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Birding
Location Gunpowder Falls State Park, Hereford Area, Masemore Road to Falls Road, 410-592-2897
Trail Access Parking area and trailhead is on Masemore Road. From I-83, take exit 27 onto Mount Carmel Road heading west. Turn right onto Masemore Road. Parking is in a small lot on the right where the road intersects with the Big Gunpowder Falls. The Gunpowder South Trail, blazed white, leaves from the parking lot and runs both east and west along the riverbanks. Birding is favorable in both directions. This trip suggests heading west or upstream.
Distance 3.4 miles on Gunpowder South Trail with option to add a 1.4 mile (round-trip) spur on an unmaintained trail to the Prettyboy Dam.
Time 2+ hours
Trail Trail is a single-track dirt path over varied and rugged terrain with moderate hills and some rock scrambling.
Skill Level Moderate to strenuous difficulty
Suitable For Families? Yes, with older children
Hazards/Restrictions No bicycles or motorized vehicles in wildlands. Pets must be on a leash. No parking is allowed at the Prettyboy Dam. Drive slowly on Masemore Road near the river. The road becomes one lane as it curves around Foster's Mill. Be alert for places where land is being undermined by river erosion. Stick to the blazed trail where it veers away from the river to avoid these areas.
Potable Water Carry in your own water for the duration of the hike. Water and restrooms are available nearby at Camp Wood near the Bunker Hill Road trailhead (1.3 miles east on the Gunpowder South Trail, or accessible from Bunker Hill Road off York Road).
Natural Features Hard, erosion-resistant mica schist rock through which the river flows, creates a series of bouldery rapids in a tight v-shaped gorge.
This area provides habitat for trees adapted to cool hillsides, including river birch, cherries, oaks, hemlocks, mountain laurel, dogwood, spicebush and witch hazel.
Early spring wildflower displays include hepatica, bloodroot, spring beauty, rue anemone and pink ladies slippers.
Late summer flowers include goldenrod, asters and woodland sunflowers.
Beaver activity in the river, evidenced by gnawed trees, is common.
Numerous brown trout thrive in pools in the cool water.
Historic/Cultural Features The trail passes historic Foster's Mill, now a park-owned private residence on Masemore Road.
Camping Organized youth group camping is available at nearby Camp Wood on Bunker Hill Road. A private recreation park offering camping is located in the Hereford Area.
Other Points of Interest Many other trails are located in the Hereford Wildlands and also surround Prettyboy Reservoir. Fly fishing for trout is a popular activity in the river. Kayakers, canoeists and tubers test their skills in the swift water.
Other Accommodations The Mill Pond Cottage, a quaint park-owned home located on Masemore Road, has been renovated for overnight rental accommodations. Call 410-592-2897.
Service Charges or Permits Youth group camping permit or overnight rental fees for accommodations only.
Description This area in a section of the Hereford Wildlands is probably the most scenic area in the Baltimore region, with characteristics reminiscent of western Maryland. Here the river flows through a narrows steep-sided valley. The trail can be rugged: the v-shaped gorge has no room for a flood plain. The rocky section is very broken, winding atop and between boulders and twisted roots.
Follow the white blazes upstream. The trail crosses Falls Road in 0.8 miles and forms a junction with the Highland Trail, a trail that visits upland forest habitat, blazed blue, 0.9 miles past Falls Road. At the junction of the Highland Trail, the Gunpowder South Trail is no longer well marked. At this point an optional scenic spur continues on the unmaintained trail towards Prettyboy Dam, returning by the same path. Or turn left onto the blue-blazed Highland Trail for an alternative route back to Masemore Road. The Highland Trail bisects a white pine plantation.
Birding is great for neotropical migrants. Along the paths and roaming along some of the side streams, you may see Carolina Chickadees, titmice, indigo buntings, cardinals, a cuckoo, phoebes, peewees, vultures, hawks, Belted Kingfishers, various woodpeckers, and several species of warbler, including worm-eating, yellow, yellowthroat, prairie, parula and the Louisiana waterthrush.
If you choose to return via the blue-blazed Highland Trail, it rejoins the Gunpowder South Trail in one mile, just prior to Masemore Road. The Highland Trail follows the bluffs above the river gorge and becomes wider and easier to follow than the Gunpowder South Trail. Once the Highland Trail rejoins the Gunpowder South Trail, continue on the Gunpowder South Trail (white blazes) to return to Masemore Road.


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