6 Beautiful Nature Trails to Explore In and Around Clarksville

Fall is a beautiful time of the year to explore the natural world around you. Luckily, Clarksville is filled with enough natural parks and trails to keep you and your loved ones busy as the leaves begin to change. Whether you’re a serious hiker or just looking to spend the day exploring outside, there are plenty of nature trails nearby to match your needs. Read on to learn more about six amazing nature trails in and around Clarksville compiled by Koons Clarksville Chevrolet Buick GMC. 

Trolley Line #9 Trail

A 1.5-mile asphalt and boardwalk walking path, the Trolley Line #9 Trail is great for hikers of any skill level. Connecting Catonsville and Ellicott City, this trail is as convenient as it is beautiful. Explore woodlands, streams, and shady trees all around you. You can even veer slightly off the trail to check out nearby historical parks and museums. 

Since this trail used to be a trolley line connecting its major beginning and end points, you can easily immerse yourself in a feeling of days past as you stroll along. If you look carefully, you’ll even see brick and stone buildings that used to house the mills and factories that allowed these Maryland towns to run. Plan to stop and explore the charming cities waiting for you at either end, including modern restaurants, coffee shops, and stores. If you’d like to fill a day with history, nature, and relaxation, this is a great trail.

Patapsco Valley State Park

Extending along 32 miles of the Patapsco River, Patapsco Valley State Park is an amazing place to spend a September day. Besides camping areas, fishing spots, and scenic picnic destinations, this park is also filled to the brim with trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. This evens out to about 200 miles of trails total, with about 70 miles maintained by the park. If you’d like a peaceful hike, you can explore hiker-only trails or elect the more heavily trafficked multi-use options.

Trails range in difficulty from easy to moderate. The popular Cascade Falls Loop Trail, for example, is a 2.3-mile option that gains 318 feet in elevation and offers you spectacular views of the park’s cascading waterfall. There are also shorter paths that lead you to the falls and back. Other hiking highlights include gorgeous wooded areas, streams, and wildlife. Explore this stunning park and all it has to offer today.

Robinson Nature Center

Robinson Nature Center is a great place to let your love of nature grow this season. You and your loved ones can explore a nature center that includes a discovery room, planetarium, gift shop, and plenty of natural exhibits and displays. There’s also a natural play area for those who’d like to enjoy some time in nature without venturing too far from civilization.

This nature preserve includes a collection of trails surrounding the property. Explore a popular, 1.1-mile Nature Center loop trail that quickly covers some of the park’s most beautiful scenery. Before planning your visit, keep in mind that this park abides by the nature center’s hours, meaning that it’s closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and requires a $5 admission price for adults and a $3 price for children over 3 years of age. This fee will be more than worth it, though, to explore some well-kept and serene natural woodland right near your backyard.

Middle Patuxent Environmental Area and Foundation

A “forever protected” oasis, the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area and Foundation is the largest park in Howard County. As a protected area, this is a great place to see the local wildlife, including 150 species of birds, 40 species of mammals, and various other reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, and plants. You’re sure to share your nature time with some animal friends in this spot.

To get up close and personal with these wild residents, explore the park’s 5.5 miles of trails that meander through wood and stream land. A 2.4-mile Wildlife Loop Trail covers the park’s best offerings, and can even be combined with the 2.3-mile Southwind Trail for a magical day of easy but engaging hiking. If you want to feel good about enjoying natural land without the worry of encroachment from the outside world, you may like a quiet walk in this park.

Savage Park

Part park and part hiking destination, you’ll find yourself coming back to Savage Park again and again. There are recreational areas like baseball diamonds and basketball courts, a playground, and bathrooms to help you feel like you haven’t strayed too far from the beaten path. Simply make a day of sitting out in nature with friends, or resolve to do a bit more walking while the weather’s good. 

Go further into this land, and you can explore 2.8 miles of interconnecting trails, some that even link to the external Patuxent Branch Trail and Lake Elkhorn. The park’s very own Savage Loop Trail offers terrain for hikers of all skill levels, but you can easily connect it to other trails to make a more challenging day of it. Enjoy streams, woods, and plenty of wildlife in this local park.

WB&A Trail

Although still a work in progress, the WB&A Trail is already a destination for walking enthusiasts. This paved trail runs from Odenton to the Patuxent River by way of the abandoned Washington, Baltimore, and Annapolis Railroad. While certain parts are still under construction, the plan is for a 5.7-mile option that’s mostly flat but connects communities and trail networks. Open to walkers, hikers, bikers, and runners, this is a community gathering trail that’s only getting bigger. Come and explore the completed parts of this trail today to say that you got in on the ground floor of something amazing. 

So, there you have it. Those are six of our favorite parks and trails around the Clarksville area. How’d you find our list? Are you ready to lace up your hiking boots and hit the trails? Contact us to let us know. We can’t wait to hear from our fellow hiking fanatics.

Patapsco Valley State Park by F Delventhal is licensed with CC BY 2.0

Tags: Clarksville, Nature
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