about plants native to the area before visiting the Park, the Maryland Native Plant Society is a good source of information.

In order to help introduce and guide visitors to its many outstanding natural features, Little Bennett Regional Park plans to add a professional naturalist to its staff in the near future.