This loop hike in Gunpowder Falls State Park (Central Area) takes you for an energizing hike up a heavily forested hillside before finishing with a calming walk alongside the lovely Little Gunpowder Falls river. Despite ample parking at the trailhead at Belair Road, for about 10 or so cars (depending on how close they park […]
state park
Hiking the Lower Susquehanna Ridge Trail: a Perfect Morning Hike
It was the best way to spend a morning — hiking in the mountainside above the Susquehanna River in Harford County, where the river is wide and calm(er) and beautiful glimpsed through the trees, before it opens into the Chesapeake Bay just a mile or two away. We chose the Lower Susquehanna Ridge Loop Trail. […]
Bear Town State Park — West Virginia’s Hidden Gem
Bear Town State Park is a relatively small state park in West Virginia, on the border of Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties. Its 110 acres encompass a really cool geological rock maze of deep crevices that form alleyways and rooms — all traversed by a boardwalk that leads you to cool vantage points in, among, and […]
Following in the Footsteps of a Virginia Pioneer Woman: The Ann Bailey Trail
The hike begins and ends with an outstanding view. With delight, we realized we were the only ones on the Ann Bailey Trail, which carries hikers 3 miles to a scenic view overlooking the Greenbrier River valley. This delightful trail in Watoga State Park almost guarantees you solitude as you follow an old roadbed across […]
Bear Pen Hike Is All About the Journey
This enjoyable hike in Watoga State Park, near Marlinton WV, is all about the journey and not the destination. Some hikes show-off their payoffs — gorgeous views, outstanding waterfalls, ruins and the like — but this loop hike is all about the walk itself. You start just off of Watoga Park Road, near Cabin 11, […]
Eight Great Hikes, Kayaking, Ruins, Forgotten Cemeteries and even Ghost Hunting in Patapsco Valley State Park
Maryland’s first — and largest — state park (not to be confused with much larger state forests) is strung out like glittering glass beads on a necklace along the Patapsco River south and west of Baltimore. Established in 1912, the Patapsco Valley State Park (PVSP) was Maryland’s first state park. It’s also Maryland’s most visited […]
Cloudy Day Hike on the Soapstone Loop Trail in PVSP
Patapsco Valley State Park is near my home — at least part of it is: it’s strung out along 36 miles of the Patapsco River like exquisite glass beads on a necklace. Because of its location, it’s my go-to park for a hike, especially when I only have a couple of hours. PVSP is a […]
Kayaking Martinak State Park and Watts Creek
Beautiful weather called out for us to go kayaking, so we headed across the Bay Bridge to Martinak State Park, near Denton in Caroline County, MD. Martinak State Park sits beside the Choptank River and Watts Creek, and in addition to some hiking trails, also offers a boat launch into Watts Creek. If you head […]
Hiking on the Sweet Air Loop in Gunpowder Falls State Park
The hike we’d picked out was loop in the Sweet Air Area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park, following first the Little Gunpowder Trail, marked in white blazes, and then a yellow-blazed trail, picking up a red-blazed trail, and ending with a portion of the yellow-blazed Barley Pond Loop trail. The trails within the Sweet […]
Does Daniels, Maryland’s Ghost Town, Actually Have Ghosts?
Daniels is a little known ghost town sprawled on both sides of the Patapsco River within the Patapsco River Valley State Park, which we’ve written about before (several times actually). The hike along the old road into Daniels on the Baltimore County side of the river is about a 4.5 mile there-and-back hike, with a […]
Hiking the Serpentine Loop in Soldiers Delight NEA
It seems the only times I think to go hiking in Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area, a part of the Patapsco Valley State Park, is in the winter. And winter is a great time to hike there — it’s sunny and bright and really beautiful in the colder months; just walking there will lift your […]
Maryland’s Best Kept Secret: A Cozy Cabin Hideaway at New Germany State Park
We just discovered Maryland’s “best kept secret,” renting a cabin at New Germany State Park. Nestled between Big Savage Mountain and the Eastern Continental Divide, New Germany State Park offers 10 miles of hiking, a lake to swim or kayak on, and of course, 12 cabins. This was our first stay at a state park […]
Maryland’s Beauty Spots — A Driving Tour to Green Ridge State Forest’s Scenic Overlooks
Come on a journey to seven of Maryland’s beauty spots, during a scenic drive that will take you through the country roads and byways of the Green Ridge State Forest, past forgotten family cemeteries and to some of the prettiest spots in western Maryland. Plan on at least three hours for this 44-mile scenic drive […]
Sunset at Trap Pond State Park
There’s a meme floating around that states “The two best reasons for owning a kayak is sunrise and sunset.” Early morning and sunset are my favorite times to hit the water and Trap Pond, already one of the prettiest places for a paddle, is even lovelier when the shadows are long and the fading evening […]
History and Wonder at the Natural Bridge
I remember a photo of my grandmother posing, pretending to hold up a rock bridge in Virginia. My grandfather would often tell my grandmother to “pack for cold” or “pack for warm” depending on whatever destination he had in mind. And then they would set off for an adventure. He took my Nana all over […]