The Owings Mills Recreation and Parks Council, which serves most of the communities within Baltimore County's designated "Owings Mills Growth Area," experienced the largest population growth (over 55 percent ) of any recreation and parks council between 1990 and 2000. This population growth was not limited to Owings Mills, as the areas within the neighboring recreation councils of Reisterstown and Liberty Road grew by nearly 25 percent and more than 10 percent respectively. To help address this population boom of approximately 24,000 people, Baltimore County acquired and developed the 322.7-acre Northwest Regional Park at Lyons Mill and Deer Park Roads at the western edge of Owings Mills. The eastern portion Northwest Regional Park, which consisted almost entirely of open fields at the time of acquisition, was recently developed with a variety of recreational facilities for the use of the community and local recreation councils. The baseball and softball programs of the recreation councils will be well served by the park's four ball diamonds, which encircle a central gazebo and feature home run fences and warning tracks. Three irrigated athletic fields will help to meet growing demand for field sports such as soccer, lacrosse, and football. 
The park's three pavilions are available for reservations, and make a terrific spot for a family outing, group get-together, or company picnic. Pavilion and field reservations are currently being coordinated by the Northwest Area Office, which may be reached by phone at 410-887-6747(Monday-Thursday 8:30a.m.-3:30p.m., and Friday 8:30a.m.-2:30p.m.) or e-mail at northwestpc-rp@baltimorecountymd.gov. In addition to these facilities, Northwest Regional Park also offers a variety of amenities for other recreational tastes and preferences. Paved stroller-friendly paths, and trails with natural surfaces traverse wooded areas of the park and offer walkers, bicyclers, and skaters a chance to get back to nature. The park's playground is sure to be popular with children, and wheelchair-accessible community garden plots will be opened at a later date for green-thumbers wishing to put their gardening skills to use. The largest portion of Northwest Regional Park, which is largely wooded, is situated on the west side of Deer Park Road north of Lyons Mill Road. This area is predominantly natural, featuring a stretch of the Locust Run stream, a County-designated recreational greenway. A small portion of this area of the park is being leased to the Baltimore Ravens as the site for the team's new training complex. The lease with the Ravens includes a provision for the complex to be turned over to the County upon expiration of the lease, as well as an agreement whereby the organization is contributing towards the construction of a lighted athletic field, comfort station, and parking for the use of the local recreation councils. The lighted athletic field is a welcome addition that has been long sought by the local recreation and parks councils, whose Fall programs need such a facility to allow for evening use when daylight hours are short. Size: 322.7 acres
Land Cost: $5.3 million
Site Development Costs: $3.5 million
Construction Began: Summer 2001
Construction Complete: Fall 2002
Baltimore County would like to recognize the invaluable assistance of the State of Maryland's Program Open Space (POS) in funding Northwest Regional Park's acquisition and construction. POS provided over $4 million of funding assistance for the three phases of park site acquisition. An additional $2.6 million in POS funding contributed towards park design and development on the eastern portion of the park. Address: 4515 Deer Park Road, Owings Mills, Maryland 21117 Directions from points east of the intersection of I-795 and I-695: From the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) take exit 19 for I-795 towards Owings Mills. Continue on I-795 for approximately 3 miles and take exit 4 for Owings Mills Boulevard south towards the Owings Mills Town Center. Stay on Owings Mills Boulevard until its end at Lyons Mill Road and make a right. Proceed on Lyons Mill Road for approximately 1.8 miles and make a right onto Deer Park Road. The park entrance, marked with a sign, will be just ahead on the right. Directions from points south of the intersection of I-795 and I-695: From the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) take exit 18 for Liberty Road west towards Randallstown. Follow Liberty Road for approximately 5 miles and make a right onto Deer Park Road. Stay on Deer Park Road, past Lyons Mill Road, and proceed to park entrance just ahead on the right (marked by park sign). For additional information on Northwest Regional Park, please contact the park office at 410-887-1558 or e-mail: nwregionalpark@baltimorecountymd.gov 
A crowd gathers within the ball diamond plaza at the park's dedication ceremony in September of 2002. Revised July 22, 2009 | 
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