Today we didn’t head south or east, we went north! We had never been to this area to hike, and the trails sounded nice. There is no fee to enter this park, and there is a grass, dirt and rock lot to park in. No facilities at all. There is a giant board with a map of the park on it for hikers to scan. While we were checking the map an older man who worked in the park recommended a few trails to try. He was so helpful, and we were glad we ran into him! We followed his directions to a T, and this hike was perfect!
From the lot, we made a right back onto the dirt road and walked past the ranger’s house. We then made a left onto a dirt farm road that wound up over a hill between cornfields. The sun was shining and it was muggy and warm! Pebble happily gathered rocks that she proceeded to try to put into my pockets. There were benches along our way to stop and take breaks. We even spotted a sign with a quote from Thoreau!
We followed the yellow trail until we reached a t-intersection and turned right onto the blue trail. Both hubby and I were impressed with the trail markings today! In addition to colored blazes, all trail junctions were marked. No two were alike, but they were easy to follow!
From the blue trail, we made a left onto the white trail and started hiking down to the river. FYI, many of the trails here are open to horseback riding. You definitely want to keep an eye out for manure!
The white trail led us down to the Little Gunpowder Falls River. We had hoped the trail would closely follow the river allowing for plenty of rock throwing, but discovered that wasn’t the case. The trail started close to the river then climbed up and away. This up and down continued for most of the time we followed the white trail. Both Stormy and Rainbow were complaining about not seeing the river more, although peanut m&ms helped quiet them. Note to self, if I pack gorp (good old raisins and peanuts) again, bring extra m&ms and stash them in a pack! Pebble and Rainbow ate the majority of our stock!
At lunchtime, we got lucky and found a small side trail that took us down to the riverbank to picnic.
Despite the lack of river proximity, the trail was beautiful! We saw lots of lush ferns and crossed small boardwalks and bridges over tiny streams. Be forewarned, though, in some places it is only one person wide, so social distancing wasn’t easy. Fortunately, we didn’t see too many people.
The white trail eventually went downhill and paralleled the river for a bit. We stopped on a rocky sandbar to take break and let the kids throw rocks. Pebble was the first one with her shoes off and wading, followed closely by her sisters. All three had been told no swimming, but slippery river rocks plus accidentally on purpose falls meant we had three sopping wet kiddos very quickly!
After we got shoes and socks back on, we beat a hasty retreat for the car. We turned right onto the blue trail and then hopped onto the Barley Pond Loop Trail (yellow). The kids all needed dry clothes, but no one complained. They were fascinated with the fish we spotted in Barley Pond. My sunglasses made spotting the fish easier so both Rainbow and Stormy took turns using them.
In addition to the fish, we saw several frogs and one deer on our hike. Pebble loved being in her carrier and pointing out the birds she spotted! “Tweet, tweet” she’d say!
It was an uphill climb from Barley Pond to the next trail juncture where we made a right. The parking lot was reached via a dirt farm road through open corn fields. All in all, a great hike! We did roughly 4 miles. The amount of trails and how they crisscross each other means you can customize your hike a fair amount. I definitely recommend this place and we will be back! Oh, I should mention at this time that there was a fair amount of mud and at least one stream crossing that had to be rock hopped. Wear old shoes if you come or shoes that can be washed! Have fun and happy trails!
Gunpowder Falls State Park Sweet Air Area
