Gunpowder Falls | Hike

1489

May 2, 2020

We tried to get an early start on heading to the trail, anticipating eating lunch somewhere on the trail. We parked at the parking lot adjacent to the Gunpowder lounge which was already somewhat packed when we got there. They were completing work on the main parking area, so we had to walk along Route 1 to get to the starting point. This was a bit nerve racking, as there are lot of people driving fairly fast on route 1. There was a small sidewalk area to cross the bridge which was helpful, but access requires a bit of cutting through the wooded area adjacent to the road.

Once we got down to the starting point, we started with the Wildland’s trail first. It was a relatively easy ascent, with plenty of things to investigate and play on. The boys, Heidi too, enjoyed balance on fallen trees and checking out a debris teepee that someone built. The trail was bright with young foliage. We grabbed lunch by the Sweathouse Branch creek, which had some nice rocks and logs for sitting. 

Time for lunch
Smile with sandwich

The trees began to change, from an open forest to a more dense pine forest, somewhat like a pine grove. This may have correlated with the transition from the Wildlands Trail to the Stockdale trail, however I didn’t take note. Shortly after this transition and starting the Stockdale Trail, we noticed an old abandoned building off the side of the trail. It had a lot of graffiti, some of which excited the boys as it had some of their favorite characters like Pikachu. The color was a huge contrast with the surroundings and so we stopped in for a few photos.

Trees are starting to change
Taking a photo
Have to have a funny photo
The back of the graffiti wall

We continued further on the trail. It was a pretty much a general trail but did have some water crossing and boulder hopping. There were some nice rock outcroppings which forced the trees to find new routes for their roots. The trail starts the descent, and then there is a small portion of the  trail that follows the river, with a couple of access points that let you get relatively close. The water was really moving, and some of the access had a bit of an immediately steep drop. At this point, the trails were becoming more packed. Luckily we were finishing up and leaving.  Glad we got there when we did, as parking was nuts. 

Cool Rock Outcropping
Close up of the river
Bridge Sign

Afterwards we decided to go to Havre De Grace and check out the town. We have always seen the exit on Route 50, but never really investigated, so we figured this was as good of time as any. Looking into it, I realized that there was a lighthouse, so we picked the lighthouse on Concorde Point as our destination and headed in that direction. We found a parking spot easy enough, yet we were still surprised by how many people were active and hanging out at the point. We figured it may be a quiet day there, but it was fairly busy. We were able to snap a family pic and then walk around the town somewhat. We drove through town a little more to see what else was around and had to stop at Bomboy’s Home Made Ice Cream. Again, pretty crowded considering the pandemic, but we found a secluded area to eat our ice cream. The boys were excited and thought it was really good. On the way out, we stopped by the railroad bridge and checked out a boat yard. We made a final stop to pick up a drink for the drive home.  

Concord Point Park
Family Photo w/ the Lighthouse
Pier
Train Bridge

Miles Hiked

3 Miles

Wildlands Trail to Stocksdale Trail

Reference

Gunpowder Falls State Park – Central-Sweathouse Area
Belair Road,
Kingsville, MD 21087
https://goo.gl/maps/oakqZJRFnzWE4cK36 

https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/central/gunpowder.aspx

Concord Point Lighthouse
Corner of Concord & Lafayette Streets
Havre de Grace, MD 21078

https://concordpointlighthouse.org/ 

Bomboy’s Home Made Ice Cream
329 Market Street
Havre de Grace, MD 21078-3218
(410) 939.2924
https://www.bomboyscandy.com/

Last modified: March 21, 2024

One Response to " Gunpowder Falls | Hike "

  1. Mark says:

    Thanks for your blog, nice to read. Do not stop.

%d bloggers like this: