Hi everyone! It has been a while since I blogged. The start of school and extracurricular activities totally threw me off my game! Time to play catch-up….
In my last blog, I talked about taking the kiddos to Patapsco two weeks in a row. Actually, we managed to squeeze in 3 trips to Patapsco in the 3 weeks before school started! For our third trip, we changed things up and headed to the Hilton Area rather than Avalon. Why Hilton? Two words, tire playground! Like Avalon, we had to pay $2 to enter the park, and it was on the honor system so bring cash. Parking was plentiful as we arrived early in the day, around 10:00 a.m. The playground is right near the lot, and there are also bathrooms close at hand with running water.
Just as a FYI, the playground is on a hill, so you are either walking uphill or down…. At the base of the hill is a traditional playground structure with slides, climbing areas, and a nature hunt. My girls loved scouring the structure for the items on the hunt. I was just confused why an elephant and a monkey were featured on a scavenger hunt in Maryland. Wouldn’t a deer or squirrel work better?
Just above the traditional playground the tire playground begins. The biggest hit with my girls was the tire swing. I don’t think they ever wanted to get off! Pebble just wanted to be spun in circles. I was dizzy watching her.
In addition to the tire swing, there were tires lined up so kids could jump from one to the other. There was also a train that kids could climb on and through, and tires arranged in a circle stacked upward to create small forts. It didn’t take long before all three girls were black from the knees down due to the tires! At the top of the hill is an old wooden play structure with ladders to climb, a shaky bridge, and the widest slide I have ever seen!
My girls had a blast running up and down the hill, trying everything out! We even ventured across the road to the Nature Center, which was closed, and the Center’s Nature Playground. Pebble loved the big wooden blocks they had, and kept designing cities. Stormy and Rainbow each found worms, and the worms featured heavily in their pretend kitchen / puppet theater. FYI, there is a short sensory trail here too, with a guide rope. Stormy tried to follow the rope with her eyes closed. It wasn’t as easy as she thought!
When we finished the sensory trail, tummies were rumbling. We picked a shaded picnic table to have our lunch at. The playground was much busier by this point, so we decided to go hiking after we ate, instead of returning to the playground. Trying to watch three kiddos in a crowd, while all three went different directions on a large playground is not my cup of tea!
We started our hike on the Forest Glen Trail, and followed the blue trail downhill. It got progressively rockier, so we had to pick our way carefully. At the intersection with the Pigs Run Trail, we turned left and continued downward. The trail actually ends at the tunnel where the kids played last time we were at Patapsco. We didn’t enter the tunnel, but instead forded the stream, and climbed up a steep hillside to access the Saw Mill Trail.
It was shortly after we started the climb up to the trail that Stormy gave me a scare. There was a log down and over the Saw Mill Branch, and she made a beeline for it! I was amazed at how well she balanced herself, although I think I was holding my breath until she was back on solid ground again!
Just as a FYI, this particular trail is narrow, only one person wide in spots. It also climbs up and down following the Saw Mill Branch. There were a few areas, I held tightly onto Pebble’s hand so she didn’t go skittering down and off the trail. With those thoughts in mind, I’m sure you are wondering why I chose this trail. Two reasons…. First, I knew my kids could handle the trail, and Pebble will ask for help when she needs it. Second, the trail paralleled the stream, and provided several areas for my kids to wade and play, perfect on a hot day.
After I pried my soaking wet kids from the waterfall and swimming pool, we followed the trail until it hit a t-intersection. We could continue to follow the Saw Mill Trail to the Buzzards Rock Trail, or we could rock hop the Saw Mill to continue on the Santee Trail. We, of course, turned right. The girls quickly started exploring the stream, and found a great pool to play in!
After crossing the stream, the trail climbed upward. The kids were all wet, and ready to be done. My plan was to follow the Santee back to the Hilton Area. Unfortunately, per usual, trail markers weren’t clear. When we hit the campground road, I decided to turn right and follow the road instead of the trail. It was easier on the kids, and, even better, Pebble spotted a herd of deer!
All in all, we spent 4-5 hours here! The girls had a blast, and they are looking forward to exploring this great park more next summer when school lets out. Pebble gamely hiked the entire trail with no complaints. It was a bit longer than I expected, but, again, trail markers in this state park are often dicey! If you have never been to Patapsco Valley State Park, I highly recommend it! Happy trails!