Patapsco Valley State Park May 2022

On a random day off from school, I took the kids to visit Patapsco Valley State Park since the weather was so nice. I wanted to see the Thomas Viaduct, which is near the Avalon entrance of the park. Unfortunately, there's no parking by the entrance. We followed the road under the Viaduct and then under the highway and finally found a parking lot. It was a bit of a trek back to the Viaduct, so we decided to explore where we were first. 

We found a geocache near the parking which led us over to a curious building.

Made a find, then played "high five"

This 185-year-old house is all the remains of the town of Avalon. With the Patapsco River nearby, the location was good for a mill. The Dorsey Forge was the first mill, dating back to colonial times. The Ellicott Family (of Ellicott City fame) bought the forge and turned it into the Avalon Iron and Nail Works. The town and the forge were wiped out by a flood in 1868. The building has been turned into a Visitors Center but has not been open since 2013 according to the web site. We visited on a Monday morning during the school year, so we had little chance of getting inside anyway.

1800s building

3/4 view

My son really liked this painting of the Patapsco Valley on the parking lot's information sign.

Two thumbs up!

The Old Gun Road Stone Arch Bridge also dates back to colonial times and spanned the mill run for the forge. The road was used to ship the iron products to Elkridge Landing on a navigable part of the Patapsco River. From there, the metal was shipped to the Chesapeake Bay and Annapolis for final assembly.

Old Gun Road Stone Arch Bridge

We crossed the bridge and followed a trail that led us to the river. We were surprised to see a fallen tree in the river.

Not safe to cross!

A small rocky beach was the perfect place to throw stones into the river.

Looking for the best projectiles

Ready for fun

Evidence of previous visitors (but probably post-Colonial)

The trail led us back across the old mill race and to a more developed part of the park.

Another bridge!

Ok, so not over-developed for sure

We made it back to the car and decided to park by the entrance station to see the Thomas Viaduct. It's named after Philip Thomas, the first president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It was finished in 1835 and is the largest multi-arch stone railroad bridge. And it's still in use! We were lucky enough to see a train go by.

Train crossing the Thomas Viaduct

I forced them to pose

The visit was fun.