Explore the best rated trails in Germantown, MD. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Metropolitan Branch Trail and Meadowlark Connector Trail. With more than 116 trails covering 4597 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Nice trail with a variety of parks and rivers and bridges and lakes. Visiting the Aquatic Park and Gardens was a real treat. It's right off the trail. Weekends can be a bit crowded and the trail is narrow but it a must do. Markers guide you along the way, there's lots of separate intersecting trails.
For scenic views and a step back in time this trail is a must. It's muddy, especially right after rain. We avoid our e-bike on this trail due to the mud, but it's mainly flat. Paw paw tunnel is a must see, but it's nothing out there along the way. Harpers Ferry is gorgeous and historic. Bring your Bug Guard you'll need it. And your swim tube.
Too many tree roots making the trail very bumpy. My wheels are not true anymore...
Rode this entire trail from Hunt Valley to New Freedom PA a day after it rained hard all day. The rain held off and the trail drained nicely. The surface was not bad until about 5 miles before the PA border got narrow and a bit rough, thus the four star rating. And its a huge difference once you cross the border in PA to the Heritage trail as the surface is nicer and wider. We stayed in Hunt Valley at the Holiday Inn Express and it was only a 1/4 mile from the trail. Don't recommend that you ride to it as the road was very busy and narrow and no shoulder
Surprised to see this amazing trail that has great bed and breakfasts along it is not noted as part of the Great American Rail Trail. It sure would help demonstrate more GART completion if it was.
Not from around here so using the directions given just took me to a car park that’s not actually attached to the trail
Easily found parking at Green Meadows Park on a weekday, and went 'back' a mile or so to the south in order to start the trail at the very beginning. The overall trail is in very good shape, the only issues occurring when I ran into road or trail construction - not a trail issue (and eventually a trail benefit, I'd guess). While the entire trail is very nice (and not quite 10 miles, by my GPS) the southern end, where I started, is not as pleasant as the northern end - there's a few busy roads to cross that take away from the feeling of nature. (One peculiarity - when crossing Riggs Road at the pedestrian crosswalk, that has a 'push button to turn on flashing lights' button, you are unable to see the lights yourself - makes the whole 'safety' thing a bit dodgy as you're not sure when the cars are stopping for you. I used the crosswalk at the nearby cross street on my return). My only suggestion regarding the trail would be to put a few more trail signs - as a first-timer I felt the need to double check that I was still on the trail, using my bike GPS, quite a few times.
I recently moved to the area and needed to find a trail nearby. So happy I found Henson Creek.
I enjoyed being able to get used to my Catrike Villager on a paved trail, close to a town yet still adjacent to farm fields and Antietam Creek. I was able to practice shifting gears on various uphills and downhills. I will definitely visit this again!
This trail is mostly paved and runs through varied terrain. It travels along a creek, through the woods, near an old repurposed prison, and several neighborhoods. I started at the Southern terminus. Time only allowed me to ride the southern 10 miles (10 out and 10 back). Although paved, I’d recommend a hybrid, gravel, mountain or comfort bike of you are biking it. There are rooted areas and some creek crossings with cement stepping areas to get across. There were very few on the trail on the Wednesday afternoon that I wenrX There are some tricky forks in the path. Make sure you have a map or app accessible.
This trail is mostly paved with some boardwalks. It travels mostly along the Potomac River. It is well marked except for a few spots where it joins the road in Alexandria. There are several spots to park along the trail and several parks along the trail. You can ride any type of bike on this trail , but due to some bumps and routes, I think a road bike would be uncomfortable. Walking or running in the trail should be very easy.
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