Yesterday, we decided to explore the Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum down in St. Leonard. Our plan was to picnic and hike. At this time, the Visitor Center is closed to the public as are all the facilities here. There are porta potties in several areas of the park, but FYI, they don’t lock.
We ate our lunch on blankets near the car in the shade, then lathered on the sunscreen and set out. It was hotter than we thought it would be and there was not much shade to be had. The first trail we picked was called the Riverside Trail. It is a short one mile loop that circles the King’s Reach Site. The King’s Reach Site is the location of an archeological dig. Excavations have revealed that there were once two wooden structures here that were built around 1690. This was likely the second plantation house of the Smith Family.
There is a large deck built over the excavation pits. On this deck were varying circles that delineated where the pits were dug and talks about what was found. There is a large information board that tells visitors about the family that lived here. Stormy was fascinated with the whole concept of archeology and she had fun reading what historical finds were made.
We continued on the loop, stopping briefly at a canoe launch to admire the view. Many of the people that had passed us while we were at the King’s Reach Site had stopped at the beach to play in the water. It looked to be a popular spot and Stormy and Rainbow begged to stay and play. We continued on, though, taking the boardwalk across the marsh to the Village Trail.
The Village Trail is another short mile long loop. On this trail is a recreated Native American village where we learned about the people who once inhabited this area.
All three girls were amazed with these recreated homes and kept darting in and out of them. Stormy asked questions nonstop. There was even a massive old canoe the girls could clamber in and out of.
After we finished exploring the village, we took a third, and final, trail called the Point Trail. Sadly, we weren’t impressed. There wasn’t a lot of shade and we’d hoped for more views of the Patuxent River, but there were barely any. The trail briefly crossed a small beach at the beginning of this hike. Unfortunately, there were two boats pulled up here and way too many people! In fact, most of those people did not move out of our way, no social distancing! We finished this loop, passing another excavation site, and headed for the car. Everyone was too hot and tired to explore more.
Both hubby and I agree that this place is neat in regard to its historical background, We definitely plan to bring the girls back after everything opens up again to explore the museum and take a public tour of the facilities. Many of the people we saw yesterday were there to picnic, bike, and spend time at the beach, but not hike. While there are trails, the focus of this place is on its history and water access. Happy trails!
