Gwynns Falls Trail

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News

Find out more about the 26 Baltimore area events being held in celebration of National Trails Day.

Baltimore Greenway to the Chesapeake Bay - Download or listen to an audio tour on the Gwynns Falls Trail with trail historian Ed Orser and audio artist Steve Bradley.

Come out to the Trail and see our new kiosk signs, or view them here!

Over 800 riders participated this year in Tour dem Parks! Check out these photos of riders coming through Winans Meadow.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the National Trails Day Project at Middle Branch Park. The event was a great success thanks to the 170 volunteers who participated. Check out photos from National Trails Day on Flickr! We are also helping other groups to sponsor events along the Gwynns Falls Trail and other trails. We will have a complete list of these activities on our calendar very soon. Please check back often to find activities in which you would like to participate on National Trails Day.

Gwynns Falls Trail -- In the news...
Read the latest news articles!

The Gwynns Falls – Baltimore Greenway to the Chesapeake Bay, a book by W. Edward Orser, is now available. Click to find out more!

Listen as Nathan Sterner of National Public Radio (NPR) laces up his hiking boots for a stroll through the scenery - and the history - of the Gwynns Falls Trail with UMBC American Studies Professor Edward Orser. Professor Orser is the author of the new book The Gwynns Falls - Baltimore Greenway to the Chesapeake Bay.

Hear more as Nathan and Ed talk about a huge water wheel which can be seen along the Gwynns Falls Trail, in a part of Leakin Park that was once the country estate of railroad magnate Thomas Winans. Today, no one is sure how - or even if - the wheel worked.

Click the image above and find out why the Trail is for the birds!

Please check our site often for upcoming events and volunteer opportunities happening on the Gwynns Fall Trail!

Share your thoughts about the Trail and complete our online survey!

The Trail is the best place to bike according to the City Paper!

Learn more about FALLS INTO WORDS, a folklore collection project!

The Trail is Now Part of the
Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network!

The Gwynns Falls Trail

The Trail begins at the I-70 Park & Ride trailhead and generally follows the Gwynns Falls stream to the Middle Branch and the Inner Harbor of the Patapsco River. All 15 miles of the Gwynns Falls trail system are open. The Gwynns Falls Trail is a unique urban hiking and biking trail providing access to a scenic and historic greenway stream valley in Baltimore City.

Check out the new Gwynns Falls Trail Map and Information Guide or view special points of interest and activities along the Trail.

A Unique Urban Greenway and Stream Valley Connector for Baltimore

The Trail travels through an environmentally valuable urban greenway park in west and southwest Baltimore City along the Gwynns Falls stream valley. The greenway now connects over 2,000 acres of publicly owned land within the Gwynns Falls stream valley and includes one of the largest wilderness woodland parks in the Eastern United States - the Gwynns Falls and Leakin parks. These parks alone encompass 1,200 acres and house approximately 10 miles of additional paths that wander up and down the parks' slopes. These paths are wonderful for hiking and are expecially unique in an urban setting.

The Gwynns Falls Trail is a continuous recreation corridor that connects over 30 neighborhoods in west and southwest Baltimore with parklands, unique urban environmental features, cultural resources and historic landmarks. Local residents and visitors are able to bike, hike, roller blade, fish in the stream, picnic, watch for birds and other wildlife, undertake environmental education activities, find solitude and enjoy nature, host community festivals and meet friends and neighborhood residents along the Trail.

Take a look at the various informational panels on display along the Trail by clicking the text links below. Or, open the small Baltimore City map below and access the panel information by clicking on one of the 29 numbered areas along the Gwynns Falls Trail.

1 - Blocking the Expressway
2 - Franklintown's Historic Roots
3 - Crimea Estate
4 - A Name Before a Place
5 - Dickeyville's Historic Legacy
6 - An Old Mill Stream
7 - Olmsted Park Plan
8 - Leon Day Park
9 - Ellicott Driveway at Gwynns Falls
10 - Bridging Gwynns Falls
11 - Early Transportation Routes
12 - Ellicott Flour Mills
13 - Rowhouses: a Baltimore Tradition
14 - Early Industries
15 - Carrollton Viaduct
16 - Of Fords, Felles and Falls
17 - Restoring Water Quality
18 - Carroll Park
19 - Mount Clare: the Georgia Plantation
20 - Gas, Dredges, Beer and Pianos
21 - Solo Gibbs Park
22 - Struggling for Equality
23 - Federal Hill and Otterbein
24 - Port of Baltimore
25 - The Olmsted Legacy
26 - Gwynns Falls Trail
27 - Reviving the Waterfront
28 - John Smith Explores Patapsco
29 - Cherry Hill
30 - Orianda House
31 - From Bricks and Pianos to Football

Become a member of the Gwynns Falls Trail Council or volunteer today!