Gwynns Falls and Leakin Park, Maryland

Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park is a long park that stretches from the west side of Baltimore out to Howard County. The park is over 1200 acres large. We hiked one small part of the park, though some of us were more enthusiastic than others. 

"Why am I here?" can be a practical and not existential question

We started at a parking area near Franklintown. Our hike started by crossing Dead Run, perhaps not the most auspicious place to begin. The park is famous outside of Baltimore only to fans of HBO's The Wire and/or the podcast Serial, both of which make it look like a bad place, or at least a place where bad stuff happens. Oh yeah, some of The Blair Witch Project was filmed here too.

We were undaunted and headed in.

Going to the bridge and not looking back

Dead Run

On the other side of the run is Cardin Pavilion, an area to have a bigger picnic if you've got a large group. We didn't stop, and I only managed to take a picture of it because I saw this fascinating V-shape tree trunk.

One tree with two minds about where to go

We crossed another bridge and headed over to an old structure.

"You guys go on ahead and check for danger!"

Leakin Park was originally part of an estate owned by Thomas Winans in the mid-1800s. His father was part of the B&O Railway and young Thomas headed to Russia to make his fortune. He worked on the rail line from St. Petersburg to Moscow. He earned a lot of money and married a Russian woman, whom he brought back to America. He called his estate Crimea in honor of the land that made him wealthy enough to afford it. Our first discovery of the estate was the old ice house and root cellar.

Who needs an ice house in late November?

The hike took us up the hill along the Old Fort Trail. The trail includes an old fort rampart and what looks like a furnace or fireplace.

Ancient civilization by American standards

This area is particularly wooded and did not feel like it was in Baltimore at all. Plenty of downed trees caught our eyes.

Down the hill, even!

One massive fallen tree became a rest stop.

Too big to haul away

More contemplation

We saw the ruins of a cistern nearby , as well as our first glimpse of the estate house.

No more water here

The estate house in the trees

A few more switchbacks led us to the home of the Winans. The Crimea Mansion is a large house and well decorated. Local signs told us it was Russian Imperial Style.

First close up view

Unfortunately, my youngest son accidentally swallowed a hard candy he was sucking on. His upset face was not about the house or the prospect of touring it. He was fine after a few harrowing minutes of trying to swallow.

Side view of the house

Front door

Back porches!

The backyard and the back of the house look down to the parking lot where our car was. The view must be amazing from the house. We even saw a viewing area on the top of the house.

The highest part

The grounds have a lot of old trees, some of which have seen better days.

Maybe a victim of lightening?

Nearby the house is an old-style labyrinth. When I say "old style" I mean the Victorian style, where it switches back and forth to create a long walk in a small area. Not "ancient style" with a minotaur in the middle!

A promise of Grecian adventure?

Easy to get over the walls here, hard to get lost

Proof of the recent construction

No creature in the middle, and no reward either

We missed out on the art in the park since our exploration ended here. Maybe we will go back another time.

Gwynn Falls Trail, Baltimore, Maryland--Carrollton Viaduct

The Gwynn Falls Trail runs from the Inner Harbor of Baltimore out to a park and ride in the suburbs. We parked at Trailhead 6, which is right next to the Carroll Park Golf Course. The trail follows along Gwynn Falls, a river that feed into the harbor. The trail at this point is paved and large enough for a car or truck. The kids loved playing on the gate keeping just anyone from driving down the path. 

Entering the pathway

The trail has a few interpretive signs that tell the history of the area. This particular part of the river was flat enough for people, including the natives, to cross. 

Explaining how they used to cross the river

The river hiding in the foliage

We came to this part of the trail to see the Carrollton Viaduct. We saw a model of the viaduct last time we visited the B&O Railway Museum. On the way, we saw some cool stuff.

A budding tree

A modern way to cross the river

View of the river from the bridge

The other view

Further on we saw the Viaduct. It was built in 1829, just two years after the founding of the B&O Railroad. The bridge was part of the first train route out to the town of Ellicott Mills (now Ellicott City). The cornerstone was laid by Charles Carrollton, the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence. Amazingly, the bridge is still in use almost two hundred years later. The locomotives and trains are much heavier than they were back in the day.

Our first sighting of the viaduct, and in use!

The span for pedestrians in 16 feet; the span over the river is 80 feet.

Spanning the river

A small beach is nearby and we took the opportunity to throw stones into the river.

A popular pasttime

I wanted to go further down the trail. My older son decided to go the hard way to the other side of the viaduct.

Another popular pasttime

Closeup of same

My younger son led me through the pedestrian span, which had an appropriately spooky echo inside. 

Heading for fun

The other side of the viaduct has a ramp up to another bridge that goes over both the river and the railroad tracks.

View of the tracks

View of the river

The other kids didn't catch up until we headed back to the viaduct. They had trouble making it through the dense foliage on the other side.

Finding at least one other child

On the way back, we saw the other side of the map, which had some useful local information, including stuff about the B&O Railway roundhouse (now the museum) and the nearby home that Carroll built (now called the Mount Clare Mansion).

Information everywhere!

We'll probably hike more of the trail in the future!