Gunpowder Falls State Park is a public recreation area comprising six non-contiguous areas covering in northeastern

Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Baltimore County (which partially surrounds, though does not include, the independent City of ...

and western

Harford County Harford County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 260,924. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County is included in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is al ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. The

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

is primarily made up of the stream valleys of the Big and Little Gunpowder Falls and the

Gunpowder River The Gunpowder River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tidal inlet on the western side of Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, United States. It is formed by the jo ...

; its natural features range from tidal marshes to rugged interior slopes. The park has over 120 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing plus facilities for picnicking, tubing, canoeing and kayaking, tide-water fishing and crabbing, fly fishing, and hunting, among other activities. It is managed by the

Maryland Department of Natural Resources The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is a government agency in the state of Maryland charged with maintaining natural resources including state parks, public lands, state forests, state waterways, wildlife, and recreation areas. It ...

History

The park was established in 1959 to protect the Gunpowder River and the Big and Little Gunpowder Falls, with purchases of the first properties that would make up the park occurring in 1960.

Park areas

Park areas are accessible at various exits off

Interstate 83 Interstate 83 (I-83) is an Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its southern terminus is at a signalized intersection with Fayette Street in Baltimore, Maryland; its northern terminus is at I-81 near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Mo ...

, Interstate 695, and

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...

. ;Hereford Area: The Hereford Area is a state-designated

wildland Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

s area located below the

Prettyboy Reservoir Prettyboy Reservoir is a reservoir in northern Baltimore County, Maryland, also known as the Hereford Zone. Even though the reservoir is in the county, the City of Baltimore owns the reservoir and the surrounding land of forested watershed. The ...

. Recreational opportunities include of hiking and horseback riding trails, kayaking and canoeing, trout fishing, and youth group camping. The Mill Pond Cottage provides accommodations. ;Sweet Air Area: The Sweet Air Area has of multi-use trails along the Little Gunpowder Falls on the border between Baltimore and Harford counties. ; Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail: The converted

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

extends north from Ashland (near

Cockeysville Cockeysville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 20,776 at the 2010 census. History Cockeysville was named after the Cockey family who helped establish the town. Thomas Cockey (1676� ...

) to the

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

state line. The Sparks Bank Nature Center is located along the trail in

Sparks, Maryland Sparks is an unincorporated community that is located in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is situated approximately north of Baltimore and is considered to be a suburb of the City of Baltimore. The Gunpowder River runs through Spark ...

, and has interpretive displays and family activities on summer weekends. ;Central Area: The Central Area borders the Big and Little Gunpowder Falls. It includes the historic

Jerusalem Mill Village Jerusalem Mill Village is a living history museum that spans the 18th through early 20th centuries. One of the oldest and most intact mill villages in the U.S. state of Maryland, Jerusalem is located in Harford County, along the Little Gunpowder ...

and the site of the 19th-century

Joppa Iron Works The Joppa Iron Works, also known as Patterson's Iron Works was founded around 1817 by Joseph and Edward Patterson of Baltimore, the brothers of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, the sister-in-law of Napoleon I of France. Built at the falls-line of ...

. Recreational features include multi-use trails, fishing, river paddling, and youth group camping. The former

Baltimore Area Council Scouting in Maryland has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving millions of youth with activities that have adapted to the changing cultural environment but have always been rooted in an active outdoor program. Early history (1 ...

scout camp Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, secti ...

, Camp Cone is now a campsite near the Sweathouse area of the central area. ;Hammerman Area: The Hammerman Area offers a swimming beach, picnicking areas, trails, fishing opportunities, and an archery range. ;Dundee Creek Marina: The Dundee Creek Marina is located near the mouth of the

. Marina services include fuel pumps, wet and dry slip leases, boat rentals, and store.

References

External links

Gunpowder Falls State Park
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Gunpowder Guide 2013
Maryland Park Service {{authority control State parks of Maryland Parks in Baltimore County, Maryland Parks in Harford County, Maryland Nature centers in Maryland