Tag Maryland

August Nature Nugget – Trail Building

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In the Spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.

—MARGRET ATWOOD, Bluebird’s Egg, 1983
Posing with my rock free trail! This was FULL of big rocks that we had to dig out and move.

Pandemic shutdowns saw more and more Americans turning to the great outdoors. The AllTrails hiking app reported a 171% increase in the number of logged hikes. That’s crazy! From what I’ve seen on the trails, it doesn’t seem like interest in hiking is waning any time soon. But do hikers ever think about the trails under their feet? How did it get there?

Throwback pic of Baby Hannah crushing some rocks on the Cumberland Trail in Tennessee (2013). You know you’re jealous of those overalls!

Trail building is near and dear to my heart. For two years in a row in college, I spent a week in Tennessee working to build the Cumberland Trail. This was such an incredible experience and gave me a deeply held appreciation for trails and the people that work tirelessly to build and maintain them. I wanted to use August’s Nature Nugget to talk a little bit about what goes into trail building!

Tools of the Trade

What hikers don’t realize is that most trails are made completely by hand. Most times, large vehicles and diesel machinery are too big and disruptive to bring out into the woods. Most of the tools used might not look too different from what’s in your shed! Think hand clippers, hoes, loppers, and axes. But there are a few other helpful tools for trailbuilding:

Mattock – This is my favorite trail tool! It’s a double headed tool that kind of looks like a cross between an ax and a hoe. It’s perfect for cutting into the soil and also for chopping through roots. 

McLeod – This is another double purpose tool. One side has tongs like a rake for moving dirt while the flat side is sharpened and can cut through dirt and roots.

Rock Bar – this is a long sturdy metal rod that can be used to maneuver very heavy items like rocks and stumps.

Pulaski – Another double headed tool, this is similar to the maddox but with an axe blade on one side and a small adze or hoe on the other.

Process 

Okay so now that we have our tools, how do you build a trail? There’s a great deal of science that goes into trail building but we’ll stick to the basics here. The key to a good trail is making it sustainable. This means that they can withstand wear and weather without greatly impacting the surrounding environment as well as needing little maintenance.

DUFF – A layer of decaying organic plant matter (leaves, needles, etc.) on the ground. It is highly absorbent and quickly erodes under traffic.

Jim Schmid, Trails Primer, 2001
Smelly and dirty, but victorious!

After the trail has been marked, it’s time to start digging. Using our trusty tools, the first cuts into the soil are made. If working on a relatively flat area, just clear off the top layers of leaves and rich earth (called duff) until you reach a soil change, removing rocks and tree roots as needed. Duff is easily eroded so it needs to be cleared away. If working on a hillside, things are gonna be a bit tricker. The duff still needs to be cleared away but a deeper cut is needed on the uphill side so that a fairly flat trail can be cut. The trail should always be slightly higher on the uphill side so that water can run off but never so sloped that hikers will roll their ankles. 

Full Bench trail construction allows water to runoff easily

The biggest destroyer of trails isn’t hikers, it’s actually water! A poorly planned trail can quickly disintegrate from wash out or standing water. So it’s really important to have an understanding of water runoff where you’re building a trail. You always want the trail sloping slightly downhill so that water won’t be left pooling on the trails. You also want an up hill backslope at around 45 degrees so that water rolls down it instead of cascading off of it. Trail builders will also incorporate grade reversals where the trail will dip slightly to a point where water can run off. 

J and I worked tirelessly on building this retaining wall!

Some trails require more work and special technique than others. Last weekend, we worked on a particularly rocky section which meant that one part needed a retaining wall. To do this we sourced large flat rocks from other parts of the trail and built up a wall, compacting it with dirt and smaller stones. This technique lets you build a wide enough trail on a very steep incline. Also on steep hillsides, builders might put in a switchback which is a hairpin turn in the trail that provides a water runoff point and also makes a gentler slope down a steep hill. Sometimes steps can be made with large rocks to offset a steep downhill. Very advanced builders can even make bridges and other water crossings with large rocks. Next time you see a really interesting rock feature as part of a trail, remember that it was most likely moved by hand! 

So after reading all of this, I hope you have a greater appreciation for the amount of work that goes into building a trail! To put it into perspective, J and I worked for about 3 hours on the trail and probably only completed 25ft. And if you’re crazy like us and think trail-building might be for you, here are some local and national resources:

Know of any other trail building opportunities? Please share in the comments!

Our finished trail! This was definitely the hardest trail I’ve ever worked on. It was exhilarating!

Sources:

American Chestnut Land Trust & Mully’s Brewery

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Prince Frederick, MD

If you’re like us, you might not have ventured down into Southern Maryland very much. But this Hike & Hop is gonna change that! American Chestnut Land Trust is a huge nature reserve with so many unique trails to explore. Nearby is Mully’s Brewery, Southern Maryland’s first production brewery so they really know their stuff! Grab your hiking boots and let’s go!

Our path is marked in pink

THE HIKE: American Chestnut Land Trust – South Trailhead

Length: Variable
Elevation Gain: max 500ft
Difficulty: Easy
Time: Variable
Trail use: Hiking and leashed pets only
Parking: Large parking lot – please sign in when you arrive
H&H: 4/5

American Chestnut Land Trust is a nature reserve run by a not-for-profit of the same name and cares for over 3,500 acres. It’s split into two main sections. The north side trailhead can be accessed at 676 Double Oak Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678 and the South Side is located at 2650 Scientists Cliffs Rd, Port Republic, MD 20676. J and I had visited the south section before and had meant to go to the North side this time but Google Maps had other ideas! We somehow ended up at the South Side trailhead anyway and decided to roll with it. There were two delightful volunteers at the trailhead who gave us advice about which trails to take and how to support the ACLT. Although there’s no fee for the trails, make sure to scan the QR code at the entrance! Visitation numbers help the ACLT get grants to continue to maintain this awesome park. 

We chose to do a loop of the southern section which you can see on the map above! I’m not quite sure how long it was (forgot to put on my tracker that day!) but if you’re more of an AllTrails person, you can do this hike: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/maryland/south-side-trail-system. I dunno if you guys know it but Maryland summers are HOT. The heat and humidity was oppressive during our hike but thankfully the greenery shielded us from the sun. As with most hikes, make sure to load up on the bug spray and be prepared to fend off gnats and midges.

Pawpaw Fruit!

I really liked this hike because it was so peaceful. We never saw a single other person on the trail. We really turned this into a nature by testing our tree knowledge and searching for mushrooms. Sometimes I really like a hard hike and testing my limits and other days I love just wandering in the woods! J is so fascinated by nature and it never ceases to warm my heart how excited he gets over a huge tree or a tiny mushroom. The East Loop was definitely my favorite part of this hike because it followed a meandering little creek that had cut deeply into the ground, leaving really interesting patterns in the mud. BUT my absolute favorite part was [drumroll please] the Pawpaw trees!! There was an entire grove of pawpaw trees with so much fruit! It was too early to pick them yet so we just took lots of pictures but it made me so excited to see this many! I’ve been fascinated by pawpaws ever since I first heard about them and I finally got to try one a few years ago. I’ve been hoping to get my hands on some again! I think I might be coming back here later in September!

My only complaint about this hike was that a small section was confusing at the end of the East Loop because you had to cross over a road and the trail was nearly invisible. Thankfully once we crossed the road, it was clear where we needed to go! 

The American Chestnut Tree

THE BEER: Mully’s Brewery

Address: 141 Schooner Ln, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
Distance from Trail Head: 9.7 miles, 15 mins
Website: https://www.mullysbrewery.com/
Food?: Food Trucks, check online for schedule
H&H Rating: 4/5

I love exploring new areas in Maryland but sometimes finding a good Hikes & Hops combo can be hard when there’s not too many breweries outside of the main metro areas. Thank goodness for Mully’s Brewery! Mully’s is a small brewery in Prince Frederick and according to the Brewer’s Association of Maryland it was the first production brewery in South Maryland. It’s got a pretty small indoor space so both times that we’ve been we’ve found spots outside. Mully’s is a really popular local spot so you might have trouble finding space. Thankfully, people are always friendly and have been more than happy to share a table. 

Mully’s has a really unique line up of beer. Both times we’ve been, there’s been something really interesting or different on tap, as well as some old standbys. Our favorites this time were the  Blackout IPA and Mully’s headliner IPA. Yup we’re shameless IPA people. Also if you’re a fan of sours, they had a ton on tap!

Papa Juice & Blackout

Mully’s is a bit of a drive down into Southern Maryland but if you’re looking for good beer and a fun atmosphere, you can’t miss it! They often have food trucks and music on the weekends. My only complaint is that their tent and tables are set up in a parking lot so people are often driving rather too close for comfort

Our Beer:

  • Carmelite Wheat – Hefeweizen – 5.4%
  • Mully’s IPA – American IPA – 6.3%
  • Blackout – Black IPA – 7.3%
  • Papa Juice – Blonde Ale – 4.9%

SUM UP: American Chestnut Land Trust is a park that spans nearly 3,500 acres along the Chesapeake Bay near Prince Frederick. There is a North and South section both with many miles of trail. They are open for hiking and leashed pets and there’s no entry fee but they do ask for you to sign in so visitation can be tracked. Combine several different trails together to get a nice long hike. Afterward, go to Mully’s Brewery which is only about 10 miles away in an industrial park. They make unique beers but claim your spot early; the weekends get busy! Check their website for music and food truck schedules.

Wincopin Trails & Hysteria Brewery

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Columbia, MD

This is a great local park that J and I used to do at least once a week when we lived in the area. It’s surprisingly woodsy for being right in the middle of the Columbia suburbs and has trails for all levels. There are a lot of breweries nearby that you could pair with this hike but we went with one of our old standbys: Hysteria Brewing! Hysteria always makes really really good beer and has a fun indoor space. Let’s check it out!

THE HIKE: Wincopin Trails

Length: Variable (up to ~6 miles)
Elevation Gain: 335ft
Difficulty: Easy
Time: Variable
Trail use: Hiking, biking, leashed pets
Parking: Medium sized parking lot, overflow on street
H&H: 4/5

J showing off some of the quarry ruins

Wincopin Trails are located off Vollmerhausen Road in the greater Columbia area and are managed by the Howard County Parks & Rec. There’s a medium-sized parking lot but it does fill up quickly since this is a pretty popular spot! You can also park along the road or in the middle school lot up the road. Just be aware this will add an extra 0.5 mile on either end of your hike and there’s a rather steep hill.

There’s a few different trail combos that you can do here. Check the trailhead map before you get started! For some reason this map isn’t anywhere online and only a few of the trails show up on AllTrails. Wincopin trails are built along the site of an old quarry. Much of the trails around Savage run along old mills and quarries which make for interesting ruins. At the Wincopin Trails there are old bridge supports that now make for great lookout spots over the river. All of the trails in this system are clearly blazed and there are directional signposts throughout. The Red trail leads from the parking lot and then branches off into others. The Blue and Green trails go along the river while the Red takes you along the ridge overlooking the river. There are some steep inclines that keep the trail interesting. I’ve done this trail multiple times in tennis shoes so hiking boots aren’t a necessity. This trail is popular so if you want to get away, take the less trod White trail that wanders through the woods overlooking the Middle Patuxent River. It’s a fairly easy hike but with little inclines that keep you on your toes. 

Slightly rocky trail up the hill

This is a great hike to see birds, butterflies, and mushrooms! We always see tons of mushrooms here which J loves. I really like this trail because you can come for a quick walk or stay for a fairly long hike. If you were to do all of the trails including the white out and back, it would likely be about 6 miles. This is also a great one to bring the kiddos on! My only complaint about this park is that in certain areas you can really hear the highway sounds from I-95 which kinda shatters the whole woodsy experience.

The water was a little cold when we went in March!

THE BEER: Hysteria Brewing Company

Address: 9570 Berger Rd suite j, Columbia, MD 21046
Distance from Trail Head: 3.4 miles, 8 mins
Website: https://www.hysteriabrewing.com/
Food?: Bullhead Pit Beef in the very next suite!
H&H Rating: 5/5

There are a ton of breweries in Columbia so you could easily turn your post-hike into a brew tour or just pick one of your favorites. Hysteria was one of the first breweries we went to when we moved to Maryland and it has stayed at the top of our list! They have a huge wrap around bar with tons of seating and lots of tables and chairs too. And keep an eye out for their furry mascot painted on the walls! They also have some tables in the back with some pub games like corn hole and bucket toss. New for Covid, they’ve also set up some tables and chairs outside in the parking lot. Because they don’t have their own kitchen, dogs are more than welcome and you’ll usually see lots of four-legged friends. If you’re feeling hungry, Hysteria has a great partnership with Bullhead Pit Beef right next store! Or you can always bring your own.

Okay onto the beer. Hysteria makes my favorite Maryland beer. Like ever. You may have heard of it. It’s a little thing called Trash Panda. Even if you’re not into the Hazy IPA fad, you should really try this one because it’s Ah-mazing! And I might be a little biased because once a year they do “Trash Panda Day” and make at least ten different varieties of their headliner beer and it always falls on my birthday. It’s fate! Hysteria also makes some other really good beers and frequently collaborates with other Maryland breweries. I love me a good collab! Last time we went, we got a really nice crisp lager that really hit the spot after a sweaty hike. J went for the black IPA which is a style that I’m still unsure about but this one was pretty good! I love that Hysteria always has something new and interesting on tap while keeping a few favorites around. You can also find Hysteria beer in stores around Maryland!

Hysteria will always be a favorite for us! We need to check out their new taproom in Pasadena soon!

Our Beer:

  • Be Kind, Please Rewind – Lager – 5%
  • Ultimate Dreamy Teamy – Black IPA – 7.5%
  • Trash Panda – NEIPA – 7.2% → Probably my favorite Maryland beer!

SUM UP: 

Wincopin trails are managed by Howard County Parks & Rec and are located near Columbia. They are open for hiking, biking, and leashed pets. There’s no fee but the parking lot usually fills up. The trails are nice and woodsy with some interesting architectural ruins and rocky inclines. There are several different trails that can be combined to make a longer hike. Nearby is Hysteria Brewery which allows dogs and has a partnership with the takeout restaurant next door if you’d like food. They make excellent beer and have an eclectic design inside. This is a great option for a weekday hike or if you don’t have a ton of time on the weekend!

Rachel Carson Conservation Park & Elder Pine Brewing and Blending Co

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Brookeville, MD

This is not a drill! Brewery only 0.2 miles from the trailhead. I repeat, 0.2 MILES! Yup this is what beer hiking dreams are made of! Rachel Carson Greenway is a delightful little park in the Brookeville area that has fields, forests, and streams! But the best part is that Elder Pine Brewery is just around the corner. In fact, you can see it through the trees! We should start a petition for extending the trail into their parking lot! Plus if you’re feeling really frisky, Waredeca Brewing is only 1.3 miles away and Brookeville Beer farm is only 4 miles! Truly a beer lover’s mecca. So let’s get to it!

THE HIKE: Rachel Carson Conservation Park

Length: 4.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 314ft
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 1.5 hours
Trail use: Hiking, biking, dogs
Parking: Large parking lot, no fee
H&H: 3/5

The Rachel Carson Conservation Park is managed by Montgomery County Parks and features over 6 miles of trails! It’s popular with hikers and horseriders alike, although most times I’ve been there, it’s very quiet and peaceful. There’s plenty of parking and the trails all start in a meadow that has beautiful wildflowers in the spring. Be warned though, the sun in this open meadow can be brutal so bring a hat! It was incredibly hot and humid the day that J and I came so we knew it would be a short hike day. We decided to follow the Rachel Carson Greenway trail which runs the perimeter of the park, then took the Scarlet Tanager trail back to the meadow. There are a few other trails in the park that you can take too if you’d take a different route.

We liked this hike because it ran along a river which offered plenty of chances for scrambling over rocks if that’s your thing. J prefers to stay on land and be my photographer. This hike also had some cool rock formations. I’m always surprised to see such huge rocks in the woods so far away from any mountains. We also found plenty of ripe wineberries, delicious! 

Despite the pretty views, parts of this trail were pretty overgrown. There was one trail that we had to turn around because the stream crossing was too deep and there were no stepping stones. It was also pretty muddy and incredibly buggy. I wish we had waited until later in the year to do this hike! This is just a reminder to bring plenty of water when hiking in the summer!

THE BEER: Elder Pine Brewing and Blending Co.

Address: 4200 Sundown Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20882
Distance from Trail Head: 0.2 miles, 1 min
Website: https://www.elderpine.com/
Food?: Food Trucks
H&H Rating: 5/5

We hadn’t been to Elder Pine since they first opened in 2019 so it was really good to be back. This place has really expanded and opened up tons of outdoor seating. There’s a really cool section of the pine forest that’s decked out with string lights and seating. Unfortunately, this was all full when we got there so we sat on the patio. Easier access to the bar! Elder Pine always puts out some solid beers. This time we were feeling something more light (did I mention it was SUPER) hot out?? To start out we tried two of their pilsners. The Ameno was an italian style pilsner that was super grainy but very refreshing. The 10 Plato Pivo was a Czech style pilsner which was cold fermented and made with a yeast from the Czech Republic. It was incredibly crisp and went down very easily. It was really neat to compare the flavors of these two pilsners; so similar but with slightly different tastes that made a huge difference. 

Overall, Elder Pine was a great time! They had plenty of seating and everyone was so friendly. They also had a great food truck serving up some delicious BBQ. Honestly, we were having such a nice time sitting on the patio that we completely forgot to look at the inside taproom. Guess we gotta go back soon. 

Our Beer:

  • Veritable Villein – Saison – 6% 
  • Every Villein Is Lemons – Saison – 6%
  • Anti-Hot – NEIPA – 6.6%
  • Ameno – Italian Style Pilsner – 5%
  • 10 Plato Pivo – Czech Style Pilsner – 4%

SUM UP: 

Rachel Carson Conservation Park is a quiet park in Brookeville that’s open to hikers, leashed dogs, and horse riders. There are over 6 miles of trails including wooded and field trails. It can get buggy so be prepared. Just around the corner is Elder Pine Brewery which makes incredible beers and has a delightfully woodsy vibe. See if you can get a spot in an Adirondack chair under the pine trees!

Liberty Reservoir & 1623 Brewing Company

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Eldersburg, MD

Liberty Reservoir is one of those amazingly peaceful places that I am more than happy to drive over an hour to visit. But I’ll be honest that it was originally 1623 Brewing that brought me to the Eldersburg area. When I’m on the hunt for a new Hikes & Hops, I actually start with a brewery and then find out what trails are nearby. Finding Liberty Reservoir was my lucky day since it has quickly become one of my favorite hiking spots in Maryland. Not to mention that 1623 Brewery is worth the drive in their own right! They have excellent beer and a HUGE space with lots of indoor and outdoor seating. They never disappoint. So let’s get to it!

THE HIKE: Liberty West-Morgan Runs Trail (Includes Coots Peninsula) 

Length: 7.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 987ft
Difficulty: Moderate 
Time: ~3 hours
Trail use: Hiking, biking, dogs
Parking: Lot on side of busy road so be careful when parking
H&H: 4/5

Liberty Reservoir is pretty big and there are no shortage of different trails you can take. My absolute favorite hike here is Coots Peninsula, so much that I hardly ever try anywhere else in the park! If you’re looking for a shorter hike than this, just the peninsula loop is about 4 miles and starts at the end of Bollinger Mill Road. J and I have been wanting to build up to longer hikes so we chose this extended loop that starts from a parking lot off of 32. Please be careful when pulling in and out of this space, there are some blind corners and it’s a major road. 

Although many of these trails are listed as “heavily trafficked” in the AllTrails app, every time I’ve been here it’s felt so peaceful and I hardly ever see anyone else. The highlight of this area really is the reservoir with its sparkling clear waters. The Reservoir is owned by the city of Baltimore and brings water to nearly 1.5 million people in the city and surrounding suburbs. It wasn’t always a lake though and in 1954 the city made a LARGE purchase of the land. It had once been a thriving mill town and after all of the buildings were abandoned they were left intact and the reservoir just filled in around them. Kinda spooky to think of factories and houses just sitting under that pristine water! 

Anyway, now the reservoir is perfect for hiking, especially since only paddle boats are allowed on the water, so you feel miles and miles away from civilization. Coots Peninsula is particularly beautiful as you are surrounded by water as you walk through the pine woods. The point at the end of the peninsula was really stunning with some of the clearest water I’ve ever seen! No swimming is allowed but we bent the rules and dipped our feet in. I’d call this trail moderate since the loop back had quite a few steep hills which I really enjoyed! If you go in the summer, make sure to bring plenty of bug spray! Even with it, at times the gnats and flies got pretty annoying. This has definitely been a favorite spot of ours and we’ve been back a few times! 

THE BEER: 1623 Brewing Company 

Address: 5975 Exchange Dr Suite H-L, Eldersburg, MD 21784
Distance from Trail Head: 4.3 miles, ~8 mins 
Website: https://1623brewing.com/
Food?: Snacks and Food Trucks (Everyday) 
H&H Rating: 5/5

1623 Brewing has been brewing since 2018 but only opened their brand new taproom in February 2020 right before all of the ‘rona shutdowns. But it never seemed like it held them back because their brand new facility was AH-Mazing! We were so impressed with the amount of seating available and the living room vibes. We settled in on their patio under a pergola which was so inviting and kept the sun from frying us. Although they don’t have a kitchen, they do have food trucks every day that they’re open. Score! But the most important thing: how was the beer?! 

We were really excited to finally get some 1623 on tap, having had cans of their Dry Irish Stout in the past (Go get it, it’s delicious). Everything we had on tap was great! I didn’t get it this time around, but my favorite 1623 beer is their Hefeweizen. It’s the brewer’s specialty and really it shows. It’s quite honestly the best hefe I’ve had on draft! This time around I wanted to have a sour since it was hot and muggy out. Dang, this was the sourest sour I have ever had! Still delicious though with a subtle passionfruit flavor. J opted for the Ella Mental Lager which was part of a series of Single Hop Single Malt lagers. I’m always really into SMaSH series because I love to learn more about beer ingredients and to single out flavors. This one was made with Australian Galaxy hops and was quite refreshing. They also made a version conditioned on spruce tips that my nature heart desperately wanted, but I know I don’t like sprucy beers so we passed on that one. Oh and we got a 6 pack of the pilsner to take home as a porch beer. 

(Also I’ve been having a moment with pilsners? So underappreciated and yet it’s one of the harder styles to make! Yup, I’ve already got plans for a pilsner appreciation post for one of my beer bytes soon!) 

Another thing I really appreciate about this brewery is all of their glassware. No basic pint glasses here! They’ve got all of the proper glassware for the style of beer! Ah, it’s the little things. 

Our Beer:

  • Tart Attack – Sour – 3.1%
  • Ella Mental – Lager – 6.4%
  • Pilsner – Pilsner – 5.2%

SUM UP: Liberty Reservoir has a variety of trails and the Coots Peninsula Loop is particularly beautiful and is of moderate difficulty. There is ample off-street parking at the trailhead. While the water views are beautiful, be prepared for mud and bugs. Nearby is 1623 Brewing Company which always has rotating food trucks and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. It’s a perfect combo!