A Trail Full of Charm in Baltimore

Where: Gwynns Falls Trail in Baltimore.

Why: What a hoot, architectural antiques and a stadium for the birds.

How Far: About 15 miles from start to finish.

Shhh, can you keep a secret? Gwynns Falls Trail.

"It's one of those well-kept secrets," says Alex Pilecki, a Baltimorean who exercises his greyhounds along the path in Leakin Park.

The nearly 15-mile trail, which was built eight years ago by the city and its partners, begins as a greenway in Leakin Park, near Baltimore's southwestern edge. It then follows Gwynns Falls Creek, veers toward the Inner Harbor and peters out by a small concrete fishing pier. Before its unceremonious finish, however, the path meanders through one of the largest urban woodland parks on the East Coast, runs past more than 30 diverse neighborhoods and zips along miles of Baltimore waterfront.

"When you're on it, you don't think you're in a city for much of the time," says Bob Moore, a member of the Gwynns Falls Trail Council, "because it's so parklike and so green."

The western section of the trail tunnels through the forest, on abandoned roadways and 10-foot-wide asphalt paths. Only a span called the Millrace is unpaved. Walkers, cyclists and others use the path, which steers onto city streets after Carroll Park.

"There are so many hidden treasures in this park and along the trail," says Michael Strawbridge, trail manager for the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks.

And more could be coming. According to plans, the path will be connected to Maryland's popular BWI Trail within the next five years, and the stretch of waterfront between Kloman Street and the Patapsco River is slated for redevelopment. If that happens, the secret of Gwynns Falls Trail will certainly be out.

See and Print the Map

-- Barbara J. Saffir

Gywnns Falls Trail. Free. 410-396-0440. http://www.gwynnsfallstrail.org. Open daily from dawn to dusk.