I road this trail from Savage Park to Lake Elkhorn yesterday and it was a great ride. Beautiful landscape and very peaceful with enough hills and dales to make it both challenging uphill and provide fast coasting downhill. I discovered that at the far end of the lake, the trail continues to Oakland Mills Road and if you turn right, there is another trail that takes a tunnel under the road and continues at least until Route 175 and possibly as far as Route 108. Does anybody know anything further about this extended trail - conditions, length, history, etc? Are there maps available?

steve
ssiesser@verizon.net

I rode it this morning expecting the worse and was pleasantly surprised that the trail is complete and smooth. I rode it reverse from lake elhorne to savage and will do it again tomorrow for a great 10 mile trek back and forth.

The Patuxent Branch Trail is currently closed because of sewer construction and is not scheduled to reopen until the Summer of 2011. As others have noted, you can slog through some sections but it's not worth it.

Starting at Lake Elkhorn,the trail heads south.The first section is easy, mostly flat and smooth.After you pass under 95,It becomes more of a muddy construction site(it also stinks).This is where being a little crazy helps.If you are willing to get dirty,continue past the sign that says trail closed.Travel through the construction,be sure to take a right across the old truss bridge, and continue to Volmerhaussen Road.If you go up the the hill to Wincoppin Park, you can ride on some rugged trails for a semi mountain bike experience.I did the red trail,then headed back to the lake.By adding a circuit around it ,the whole thing came out to be about 11 miles,a perfect Sunday ride.

This trail is presently under construction. There is a stretch right in the middle that is practically unpassable. I say "practically" because I forged ahead and passed through the construction area. It's not the construction equipment that gets in the way, it's the huge stretches of mud. This is the kind of mud that will take your sneakers right off.
I recommend either starting at Elkhorn Lake and turning around when you reach the old railroad bridge, or start at Savage Park but instead of crossing Vollmerhausen Rd, keep going up the hill and hike some of the Wincopin Trails.
Since they parked big heavy machinery across the trail, they probably don't want people hiking it. I wish they had been a little more informative at the trailhead at Savage Park. I had my wife drop me off at Savage Park so, when I reached the construction, I was out of luck. I couldn't go back as I had no ride, so I kept on going. If there had been a more detailed warning at the trailhead, I wouldn't have attempted it. As it was, the warning sign was very vague and did not indicate clearly(at least to me) that the trail was unpassable.
I can't wait for them to finish the construction, though. The sections where I wasn't worried about being sucked down into the mud were quite beautiful.

I have ridden this trail many times, since I can bike from my front door via Columbia pathways and pick up the trail at Lake Elkhorn. Only a portion of the trail could have followed the original railbed; most of it is too twisty, with many sudden, short but sometimes steep hills. The trail is rather narrow with lots of overgrowth along its edges and has many blind curves, so bikers need to be alert for walkers, runners, dog walkers and baby strollers and well as other bikers. The stretch from Vollmerhausen Road to Savage Park is indeed a roller coaster; a much better route would have been to continue down the riverbank to link up with the Savage Mill Trail instead of taking the sidewalk up Vollmerhausen and then making a very sharp right onto the next section of trail, but there is a private inholding blocking the way. It also would have been better for bicycling if the section from the railroad bridge to Vollmerhausen had been paved instead of gravel and mud, but someone at Howard County Recreation and Parks told me it was left unpaved to please equestrians (none of whom I've ever seen use the trail).

Despite these shortcomings, the Patuxent Branch Trail offers a peaceful ride throught the woods and along the Little Patuxent River (actually a creek) in the midst of suburbia. I've seen lots of deer and other wildlife, including a black rat snake and, most recently, black squirrels. It's just not a good bicycling trail for children, inexperienced bicyclists, those doing speed trials, or those without low gears.

Ron Meservey

"We were delighted to explore this woodland trail along the Patuxent River. No fewer than 10 wooden bridges and boardwalks support your journey through beautiful native forest land.

It is easy to imagine earlier generations loving the abundance and tranquility of this river valley as the world rushes above you at speeds in excess of posted limits!

If you need a flat, paved trail, this is not the path you want. Beginning at Lake Elkhorn, the trail is paved but hilly as it winds over streams and wetlands, through the woods, and under major highways. When you reach the portion that is a rail bed the path is no longer paved. Nearing Savage Park the trail is again paved but impossibly hilly for young children on bikes or scooters. We passed a few in tears. Better to make a hike of this trail if you are taking it with little ones."