"The Prettyboy Dam Sensory Hike”
For this Quest you will hike in our Hereford Wildlands Area towards the Prettyboy Dam where the Big Gunpowder Falls River and our Park begins! The terrain is moderate-to-difficult (rock scrambling, ducking under mountain laurel), but the challenge makes it fun! The hike is approximately 3.5-miles long, out-and-back.
There is a shorter, alternative hike about a half mile south of the 1001 Falls Road address at the Highlands Trail Parking Lot at 1243 Falls Road which would cut the hike in half.
Please remember to bring your worksheet, passport, and a pencil. Also bring water to take with you on the hike and wear closed-toe, slip resistant comfortable shoes. It is always a good idea to use insect repellent to help protect yourself.
Follow along in your worksheet to complete sensory pit stops, and learn about the history of Prettyboy Dam and the importance of this unique watershed!
The Prettyboy Dam Sensory Hike Worksheet
The Prettyboy Dam
The Prettyboy Dam is the City of Baltimore Property, and is not owned or managed by
Gunpowder Falls State Park. About halfway through the trail at an unmarked location, state property transitions into city property, but the public is welcome on both sides. You would need special right of entry permission to enter from the city side. There is a gate that prohibits the public to walk the stairs up to the top dam for safety reasons.
The Hereford Wildlands Area
The Hereford Area’s 3,620 acres feature a scenic wilderness setting preserved under state Wildlands status for nature appreciation and outdoor adventures. In 1971, the Wildlands Protection Act was passed in Maryland. Under this law, the government can protect certain publicly owned areas from logging or other invasive acts that can deplete or negatively impact the land and wildlife. In turn, this preserves the area for future generations. Under this National Wilderness Preservation System, wildlands consist of such properties owned and managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Bicycles and strollers are prohibited to minimize impact. The park did not want to place any interpretive boards or signs along the trail to disturb the habitat; we wanted everything to stay as natural as possible to respect the flora and fauna of the area.
Contact Information
Park Headquarters
Open Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Closed weekends and state holidays
Phone: 410-592-2897
Address:
The Prettyboy Dam Trail
1001 Falls Road
Parkton, MD 21120
