The 731-acre park sits atop an outcropping of serpentine stone greater then one square mile in size – one of the largest serpentine barrens on the East Coast. It features former feldspar and serpentine quarries, and numerous former chromite ore mines.
Serpentine, a geological outcrop of rare, light-green rock found only in three small geographic areas in all of North America, has soil so low in essential nutrients and so high in some metals that most ordinary plants will not grow. The barrens have their own community of plants, some of them globally-rare, with practically no species in common with the surrounding forests and fields. For its natural history and conservation efforts, the National Park Service recognized Nottingham County Park as a National Natural Landmark in 2008.
Nottingham offers nine rental pavilions, an 18-station fitness trail, and three modern, handicapped accessible playgrounds.