Gywnns Falls Trail is a series of hiking and bicycling trails inside
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
,
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 ...
, named for the
Gwynns Falls
Gwynns Falls is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011. stream located in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County and Baltimore, Baltimore City, Maryland. It ...
, whose course it follows, and the surrounding
Gwynns Falls Leakin Park
Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park is the largest woodland park in an East Coast city, constituting a contiguous area of . Envisioned as a "stream valley park" to protect Baltimore's watersheds like the Gwynns Falls from overdevelopment and to preserve t ...
it passes through. The trail uses unique alignments, sidepaths on existing streets, and on-street sections. The trail consists of one mainline, plus a number of branches, including the Middle Branch Trail, the Hutton Trail, and the Dickeyville Trail. All of these trails carry signage designating them as the Gwynns Falls Trail; their individual names are designated on the mile markers designating their route. The entirety of the Middle Branch Trail, as well as the section of the mainline trail east of the Middle Branch Trail's northern terminus, are part of the
East Coast Greenway
The East Coast Greenway is a pedestrian and bicycle route between Maine and Florida along the East Coast of the United States. In 2020, the Greenway received over 50 million visits.
The nonprofit East Coast Greenway Alliance was created in 1991. ...
.
Established in 1998, Gwynns Falls Trail currently operates as a public-private partnership: it is owned and managed by the City of Baltimore, while the Parks & People Foundation coordinates community involvement, volunteer activities and events along the trail.
Route description
Mainline
The Gwynns Falls Trail mainline (abbreviated "GF") runs from Baltimore's
Inner Harbor
The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and landmark of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. It was described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as "the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world". The ...
to the Park and Ride facility at the end of
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 in ...
(which had been planned to cut through the park and end at
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 ...
, with a spur route,
Interstate 170
Interstate 170 (I-170), also known as the Inner Belt Expressway, is an north–south Interstate Highway in Greater St. Louis, Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area ...
, branching off to the east and leading to downtown through the residential areas of West Baltimore; however, vehement community and environmental opposition helped put an end to these plans), located at the park boundary at the
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
/
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
border. The zero mile of the Gwynns Falls Trail mainline is along a sidepath to the east of
Light Street
Maryland Route 2 (MD 2) is the longest state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs from Solomons Island in Calvert County north to an intersection with U.S. Route 1 (US 1)/ US 40 Truck ( North Avenue) in Baltimore. The route ...
, at the Conway Street intersection. Here, the Gwynns Falls Trail encounters the
Jones Falls Trail
Jones Falls Trail (typically abbreviated JFT) is a hiking and bicycling trail in Baltimore, Maryland. It mostly runs along the length of the namesake Jones Falls, a major north–south stream in and north of the city that has long acted as a m ...
, which travels north on Light Street on the sidepath to eventually enter the
Jones Falls
The Jones Falls is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 stream in Maryland. It is impounded to create Lake Roland before running through the city of Baltim ...
valley. At this point, the Gwynns Falls Trail is a part of the East Coast Greenway, as is the Jones Falls Trail, which continues north.
The Gwynns Falls Trail travels south one mile to the Lee Street intersection, where it splits for its two directions due to the presence of one-way streets. The westbound trail leaves the sidepath and goes east onto Lee Street, then turns south onto Sharp Street to recombine with its opposing direction at the Henrietta Street intersection. The eastbound trail travels east along Henrietta Street, turning south onto Light Street, then immediately east again onto Warren Street. It then turns north on William Street and crosses Key Highway to take the aforementioned sidepath.
Once recombined at the Sharp-Henrietta intersection, the Gwynns Falls Trail passes south through Solo Gibbs Park on a unique path until it meets another alignment of Sharp Street. It continues until the street turns west and becomes Stockholm Street. When the street ends, it encounters the northern terminus of the
Middle Branch Trail, which turns south onto Warren Street. The East Coast Greenway also exits from the Gwynns Falls mainline here. The trail's mainline, however, turns north onto Warren Street, utilizing bicycle lanes and immediately crossing the tracks of the
Baltimore Terminal Subdivision
The Baltimore Terminal Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of Maryland. The line runs from Baltimore to Halethorpe along the original Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) line, one of the old ...
at-grade. It and the bike lanes turn west onto Ostend Street, passing by
M&T Bank Stadium
M&T Bank Stadium is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium is immediately adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the home of the ...
, home stadium of the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
, and crossing underneath
Russell Street. The trail's route then turns south onto Ridgely Street, once again crossing the Baltimore Terminal Subdivision at-grade before encountering a one-way pair of Bayard Street (westbound) and Bush Street (eastbound), which have bicycle lanes. These streets cross the Baltimore Terminal Subddivision one last time. After utilizing these two streets, the Trail crosses Washington Boulevard and enters Carroll Park, where the route turns south to follow the street. As it exits the park, a dedicated sidepath follows the boulevard as it approaches
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 ...
.
Just before I-95, the trail turns westward into Carroll Park Golf Course, and finally enters the heavily wooded Gwynns Falls stream valley, running close to the stream. The route tunnels through the
Carrollton Viaduct
The Carrollton Viaduct, located over the Gwynns Falls stream near Carroll Park in southwest Baltimore, Maryland, is the first stone masonry bridge for railroad use in the United States, built for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, founded 1827, an ...
, the oldest stone masonry bridge built in the United States for railroad usage and currently carries the
Mount Clare Branch, and immediately rises onto a bridge over the
Hanover Subdivision
The Hanover Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of Maryland and Pennsylvania. The line runs from Baltimore, Maryland, west to Hagerstown, Maryland, along several former Western Maryland Rail ...
. It then climbs up to
Wilkens Avenue
Maryland Route 372 (MD 372) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Wilkens Avenue, the state highway runs from MD 166 in Catonsville east to U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Baltimore. MD 372 connects Baltimore and Interstate 695 (I-6 ...
, utilizing its sidewalk to move west across the Gwynns Falls to a crosswalk. The route then travels north, meeting
Frederick Avenue and travelling east across its bridge over the Gwynns Falls and Hanover Subdivision once again, using either the bike lanes or the sidewalk. Just past the bridge, it continues north on its own alignment once more, which, after entering the wooded area, widens significantly as it utilizes a section of Ellicott Driveway, a street built in 1917 and since closed to motor vehicles. The Trail crosses Baltimore Street to utilize a path beside it, passing underneath the large arch bridge carrying the
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, a ...
, before the trail exits onto its own alignment once more, continuing to utilize Ellicott Driveway.
The Trail continues northward along the east side of Gwynns Falls, passing west of Western Cemetery and with the Hanover Subdivision running just west of the stream, before it passes underneath the massive arch bridge carrying
Edmondson Avenue
U.S. Route 40 (US 40) in the U.S. state of Maryland runs from Garrett County in Western Maryland to Cecil County in the state's northeastern corner. With a total length of , it is the longest numbered highway in Maryland. Almost half of the roa ...
across the Gwynns Falls. Beyond this, the trail turns sharply west, leaving the Ellicott Driveway alignment, which continues north from here and open to motor vehicles. The Trail bridges a bend in the stream with the Hanover Subdivision passing directly above, and enters Leon Day Park from the south. The Trail utilizes a loop that completely encircles the park and exits to the north, running parallel to Franklintown Road and passing underneath
Hilton Parkway
Wabash Avenue is a six-lane boulevard in northwest Baltimore, Maryland, that runs from Patterson Avenue to Hilton Street, mostly through the Arlington community, crossing over Northern Parkway and Cold Spring Lane along the way. The road starts ...
. It then crosses Morris Road; the Trail turns to follow the path here, climbing up a very steep grade and its surface changing to crushed gravel. The gravel surface continues for roughly , first following high above Franklintown Road but then curving to the north with the Gwynns Falls, until it returns to asphalt at Windsor Mill Road. Roughly halfway down the gravel section, the trail meets two long, unsigned trail entrances, both of which are paved in asphalt as they utilize sections of Chesholm Road and Holly Avenue closed to motor vehicles.
The Trail uses a segregated path on the Windsor Mill Road bridge, after which the
Dickeyville Trail branches off to the north. The Gwynns Falls Trail mainline turns south, however, utilizing a section of Wetheredsville Road closed to motor vehicles. Along this stretch, the
Hutton Trail Hutton may refer to:
Places
;Antarctica
* Hutton Cliffs, Ross Island
* Hutton Mountains
;Australia
* Hutton Sandstone Formation
;Canada
* Hutton, Alberta, a locality
* Hutton, British Columbia, a railway point
* Hutton railway station, Britis ...
branch leaves to the west. Just before approaching Franklintown Road again, the Trail narrows and travels west, leaving the Gwynns Falls valley and now running parallel to the Dead Run. The trail runs toward the Leakin Park parking lot, with two branches around the lot. Once across a bridge, the trail continues westward, close to Franklintown Road, utilizing two switchbacks to climb the steep grades. Along this stretch, another unnamed trail branch leaves to the south, a sidepath running alongside Winans Way. At William Street, the trail moves onto Franklintown Avenue, which utilizes traffic calming measures such as speed bumps as it passes between several homes. At Dogwood Road, the trail enters its own alignment south of Franklintown Road for the last time, and has a long curve alongside a ramp exiting Security Boulevard,
Security Boulevard
Maryland Route 122 (MD 122) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Security Boulevard and Cooks Lane, the state highway runs from Rolling Road east to the Baltimore city limit within the western Baltimore County suburb of W ...
itself, and a ramp exiting what was once Interstate 70. The Trail comes to its eastern end at the I-70 Park and Ride, which until 2014 was the national eastern terminus of Interstate 70 and sits atop the city-county line.
Hutton Trail
The Hutton Trail utilizes a stretch of Hutton Avenue closed to motor vehicles. It begins along the stretch of the Gwynns Falls Trail utilizing Wetherdsville Road. The trail's route follows a steep grade out of the Gywnns Falls valley for roughly before terminating at the section of Hutton Avenue open to motor vehicles, at Carrie Murray Nature Center, connecting it to Windsor Mill Road. The Hutton Trail section is not identified by pavement markers, but has its own mileposts stating its name.
Middle Branch Trail
The Middle Branch Trail (abbreviated "MB") is mostly a dedicated bike path that runs from its northern terminus at its intersection with the Gwynns Falls Trail mainline to a parking lot at
Harbor Hospital, located on
Hanover Street. The entire route is part of the East Coast Greenway.
The Middle Branch Trail begins on Warner Street, travelling south one block. Before Alluvion Street, it turns west onto a unique bike path running against the Middle Branch of the
Patapsco River
The Patapsco River mainstem is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal port ...
and behind the Greyhound bus terminal. The path crosses two bridges along its route. It comes back to meet the northern terminus of the
Baltimore–Washington Parkway
The Baltimore–Washington Parkway (also referred to as the B–W Parkway) is a highway in the U.S. state of Maryland, running southwest from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. The road begins at an interchange with U.S. Route 50 (US 50 ...
's freeway section, splitting from it immediately and running to the east of
Annapolis Road. The bike path then turns onto Clare Street, crossing the
Baltimore Light Rail
Baltimore Light RailLink (formerly Baltimore Light Rail, and also known simply as the "Light Rail") is a light rail system serving Baltimore, Maryland, United States, as well as its surrounding suburbs. It is operated by the Maryland Transit A ...
tracks, then turning south onto Kloman Street and Wenburn Street, which run parallel to the Light Rail tracks and its
Westport station. Along these two streets, the
South Baltimore Industrial Track crosses at an oblique angle, along with several other abandoned railroads.
At Waterview Avenue, the trail re-enters its own bike path just before the intersection, running parallel to and north of it, and crossing the South Baltimore Industrial Track once again. The trail passes through
Middle Branch Park, running alongside the Patapsco River. In doing so, it passes underneath the
Hanover Street Bridge
The Hanover Street Bridge – officially, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge – is a bascule bridge crossing the middle branch of the Patapsco River along Hanover Street (Maryland Route 2) in Baltimore, Maryland.
The bridge was built to repla ...
. The trail is lined by a number of fishing piers and bird-watching stands. The Trail ends by curving around Harbor Hospital's parking lot, terminating once it enters the lot. The East Coast Greenway continues into the parking lot up to the Reedbird Avenue intersection, where it turns south to use the Maryland Route 2 bridges, extending down the
Bellegrove Sidepath to the
BWI Trail
Airport Loop is the designation for the portions of state highways that form a circumferential highway around Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI Airport) in Anne Arundel County in the U.S. state of Maryland. The lo ...
and the
Baltimore and Annapolis Trail
The Baltimore & Annapolis Trail is a rail trail in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The trail starts at Boulter's Way in Arnold and ends near Baltimore Light Rail's Cromwell Station in Glen Burnie. Starting near Annapolis at Jonas Green Park, th ...
.
An extra extension of the Middle Branch Trail continues south underneath the bridges of Hanover Street and Potee Street over the Patapsco River, terminating at a loop around a playground. The crossing underneath the two bridges has extremely low clearance and possesses a sign requiring bicyclists to dismount.
Dickeyville Trail
The Dickeyville Trail (abbreviated "DV") utilizes a section of Wetherdsville Road closed to motor vehicles, continuing across Windsor Mill Road from the stretch that the Gwynns Falls Trail uses. It continues north about to the section of Wetherdsville Road open to motor vehicles at the park boundary.
Future
Several expansions of the Gwynns Falls Trail are planned near the downtown area. The on-street section between Carroll Park and the Middle Branch is to be bypassed with a designated path that follows the Gwynns Falls. This also includes a proposal to rehabilitate the abandoned bridge over the Middle Branch itself into a bike-ped bridge which connects Westport with Federal Hill. Additionally, the Middle Branch Trail system is planned to be extended southward through the undeveloped land parallel to the Baltimore Light Rail, toward Anne Arundel County.
As part of the
Baltimore Red Line project, the stub of Interstate 70 that exists inside the Beltway was planned to be removed; bicycling advocates in Baltimore City proposed retaining the bridge structure over Security Boulevard or its abutments for a safer crossing and a Gwynns Falls Trail extension. However, the Red Line project was cancelled in early 2015; Interstate 70 was truncated to the Beltway in 2014, leaving the stub end unnumbered.
References
{{coord, 39, 16, 48, N, 76, 39, 40.5, W, region:US-MD_type:landmark, display=title
Geography of Baltimore
Bike paths in Maryland
East Coast Greenway
Hiking trails in Maryland