Baltimore Woods Nature Center recently announced the opening of four new trails added to the 270+ acre preserve in Marcellus.
The Meadow, Bluebird, Rim, and Schoolhouse Trails lead hikers across new habitats and to new vistas, adding 1.95 miles to the pre-existing trail system for the
community to enjoy and deepen their connections to nature.
Volunteers and donors got an exclusive first look at the trails on Aug. 28 to officially open the trails and thank them for all of their hard work and dedication toward making their creation possible.
After hundreds of hours of planning and trail building, attendees took inaugural walks on the Meadow and Bluebird trails that are in active restoration from cornfield to wildflower meadow, wandering through acres of blossoms that provide habitat for a diversity of birds and insects, and then climbed up to new overlooks along the Rim Trail that give sweeping views of a former gravel mine where nature has created a beautiful and biodiverse landscape unlike any other.
“These trails represent nearly a year and a half of dedicated effort by dozens of volunteers who collectively invested hundreds of hours to create new experiences for everyone,” said Director of Stewardship David DuBois. “They offer a unique opportunity to explore open habitats more extensively than any of our other trails, introducing hikers to different species and ecological processes not found on other trails in the preserve.”
Executive Director Whitney Lash-Marshall said that “Designing and building these trails was a long process- but was a true collaboration across Baltimore Woods staff, board, volunteers, hikers, program participants, and the community to help identify what types of experiences that visitors would like to have here. By taking so many perspectives and uses into consideration, these trails and spaces are ideal for personal exploration as well as guided environmental education programs in every season – and we can’t wait for everyone to come and experience them.”
All four of these trails were built across the newest 90 acres of the Baltimore Woods Preserve, acquired in 2022 as part of the Expanding Boundaries Campaign, which was launched with expanding, updating, and improving access to the preserve and nature center. Now in the second phase of the Expanding Boundaries Campaign with the focus on “Community, Stewardship, and a Growing Mission,” opening these new trails is another successful milestone toward building accessible and accommodating spaces for the community to engage in environmental education, place-based exploration, and crating personal connections with the natural world.
The trails at Baltimore Woods Nature Center are open year-round from dawn until dusk every day for the public to use and enjoy, free of charge. For more information on the trail system and to download the most up to date trail map, visitors can go to baltimorewoods.org/visit/interpretive-center-trails/ or stop into the John A. Weeks Interpretive Center Monday – Friday between 9 and 4 p.m. or on Saturdays between 10 and 4 p.m.
