The hike from Gathland State Park to Weverton Cliffs is a lovely walk in the woods, and is an ideal day hike that provides a taste of what through-hiking the Appalachian Trail is like. Plus, you’re likely to encounter some AT through-hikers, and they’re always interesting to chat with. The plan for the hike was […]
dog friendly
Hiking at Jerusalem Village in Gunpowder Falls State Park
Established in 1959 to protect the Gunpowder River and the Big and Little Gunpowder Falls, Gunpowder Falls State Park is now one of Maryland’s largest state parks. With more than 18,000 acres in Harford and Baltimore counties, Gunpowder’s narrow corridors host a varied topography ranging from tidal wetlands to steep and rugged slopes. My first […]
A New Look at a Lake Revisited
I’ve been visiting Lake Elkhorn, in Columbia, MD, for longer than two decades. Years of walking dogs around the lake has made the lake familiar and comforting. It’s one of my favorite places in Columbia, and despite its local popularity, it’s restful and relaxing. Lake Elkhorn is a 37-acre reservoir located in the Owen Brown […]
Hike to Annapolis Rocks
“Come to the woods, for here is rest. There is no repose like that of the green deep woods. … Of all the upness accessible to mortals, there is no upness comparable to the mountains.” — John Muir, Naturalist For almost any hiker in the East, the Appalachian Trail has a curious draw. Colleagues of mine have spent […]
Shinrin-yoku at Scott’s Run Nature Preserve
Forest bathing — essentially just being in the presence of trees — is the practice of taking a short, leisurely visit to a forest for health benefits. The practice originated in Japan where it is called shinrin-yoku (森林浴) in Japanese. The Japanese practice of forest bathing is proven to lower heart rate and blood pressure, […]
Behind Bars: Touring the West Virginia Penitentiary
The West Virginia State Penitentiary is an imposing, gothic style prison located in Moundsville, WV. It operated from 1876 to 1995. Now open for tours, it stands as a monument to a bygone era, and provides ongoing testimony to man’s inhumanity to man. The town of Moundsville is interesting in its own right, having derived […]
Lovely Urban Oasis at the US National Arboretum
Dogwood Alley. I’m always excited to discover an urban oasis — a place to retreat far from the madding crowd! In fact, I spent this past Sunday morning exploring just such an oasis: the U.S. National Arboretum. The National Arboretum is a garden, a park, and a research institution, part of the USDA. Its 446 […]
Exploring the Ghost Town Rail Trail: Dilltown to Eliza Furnace
Last summer, we stayed the weekend in Pittsburgh, but on our way back home to Maryland, decided to stop for a couple of hours and start what I hope will be an ongoing exploration of a new (for us) rail trail: The Ghost Town Rail Trail. This rail trail stretches 36 miles between Black Lick […]
Starting 2017 with a Delightful First Day at Soldiers Delight
I love the idea of the First Day Hikes that have become popular over the past few years — what better way to start a new year than by getting out into our local parks and going for a hike? In October 2016, we adopted our third beagle, Charlie, from the Baltimore Humane Society. Getting to […]
Hiking a (Small) Portion of the Allegheny Highlands Rail Trail
For this week’s blog post, I’m recalling a memorable — but accidental — day trip we took during a vacation in West Virginia a couple years ago. With winter about to begin this year, it’s the time to think about warmer weather day trips — perhaps start planning a few more! It’s my guess we […]
C&O Canal: From Swains Lock to Seneca Aqueduct
It was one of those rare, incredibly gorgeous summer days: 75 degrees, low humidity. As any Marylander will affirm, those kind of days are to be treasured indeed. In fact, any beautiful summer day is likely to find me either biking on the C&O Canal or thinking about biking on the C&O Canal. I wish I […]
Greeting the Morning Sun at Bear Rocks
How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains! — environmentalist and author, John Muir We got up at the ungodly hour of 3:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning to take the long and somewhat nerve-wracking drive up Laneville Road from Canaan Valley, where we were staying just off of Route 32 in a rental cabin, to […]
A Tough Hike with a Worthy Payoff: Pen Mar to High Rock
Fellow blogger J. Hammer graciously agreed to guest blog for the Mid-Atlantic Day Trips Blog about hiking along the Appalachian Trail. So I’ve been trying to chip away at sections of the Appalachian Trail in Maryland, and since I’ve done a couple of the middle sections, including the hike to Annapolis Rocks, and a hike […]
Four Lakes in Columbia
Maryland has no natural lakes. Thus, to find a place with several lakes that look completely natural, with many lovely scenes, and walking paths so you can enjoy the scenery, is a wonderful discovery. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed Columbia’s lakes throughout the seasons. If you’re a fan of the new and popular Pokémon Go, these […]
Art in the Park: Frederick’s Festival of the Arts
Celebrating 23 years, the Frederick Festival of the Arts, presented by the Frederick Arts Council, is held along Carroll Creek Linear Park in the heart of Historic downtown Frederick, MD. The artists at the arts festival showed in a variety of mediums, including wood, fiber, metal, clay, and leather, and featured an elegant mix of […]