Patapsco Valley State Park Trails

Patapsco Valley State Park extends along 32 miles of the Patapsco River, encompassing 16,043 acres and eight developed recreational areas. Recreational opportunities include hiking, fishing, camping, canoeing, horseback and mountain bike trails, as well as picnicking for individuals or large groups in the park’s many popular pavilions.

The park is nationally known for its trail opportunities and scenery. We have 170 miles of trails, with 70 of those miles identified as maintained trails. There are hiker only trails and multi-use trails accessible from many areas of Patapsco.

In one of Maryland’s first state parks (1907), the valley and its natural resources have been enjoyed by the Native Americans, explorers, settlers and present-day citizens. With its source in Frederick and Carroll counties, the Patapsco serves the Port of Baltimore, and empties into the Chesapeake Bay.

The Avalon Visitor Center houses exhibits spanning over 300 years of history along the Patapsco River. Housed in a 19th century stone dwelling in the Avalon Area, the center includes a re-creation of a 1930’s forest warden’s office.

Patapsco Valley State Park encompasses 16,000 acres and five developed recreational areas. It is home to 170 miles of rugged, natural-surface trails that climb the hillsides along the river, popular among mountain bikers, equestrians and distance hikers. But one need not be a triathlete to enjoy the park's amenities. For those looking for a less strenuous workout, there is the Grist Mill Trail, a more moderate route and popular destination for parents with children in strollers, families on biking trips and people with disabilities. The Grist Mill Trail parallels the river for a mile and a half and provides a close-up view of its scenic beauty, while leading past numerous sites of historic interest.

In the fall of 2003, a new multi-use section of the trail opened near Ellicott City to enhance ADA- (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible recreational opportunities. The origin

al section of the Grist Mill Trail connects the famed swinging bridge in the Avalon Area of the park to Lost Lake, a special fishing area for children under age 16, senior citizens and visitors with disabilities, and once a reservoir for the Avalon Iron and Nail Works and the Baltimore County Water Company. The 1.2-mile extension leads from the swinging bridge to the river's edge near Ilchester. The new segment brings the total amount of paved trails in the park to slightly more than 2 1/2 miles and extends the Grist Mill Trail to a distance of five miles.

Trail users stroll past several historic sites worth noting. The Patapsco Valley's rich resources attracted entrepreneurs who harnessed the river's waterpower for 18th and 19th century industries, and because of its proximity to Baltimore, it served as a gateway between western Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay. As a result, the valley was developed as a transportation route and serves as a crossroads for the National Road, regional turnpikes and the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad. Remnants of these early industries and the railroad can still be seen along the trail.

An observant cyclist or hiker may serendipitously find the ruins of the Orange Grove Flour Mill, which opened in 1856, and the Bloede Dam, an engineering feat of the early 20th century. It was the first hydroelectric dam in the U.S. where the turbines are located inside its hollow core, maximizing efficiency in power generation.

The original path of the B&O Railroad between Baltimore City and Ellicott City (1830) is also here; these were the first 13 miles of railroad track laid in the country. Horses drew the original rail cars while the steam engine was being perfected. Relics from the B&O Railroad include portions of the Patterson Viaduct and granite stringers that were used to hold the earliest iron rails that formed the railroad.

The park's legendary swinging bridge was once used by flour mill workers walking from their homes in the town of Orange Grove on the west side of the river in Howard County to the saw mills on the east side of the river in Baltimore County. Visitors can also see railroad tanker ruins and the lasting effects of erosion along the riverbank dating back to Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972.