Find the top rated mountain biking trails in Olney, whether you're looking for an easy short mountain biking trail or a long mountain biking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a mountain biking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
_195617_st.jpg)
Just completed the C&O Canal Towpath in September 2026, riding west from DC to Cumberland. Overall, this was an awesome trip and I’ll definitely be recommending it to others. I thought I was pretty well prepared, but there were a few things I learned along the way. I lost the trail in Georgetown thanks to a combination of detours and GPS error, so keep an eye out when you’re leaving DC. If you’re taking Amtrak, also expect that your train could be delayed by up to an hour or more. I was running 40s at 35 PSI, and I’d say the trail felt reasonably smooth about 75% of the time. The rest ranged from chunky and rough to exactly what you’d expect from an old canal towpath. One thing I absolutely wish I had packed was something for stings. Near the end of the trip, I had something chasing me and managed to get stung right in the neck. Definitely not how I pictured finishing the ride. Also, if you’re planning on stopping in Harpers Ferry, check the current construction situation before counting on it as a stop. Of all the towns I passed through, Brunswick was probably my favorite. It was clean, nice, and felt like a great place to stop and reset for a bit. One unexpected bonus: in three days, I never had to use a port-a-john. That alone deserves a five-star rating. Overall, I loved the trip. The scenery, history, towns, and feeling of being completely disconnected for a few days made it well worth doing. I’m already looking forward to doing it again!
I use this route for shorter runs but it’s definitely not my favorite. Lots of road crossing and a good chunk of the trail (between Gude+355 and Norbeck+355) is on a regular sidewalk next to heavy traffic in a commercial+industrial area. Definitely not a good route if you’re looking for a scenic trail. There’s a very small portion in a nice neighborhood that is wooded, but that’s the extent of the scenery, otherwise you’re getting cars and businesses. Also- depending on the time of day, the coverage from the sun is basically nonexistent. I had to stop using this running route during the summer because there’s nothing to stop the sun from beating down on you. Overall it gets the job done but it’s not my first choice by a long shot
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.
I walked this trail after I moved here and I started out in the Fallsgrove park area which is beautiful. Too bad that after that, you permanently walk next to speeding traffic for the other 8.5 miles. I did get REALLY close to a deer which was kind of cool but scary
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.
This is a decent trail for the most part. Because of the tree roots and rough bridge boards I highly recommend a mountain bike or hybrid with shocks. The asphalt is pushed up in many (over 50) spots, some 3-4" or more. They do not grind the asphalt or paint them to warn riders. There is parking at several trail heads. The Terapin Nature trail head has clean restrooms. The trail is flat with many at grade crossing. Most are private driveways, but some are busy roads.
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.
The Broadneck Peninsula Trail now extends from Anne Arundel Community College to Sandy Point State Park Headquarters for a total of 7.5 miles or 15 miles round trip. Parking is available at Broadneck park parking lots and the Cape Saint Claire Park parking lot. Great ride!
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.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Scan the QR code to get TrailLink on your phone
Map Search
