A Unique Urban Greenway and Stream Valley Connector for Baltimore

The Gwynns Falls Trail begins in Leakin Park and generally follows the Gwynns Falls stream to the Middle Branch and the Inner Harbor of the Patapsco River. The Gwynns Falls 15-mile trail system is open, including the new trailhead at the I-70 Park & Ride.

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.

Special Points of Interest and Activities
Some points of interest near or along the currently improved section of the Trail are the Crimea Mansion, the Baltimore Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound Program, the City's Carrie Murray Nature Center, Leon Day Park, the Carrolton Railroad Viaduct, the historic Mt. Claire Mansion, the B&O Railroad Museum, Carroll Park, Middle Branch Park, Waterview West wildlife observation boardwalk and deck, the Baltimore Rowing Club, M&T Bank Stadium, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Solo Gibbs Park, Federal Hill Park, and the Inner Harbor Promenade. The Trail route offers easy access to Baltimore's historic cultural heritage, reopening a carriage path built on an old mill race, ruins of a mock civil war fort, a relic water wheel, and eighteenth century plantations and mansions.

The Trail has been the site of several unique and innovative park events and activities including National Trails Day, Tour du Park, music concerts, movies in the park, the Leon Day Park Celebration, Cycle For Life Bike Tour, haunted hikes, poetry slams, Walk for Wildlife, a prescreening of Blair Witch: Book of Shadows, annual Art on the Trail exhibits, and an assortment of festivals, reunions, and group picnics. A new 300-person picnic pavilion, amphitheater, and restrooms have been constructed at the Winans Meadow Trailhead as well as new facilities provided at Leon Day Park including a playground, lighted sports fields for baseball, football, and basketball courts, and restrooms.

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