Hiking along the Old Main Line in Patapsco Valley State Park is one of my favorite hikes, and I’ve visited repeatedly, but, it seems, always during the winter.
This time we returned just as summer was setting in, and everything was green, green, green. It was lovely! As we walked along the Patapsco River, trees leaned over to kiss the water.
Fog from the warm night was still lifting, making our first moments feel as if we were slipping into a mysterious world. Rain from the night before still sprinkled on our heads whenever the breeze touched the leaves.
When the path forks, go to the right, along the river. Both trails lead to the same place, but the rail trail is nearly unpassable because of the muddy puddles and it diverts briefly away from the river, so the rougher trail by the river is prettier, as well as more passable.
Lots of wildflowers hid along the trail, including a pretty little light lavender daisy, called Fleabane Daisy. We also saw ubiquitous buttercups and a few Jack in the Pulpits. It’s always a good idea to look down while you’re hiking — you’re not going to notice the wildflowers otherwise, or the snakes or frogs, both of which we saw on our hike.
We got to see this little Jack in the Pulpit, formally known as Arisaema triphyllum. I thought it was cool to discover its other common names: bog onion, brown dragon, Indian turnip, American wake robin and wild turnip. I kinda prefer Jack int eh Pulpit, don’t you?
As its names suggest, this native North American wildflower has an underground tuber that is edible, although some of its above ground parts are poisonous to consume.
This trail follows the original path of the first railroad line, which ran between Baltimore and what was then called Ellicott Mills, an important, bustling center of commerce. Since then, the mills have closed and the town renamed itself Ellicott City to sound a little more sophisticated than it really is.
As you walk along the trail, you’ll notice a number of rail artifacts, including a beautiful stone bridge still carrying the trail over a creek. The rail artifacts remain because much of the river valley, through which the Old Main Line ran, became part of the Patapsco Valley State Park. In fact, the area along the line contains an uncommonly large range of early 19th century railroad artifacts and structures.
Read about a previous visit, which has more about the origins of this first rail trail here.
Know before you go 2: Parking is tight at the trail head — maybe room for 10 cars unless you wish to chance parking illegally (not recommended, since big trucks can rumble by). Your best bet? Arrive early.
Getting there: Patapsco Valley State Park – Daniels Area, 2090 Daniels Road, Ellicott City, MD 21043
Hours: Dawn through dusk.
Website: https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/central/PatapscoValley/Daniels/Daniels.aspx
For other hikes in the Patapsco Valley State Park, check out the following articles:
- Avalon Section/Grist Mill Trail
- Cascade Falls Trail / Orange Grove Area
- Daniels — Maryland’s Ghost Town
- Daniels Winter Hike
- Daniels Old Main Line and Ruins Loop Hike
- Daniels Old Main Line Railtrail
- Daniels Old Main Line in the Spring
- Hell House and revisiting Hell House
- Marriottsville Road to McKeldin Rapids Hike
- McKeldin Area
