in Poolesville, having it trucked out to the new park site to build stone walls to define parking lots.
This article can barely scratch the surface of the richness of the County Parks trails. Fortunately, the County Parks website offers detailed maps and descriptions of its entire system.
State Park Trails Add to the Bounty
Maryland’ s Department of Natural Resources manages the State Parks, with over 60 parks, forests, or wildlife management areas throughout the state. Montgomery County is home to two state parks: Patuxent River State Park and Seneca Creek State Park. The parks and trails are managed by Shea Niemann, Maryland Park Service( MPS) Park Manager, and Dan Hudson, MPS Trail Manager. In 2013 Hudson was the first professional trail planner for MPS, and works closely with County Parks staff and volunteer groups. Hudson points out“ It’ s unheard of to live in such a densely populated metro area and have multiple ways to hit the trails and go for miles. You can come home from a high-pressure workday and quickly escape the stress and connect with nature.”
Patuxent River State Park, on the eastern side of the County spans 6700 acres and provides nine miles of trails with multiple access points. This part of the County is hilly, and twelve marked trails rise and fall with the terrain. In addition, there are almost 50 miles of unmarked“ social trails,” holdovers from logging roads or trails connecting one farm field to another through wooded areas. MPS plans
to either bring these trails up to the Potomac River. This extensive safety and sustainability standards, trail network passes multiple selfguided interpretive historic sites, or gradually retire them, especially those in flood plains. Niemann wetlands, and wildlife areas. says,“… our mission at Maryland
Niemann and Hudson believe
Park Service is to steward and protect State land, so it’ s important to is critical. They are optimistic that
that partnership with County Parks
tread lightly on the land. We try to residents will eventually be able to keep trails narrow, well graded, and travel from Patuxent State Park on natural surface wherever possible.” the eastern boundary, to Seneca
On the opposite side of the Creek State Park on the western County, Seneca Creek State Park side by connecting through County provides 6300 acres and 50 miles of Parks, greenways, and a few easements on private property. With trails, winding around the 90-acre Clopper Lake, and following along the help of many volunteers, and Seneca Creek as it makes its way to the four State Park Rangers who
Trails at Patuxent River State Park rise and fall through beautiful, hilly woods.
34 plenty I autumn harvest 2025