Rail-Trails Mid-Atlantic. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
13.3
Type
Rail-Trail
Roughness Index
1
Surface
Asphalt
If you wish to augment your physical workout with some intellectual exercise, look no farther than the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail. The scenic, paved, 13.3-mile community trail is brimming with history lessons and boasts a solar system of information. The trail follows the route of the Annapolis & Baltimore Short Line, which started running freight and passenger service in 1887 and helped shape this suburban region near the nation’s capital. Today, the 112-acre linear park winds through parks, neighborhoods, and natural wooded areas.
The route passes the Marley Station shopping mall, for those looking for some retail therapy to accompany their trek. History buffs might want to stop in at the Earleigh Heights Ranger Station, circa 1889. The trail features several pocket parks along the way—charming, landscaped nooks with picnic tables and an open invitation to rest your feet for a spell. One such setting is Olde Severna Park, near the Park Plaza Shopping Center (intersection of Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard and West McKinsey Road), where local bike shop Pedal Pushers caters to trail riders with rentals—and the local pizza and frozen yogurt shops adjacent appeal to hungry passersby. The B&A takes its beautification seriously. Portions of the route are sponsored by volunteers who fill the flower beds and kiosks along the trail, lending it a colorful, seasonal flair.
Interesting art along the trail provides a good excuse for a short break.
Along the trail, you will find a literal alphabet of historical markers, from A to Z. The A marker, at mile 0.1, is the Winchester Station House at Manresa, near the Annapolis start of the trail. At mile 13.3, you will find the Z marker, identifying the Sawmill Branch, the area’s source of water and power in the early 18th century. To follow along with each marker, pick up a flier at the ranger station.
From the ranger station to Harundale Plaza, you will stroll or bike beside the Planet Walk, a linear museum with informative displays for the sun and each planet. The planets are true to scale and feature storyboards that teach about our solar system. The trail, and its educational opportunities, ends in the small town of Glen Burnie. But you may continue on the BWI Trail loop for an additional 12.5 miles around the Baltimore Washington International Airport.
CONTACT: aacounty.org/recparks/parks/trails/bandatrailpark.cfm or dnr.state.md.us/greenways/ba_trail.html
DIRECTIONS
The Annapolis trailhead is located off US 50 past the Severn River. Take Exit 27 and head south less than 0.25 mile toward the U.S. Naval Academy on MD 450. The parking lot for Jonas Green Park is on the right. Directions to the trail via an on-road bike lane are on the board near the entrance of the parking lot. The actual rail-trail begins at Boulters Way.
To reach the Glen Burnie trailhead, take US 50 east from Washington, D.C., to Exit 21, and follow I-97 north 42 miles. Take Exit 15 leading to MD 176 E/Dorsey Road. Continue on MD 176 for approximately 0.6 mile before turning right onto MD 648/Baltimore and Annapolis Blvd. At the first light (after 0.5 mile), take a right onto Crain Hwy. and then a right onto Central Ave. The parking lot is on the right and runs along the trail.
5 Cross Island Trail
County
Queen Anne’s
Endpoints
Terrapin Nature Park to Kent Narrows (Kent Island)
Mileage
6
Type
Rail-Trail
Roughness Index
1
Surface
Asphalt
Maryland’s Cross Island Trail spans Kent Island, east to west, in Queen Anne’s County, providing multiple points of access to everything from libraries and schools to ball fields and the waterfront. It’s an impressively signed, well-maintained, charming trail with some truly exceptional views.
Begin at Terrapin Nature Park, a parcel of protected land for birds and native plant life. Just past the nature area, to the left of the trail, is an old graveyard with fewer than a dozen cracked and weathered headstones tucked among the trees. If you can spot it, it’s worth a peek. From here, the trail quickly winds through neighborhoods and stands of white pines and hemlocks. At the first mile marker, you come to Old Love Point Park, a recreation area with baseball and soccer fields.
Get a taste of Chesapeake Bay on the Cross Island Trail.
Continuing along, the trail passes through farmlands, and you’ll be able to see a lighthouse in the distance that indicates how close you really are to the seashore. At mile 3.8, you will have to do a short back-road jog to reconnect with the trail, but a blue-painted bike lane makes this a simple transition. Back on the path, you’ll come to a long wooden bridge that provides the first unhindered view of the water. This lovely expanse is a gem on the Cross Island Trail.
To access the Chesapeake Exploration Center in Kent Narrows, head left onto Piney Narrows Road, which bends right toward the water. The center is located at the end of the road, to the left.
Or to continue along the trail, when you reach the marina, head uphill to cross over the causeway, MD 18/Main Street, where there is an extremely wide shoulder. Here, the trail becomes a series of sidewalks and access points to the waterfront and its restaurants and boat slips.
CONTACT: parksnrec.org
DIRECTIONS
To reach the start at Terrapin Nature Park, from Annapolis, take US 50 east to Exit 37 (the first exit after crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge). After 0.3 mile, turn left onto MD 8. Follow MD 8 0.4 mile to the Chesapeake Bay Business Park, and turn left. Follow the road to the right around the circle until you come to Terrapin Nature Park. There is ample parking, and portable toilets are at the trailhead. Note that you must purchase and display a Queen Anne’s County Beach Permit to leave your vehicle in the park’s parking lot.
To reach Kent Narrows, take US 50 east from Annapolis. Take Exit 41/MD 18 E/Main St. Follow MD 18 for just under 1 mile (you’ll pass over Kent Narrows on a bridge), and then turn left onto Kent Narrows Road. Turn left onto Narrows Road. Parking is available under the bridge.
6 Gold Mine Loop Trail
County
Montgomery
Endpoints