The Gwynns Falls Trail

The Trail begins at the I-70 Park & Ride trailhead and generally follows the Gwynns Falls stream to the Middle Branch and the Inner Harbor of the Patapsco River. All 15 miles of the Gwynns Falls trail system are open. The Gwynns Falls Trail is a unique urban hiking and biking trail providing access to a scenic and historic greenway stream valley in Baltimore City.

Check out the new Gwynns Falls Trail Map and Information Guide or view special points of interest and activities along the Trail.

A Unique Urban Greenway and Stream Valley Connector for Baltimore

The Trail travels through an environmentally valuable urban greenway park in west and southwest Baltimore City along the Gwynns Falls stream valley. The greenway now connects over 2,000 acres of publicly owned land within the Gwynns Falls stream valley and includes one of the largest wilderness woodland parks in the Eastern United States - the Gwynns Falls and Leakin parks. These parks alone encompass 1,200 acres and house approximately 10 miles of additional paths that wander up and down the parks' slopes. These paths are wonderful for hiking and are expecially unique in an urban setting.

The Gwynns Falls Trail is a continuous recreation corridor that connects over 30 neighborhoods in west and southwest Baltimore with parklands, unique urban environmental features, cultural resources and historic landmarks. Local residents and visitors are able to bike, hike, roller blade, fish in the stream, picnic, watch for birds and other wildlife, undertake environmental education activities, find solitude and enjoy nature, host community festivals and meet friends and neighborhood residents along the Trail.

Take a look at the various informational panels on display along the Trail by clicking the text links below. Or, open the small Baltimore City map below and access the panel information by clicking on one of the 29 numbered areas along the Gwynns Falls Trail.

1 - Blocking the Expressway
2 - Franklintown's Historic Roots
3 - Crimea Estate
4 - A Name Before a Place
5 - Dickeyville's Historic Legacy
6 - An Old Mill Stream
7 - Olmsted Park Plan
8 - Leon Day Park
9 - Ellicott Driveway at Gwynns Falls
10 - Bridging Gwynns Falls
11 - Early Transportation Routes
12 - Ellicott Flour Mills
13 - Rowhouses: a Baltimore Tradition
14 - Early Industries
15 - Carrollton Viaduct
16 - Of Fords, Felles and Falls
17 - Restoring Water Quality
18 - Carroll Park
19 - Mount Clare: the Georgia Plantation
20 - Gas, Dredges, Beer and Pianos
21 - Solo Gibbs Park
22 - Struggling for Equality
23 - Federal Hill and Otterbein
24 - Port of Baltimore
25 - The Olmsted Legacy
26 - Gwynns Falls Trail
27 - Reviving the Waterfront
28 - John Smith Explores Patapsco
29 - Cherry Hill
30 - Orianda House
31 - From Bricks and Pianos to Football