I have wanted to take our family to Patapsco for a while now, but wanted to avoid the more popular Avalon Area that is closer to our house. This northern section of the park seemed to fit the bill! The gates opened at 9 am, and that is when we arrived yesterday morning hoping to beat the heat. We weren’t the only ones with this idea! There was a line of cars waiting to enter and pay the entrance fee. On weekdays, it is $3 per carload for MD residents. This was Saturday, though, and it is $3 per person for MD residents. The ranger told us that kiddos in car seats are admitted free.
We parked right near the ranger station in a small lot. There were several porta potties available as well as a bathroom that was open. I saw water fountains on the side of the restrooms, but I didn’t try to use so I’m not sure if they were working. Since it was early, we decided not to bring lunch along, just snacks and lots of water! The ranger had given us a map, and the plan was to take the Switchback Trail around the outskirts of the part, detouring briefly to take the McKeldin Rapids Trail.
The Switchback Trail started right across the street from the lot and the ranger station. It was marked with a white blaze and open to bike riders and horses. Pebble was beyond thrilled to see a rider on horseback on the road heading toward the ranger station, and two more on the trail itself. She kept saying, “neigh!!!” Rainbow and Stormy were more concerned about stepping in the horse droppings we spotted in a few places. Watch your step if you take this trail!
Despite the gifts left behind by the horses, it was a beautiful trail! The trail curved back and forth as it led down to the south branch of the Patapsco River. There were a few bike riders we had to avoid, but all were friendly and gave us plenty of notice when coming up behind us. The trail was rocky in places, and nice and wide.
It was at the juncture with the Tall Poplar Trail that our plans went sideways. The Switchback Trail was blocked off by yellow tape. The only option was to turn onto the Tall Poplar Trail, which took us back uphill toward the lot we’d left only a short while before. The detour ate up more time and mileage than we expected. Pebble ended up riding on my back for a bit munching on pretzels and enjoying the scenery.
We soon came to another juncture that was unmarked. I knew where we wanted to go, so we made a right hoping to intercept the Switchback Trail. No dice, we found another unmarked juncture and a shelter that the girls had fun exploring.
We turned right again and got lucky. At our third unmarked juncture was a cyclist. He kindly gave us detailed directions on how to access the Switchback Trail and the McKeldin Rapids Trail. We actually needed to walk through a parking lot, pass shelter 576, pass more restrooms, and walk down a road to its end to find the rapids trail. Past the parking lot, this road was closed to vehicular traffic. Despite our lengthy detour, seeing the rapids was amazing!
The trail was marked with an orange blaze and lots of signage in Spanish and English! The girls were fascinated by the roaring water!
At the base of the rapids was a deep pool of water. Again, there were signs saying to stay out of the water and there were plenty of idiots ignoring said signs. Stormy kept asking why she couldn’t wade if other people were. We kept telling her it wasn’t safe.
We left behind the rapids and began following the trail. The trail was narrow, erosion from the fast moving water has done a fair amount of damage over time. We had to pick our trail carefully. Pebble was down from the carrier, and we had to watch her carefully so that she didn’t fall off the trail. There was also a section where part of a stream flowed over and down the trail toward the river.
The girls were champs! Stormy kept an eye on Pebble, trying to help where she could. As we had already discovered, the trails here are not well marked. We lost the trail a few times and Rainbow and Stormy used their keen eyes to get us back on track. Along the trail, Stormy and Rainbow found a giant rock that had a slit down the middle, perfect for 3 curious little girls!
After multiple trips circling the rock, we stopped for water and gorp. We had been hiking longer than we expected due to the earlier detour and it was hot! Both Stormy and Rainbow kept begging to wade. We continued to say no, concerned about the current. The girls were disappointed until the trail turned to follow the north branch of the Patapsco River. Here we spotted a pair of ducks swimming in the river, although swimming isn’t exactly the right term. The current was so strong, the ducks were being pulled rapidly downstream. After that, the girls weren’t so eager to wade!
The Rapids trail soon rejoined the Switchback Trail and we followed that briefly until we reached the Plantation Trail. We followed the Plantation Trail up and back toward the parking lot and our car. On our way, Rainbow spotted a deer in the forest and quietly pointed her out to us. All in all, we did 4 miles and a picnic lunch was much needed and quickly devoured! We had juice boxes for the girls and all 3 emptied their boxes before starting their sandwiches.
Would we hike here again? Most definitely! It was beautiful! We would love to do more of the Switchback Trail, but start from the other end. The girls spotted a playground near where we parked and asked to try it out next time if it is safe. If you hike here, be aware trails are poorly marked and junctions rarely have signage. Even with a map, you may find yourself a little lost at times, just like us. Happy trails!
