It is interesting how $3/gallon gas makes you think. Back in the 70s, when the Arab oil embargo gave us the first taste of $1/gallon gas (the equivalent of $3 today), the US lowered the highway speed limit, passed strong fuel economy standards and started building loads of bicycle paths to promote alternatives to driving. This time as the price of gas has doubled the US government seems to pretty much be just fiddling, so we have to take things into our own hands. Since hiking the Appalachian Trail usually involves close to 200 miles of roundtrip driving (with two cars if we want to avoid out and back hikes), Carl and I have been focusing on longer loop hikes in the Patapsco River watershed that cut down on the driving and that carbon footprint.
The first area we tried was starting from the town of Oella, between the Avalon and Hollofield areas of Patapsco State Park. Oella is a cool old mill town that has all you really need in life: a non-Starbucks coffee shop, the Trolley Line paved rail trail (only two miles long), lots of old stone houses, views of the Patapsco River, and a lot of paths through the woods and along the river. Plus it is a short walk to historic (tm) Ellicott City with all kinds of other stuff to do and see.
We parked on the western side of the river and hiked along the river heading upstream for short bit until the terrain forced us up to the railroad tracks. In about 2.5 miles you reach the trails coming down from the Hollofield area and you reach Union Dam and the tunnel that goes through the ridge that Rt. 40 goes over. The Union Dam was built to supply water to the mills at Oella, and we would take advantage of this on the way back. I've walked through the tunnel years ago, but it is actually an active rail line and being older and more responsible we hiked around the tunnel along the river. There was still lots of snow on the ground and a good deal of ice in the shade.
At about the 4 mile mark, after having to get off the tracks to let a freight train go by, we reached Daniels and the old metal bridge that took us over the river and onto a path that headed back downstream now on the opposite side of the river. This path is not maintained but is fairly easy to follow - there were a lot of blowdowns and thistles to navigate through or around. As we hiked on that side of the river, two more looong freight trains went by on the tracks - a busy day for the old main line. This section is not tremendously scenic, but once we got back to Rt. 40 and the Union Dam it began to get interesting. Back in the day, the dam diverted water down a 2 mile long race (essentially a canal) to power the mills at Oella. To make this work they had to build a berm or wall to hold the water and the top of that berm is still mostly intact and is used as a hiking and mountain biking path. To your right is the river, to you left are the wooded hills - really scenic.
As you near Oella, you pass a number of footbridges that connect to trails that lead uphill. The Millrace trail ends in the yard of a beautiful house and you take a foot bridge to a short path around the house. Another quarter of a mile and you reach the old mill, which is now slowly being turned into condominiums. From there it is about a 1/2 mile walk on the road back to Old Frederick Road and that coffee shop/bakery. Many old stone houses, intermingled with newer architectural styles - an interesting area to walk through even if you never get on the trail. You can actually put together a four mile road loop by going up the Trolley Line rail trail and then circling back on the roads through Oella.
Ended up as about a 9 mile round trip, Googleatized map below:
This past week we tried to put together some loop trails downstream from Oella at Ilchester. First we tried starting at a unmaintained trail that ends at River Road. It basically follows the clearing made for a fiber optic line, but it runs smack into private property at a cattle farm. Without trespassing through the cow pies there was no way to get from there into the Patapsco park trail system. So, we circled back and went downstream a bit to Ilchester, where is now a footbridge that crosses the Patapsco, enabling a loop hike from Ilchester over the footbridge, up the paved trail to the swinging bridge, then back on the southern side of the river where River Road was wiped out by Hurricane Agnes back in 1972. About a 2.5 mile loop, not tremendously exciting but a nice tour de bridges. The ruins of the old St. Mary's school used to be at the top of the hill where you come out, but it is gone now. Some photos:
I enjoyed reading your post.
How long (minutes-wise) did it take you to walk thru the Union Dam Tunnel along the Patapsco River?
Thanks
Mike
Posted by: Mike Lamont | 26 April 2010 at 01:45 AM