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This is one of the most beautiful bike trails I have ridden. We rode this trail on a Monday. It was recently paved and runs for 24 miles before connecting with the C&O Canal Tow Path. Many times, we would ride for 4-6 miles before passing another biker. About 90% of the trail is shaded and very flat. We parked at the eastern end in Big Pool less than ½ mile off interstate 70. There are primitive restrooms at this location. Additional porta pots are around the 9 and 20-mile markers plus restaurants and gas stations in the town of Hancock. There is a bike shop in Hancock just off the trail and I was told by another biker they rent ebikes. Even though this trail is over 100 minutes from my home I plan to ride it 1-2 times a year.
I have been looking to ride this trail for a long time. My wife and I live about 40 miles west and come over to ride the nearby B&A several times a year. This trail, however, rarely gets reviewed and gets some negative comments, usually about road or bridge closures. I recently noticed several postings saying the trail was open, so we decided to try it, starting in Odenton and riding to Bowie.
Welp, it is nice and we will put it into our rotation, but there are several issues with it and the reviews are somewhat misleading.
First, parking. There isn't any parking at either terminus. Nothing in Odenton and while there is a shopping center at the Bowie end, it's across a major highway (Rt 450). We didn't need to cross since we parked in Odenton, so I can't comment on how easy/hard the Bowie situation is.
We wound up parking at the GORC (Gambrils-Odenton Recreation Center), as directed in the TrailLink app. Before we got there, we saw the northern most trailhead on Piney Orchard Pkwy. The trail runs along it for about 0.75 miles and then disappears. So, we continued on to the GORC and parked looking for signs directing you to the Trail or Trail Parking. We figured that the Trail must run through the Park. So, we looked for cars with bike racks indicating we were in the right place. Nada. So does it follow the road through the park or is it the path running along the road in front of the Park (Strawberry Lake Way) like it does along Piney Orchard? Who knows? We then saw somebody riding on the path in front of the park, so we decided to take that, thinking that was the Trail.
Well . . . that path was a shared multi-use path descending about 0.6 miles to the Trail. It was a difficult ride since the downward slope was about 3-6% and there were people walking their dogs, pushing strollers, meandering with their toddlers and intersections with subdivisions. Trying to keep the bike under control on a 5% downhill to avoid all of that was not easy and a little nerve-wracking. We should have ridden on the road, but we actually thought that was the bike path.
Once we got to the path, we weren't sure which way was Bowie and which was Odenton. My wife and I disagreed so we took her suggestion. :) She was correct, you take the left and soon come to a 2.5 milepost. We did not know if that was marking the distance from the Odenton Trail Head, or the River but we soon came to a 3.0 mile marker and decided we must be going toward the River.
Terrain. Many posts mention that it is a mostly flat trail. It isn't. I would estimate that less than 4.5 of the 13 miles is flat (<0.5% slope). The "flat" parts generally run from 0.5-2.0 slope. Nothing really hard, but my Strava app congratulated me for my longest uphill climb of 0.73 miles at 1.4%. It also contains a relatively steep section just north of the River in Anne Arundel County that seems to vary between 3-5%. Again, Strava congratulated me on my biggest climb of the year, 127 feet in about 0.6 miles. I should note that when we stopped on the flat portion next to the bridge before the uphill, a group of six riders -- relatively fit and in their 30s -- passed us and the leader said to the group, "Here we go!" So, this is a significant climb. But I never needed my granny gear, and we did it at around 10.4 mph.
Trail Markers. As I said there were some trail markers but in general the trail is poorly marked in many places. On the Odenton side, the trail is marked every 0.5 miles until it isn't -- at the 4.0 mile marker (maybe 3.5). That isn't too disconcerting except that sometimes the trail shares road with cars (there are signs) or intersects with side paths and it isn't always easy (especially at speed) to be sure you are going on the correct one. There is also mention that you need to take a spur to get to the bridge, but we never saw it and realized that the "spur" seems to be nothing more than the trail on the PG County side of the bridge, through a parking lot. You then veer right and up a small incline to continue on the trail.
The trail is nice, and I plan to do it again. Oh yeah, we recommend the Hideaway for after ride refreshment.
This trail in not great for cycling. It is not well maintained, lots of ruts from tree roots breaking through the asphalt. Also, many dog owners let their dog off leash (violating the Montgomery County leash law), and do not have a view or control of their dog. It is very hazardous to cyclists, so use caution.
We rode this mostly shaded trail on a very hot day. Excellent ride with places to stop for additional water if needed. The terrain was not too hilly but there were several places where the trail intersects with traffic. Most drivers seemed used to the crossings and were very kind and courteous. Overall a great day out.
A friend of mine and I cycled from Rock Creek to this trail today. It was really nice and a big surprise to me considering I grew up nearby but moved out of the area 25 years ago. It’s a little hilly and the boardwalks are super slick if it’s rained, but they’re awfully pretty.
This is one of my favorite trails in the area, it's safe and many of the walkers are friendly.
We were just passing through the area and wanted to do a quick bike ride. Began at the Big Pool trailhead (MM0). Cycled about 8.5 miles before turning around. This section of the trail was nicely paved and shaded. As others mentioned, the one drawback was at about MM2, the trail parallels the freeway and it is quite noisy. However, we were aware of this when we started. If I was passing through the area again, I would try another section of the trail.
The trail is a nice trail through the woods and connects to Rock Creek park.As others have mentioned, many people let their dog off leash and get annoyed when asked to leash their dogs. The trail is not good for cyclists as it is very rutted with many tree roots and easily flooded after heavy rains. The trail also has a very steep hill for most of it’s length.
Discovered this comfortable place with great accommodations for two bike travelers. They offer a pullout sofa if you do not wish to share a bed. Indoor bike storage with a comfy bed and a hot shower! Distillery right next-door and two restaurants to fuel up in the morning to get back on the trail. Close to the panhandle of West Virginia. Their name is Harmony Trail Haven on Airbnb.
Please update the Hanover Trolley Trail map. The new section is just beautiful!
We went on a Sunday at the end of May. The weather was perfect and the trail was impeccable. We didn’t go the entire way- we went 15 miles up and then turned around so we didn’t see the tunnel. The honeysuckle was in bloom and the entire trail smelled heavenly. We stopped for lunch at Buddy Lou’s - it’s right on the trail and we highly recommend it. We sat outside on the balcony for lunch and could watch the other cyclists and runners on the trail while we ate in the sunshine. The trail is pretty shaded in many spots so even in warm weather you’d have a comfortable ride. I was surprised, considering the perfect weather and what a great trail it is that it wasn’t busier. This is 10 out of 10 for a great trail experience.
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