Gunpowder Falls State Park

39°21′45″N 76°20′33″W / 39.36250°N 76.34250°W / 39.36250; -76.34250^[1]Area14,949 acres (60.50 km²)^[2]Elevation43 ft (13 m)^[1]DesignationMaryland state parkEstablished1959AdministratorMaryland Department of Natural ResourcesWebsiteGunpowder Falls State Park

Gunpowder Falls State Park is a public recreation area comprising six non-contiguous areas covering 18,000 acres (7,300 ha) in northeastern Baltimore County and western Harford County, Maryland. The state park is primarily made up of the stream valleys of the Big and Little Gunpowder Falls and the Gunpowder River; its natural features range from tidal marshes to rugged interior slopes. The park has over 120 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing plus facilities for picnicking, tubing, canoeing and kayaking, tide-water fishing and crabbing, fly fishing,^[3] and hunting, among other activities. It is managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.^[4]

History

The park was established in 1959 to protect the Gunpowder River and the Big and Little Gunpowder Falls,^[4] with purchases of the first properties that would make up the park occurring in 1960.^[5]

Park areas

Park areas are accessible at various exits off Interstate 83, Interstate 695, and Interstate 95.^[4]

Hereford Area

The 3,620-acre (1,460 ha) Hereford Area is a state-designated wildlands area located below the Prettyboy Reservoir. Recreational opportunities include 20 miles (32 km) of hiking and horseback riding trails, kayaking and canoeing, trout fishing, and youth group camping.^[6] The Mill Pond Cottage provides accommodations.^[7]

Sweet Air Area

The Sweet Air Area has 18 miles (29 km) of multi-use trails along the Little Gunpowder Falls on the border between Baltimore and Harford counties.^[8]

Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail

The converted rail trail extends 19.7 miles (31.7 km) north from Ashland (near Cockeysville) to the Pennsylvania state line. The Sparks Bank Nature Center is located along the trail in Sparks, Maryland, and has interpretive displays and family activities on summer weekends.^[9]

Central Area

The Central Area borders the Big and Little Gunpowder Falls. It includes the historic Jerusalem Mill Village and the site of the 19th-century Joppa Iron Works. Recreational features include multi-use trails, fishing, river paddling, and youth group camping.^[10] The former Baltimore Area Council scout camp, Camp Cone is now a campsite near the Sweathouse area of the central area.^[11]

Hammerman Area

The Hammerman Area offers a 1,500-foot (460 m) swimming beach, picnicking areas, trails, fishing opportunities, and an archery range.^[12]

Dundee Creek Marina

The Dundee Creek Marina is located near the mouth of the Gunpowder River. Marina services include fuel pumps, wet and dry slip leases, boat rentals, and store.^[13]

References

External links

Federal

National battlefields	Antietam Monocacy
National historical parks	Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad
National historic sites	Clara Barton Hampton Thomas Stone
National monuments	Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
National seashores	Assateague Island
National Park Service parks	Catoctin Mountain Fort Foote Fort Washington Glen Echo Greenbelt Harmony Hall Oxon Cove and Oxon Hill Farm Piscataway
National wildlife refuges	Blackwater Eastern Neck Glenn Martin Patuxent Research Susquehanna River
National historic and scenic trails	Appalachian Captain John Smith Chesapeake Potomac Heritage Star-Spangled Banner
Other protected areas	Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

State

State parks	Assateague Big Run Bill Burton Fishing Pier Calvert Cliffs Canal Place Casselman River Bridge Chapel Point Cunningham Falls Dans Mountain Deep Creek Lake Elk Neck Fort Frederick Fort Tonoloway Gambrill Gathland Greenbrier Greenwell Gunpowder Falls Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Hart-Miller Island Herrington Manor Janes Island Martinak Matapeake New Germany North Point Palmer Patapsco Valley Patuxent River Pocomoke River Point Lookout Purse Rocks Rocky Gap Rosaryville Sandy Point Seneca Creek Smallwood South Mountain St. Clement's Island St. Mary's River Susquehanna Swallow Falls Tuckahoe Washington Monument Wye Oak
State forests	Cedarville Chesapeake Doncaster Elk Neck Garrett Green Ridge Mount Nebo Pocomoke Potomac Savage River Seth Stoney Wicomico
Wildlife management areas	Avondale Belle Grove Billmeyer Bodkin Island Bowen Cedar Island Cedar Point Cheltenham Chicamuxen Chicone Creek Cunningham Swamp Dan's Mountain Deal Island Devil Island Area Dierssen E.A. Vaughn Earleville Ellis Bay Fairmount Fishing Bay Fort Hill Globe Com Gravel Hill Swamp Grove Farm Gwynnbrook Heater's Island Hopkins Branch Hugg-Thomas Idylwild Indian Springs Islands of the Potomac Isle of Wight Johnson Kent Island Research Center Le Compte Linkwood Little Patuxent Oxbow Maryland Marine Properties McIntosh Run McKee-Beshers Millington Mt. Nebo Myrtle Grove Nanjemoy Nanjemoy Creek Nanticoke River Old Bohemia Parker's Creek Pocomoke River Pocomoke Sound Prather's Neck Ridenour Swamp Riverside Sideling Hill Sinepuxent Bay South Marsh Island Strider Tar Bay Taylors Island Warrior Mountain Wellington Wetipquin
Natural environment areas	Belt Woods Mattawoman Morgan Run Severn Run Soldiers Delight Youghiogheny Scenic & Wild River Zekiah Swamp

County and
municipal

Parks and sanctuaries

Acorn Allen Pond Belmont Benjamin Banneker Blandair Carroll Centennial Clifton Constitution Cromwell Valley Cylburn Arboretum David Force Dinosaur Druid Hill Fairgrounds Falls Road Federal Hill Flag Ponds Fort Smallwood Foxhill Gene Mason Generals Gwynn Oak Gwynns Falls/Leakin Hagerstown City Herring Run Jefferson Patterson Jonas Green Jug Bay Wetlands Kinder Farm Lake Artemesia Lake Elkhorn Lake Kittamaqundi Lake Roland Lakelands Liberty Reservoir Loch Raven Middle Patuxent Oregon Ridge Patterson Pen Mar Prettyboy Reservoir Quiet Waters Riverside Rockburn Branch Sligo Creek Symphony Woods Thomas A. Dixon Jr. Aircraft Observation Area Troy Wheaton Wilde Lake Wyman

Non-
governmental

Parks and sanctuaries	Battle Creek Cypress Swamp Conservation and Environmental Research Areas of UMBC Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary and Visitor's Center Mount Pleasant Farm Center Sherwood Gardens Somers Cove Marina Sugarloaf Mountain University of Maryland Arboretum & Botanical Garden Western Maryland Rail Trail Youghiogheny Scenic & Wild River
Nature centers	List