Baltimore Trails: A Guide for Hikers and Mountain Bikers - Softcover

"[Bryan MacKay's] strong ecological background and compelling style open a window onto the changes and evolutions in our metropolitan wildlands." -- Reed Helman, Valley Times

"Baltimore Trails replaces the venerable Baltimore Trail Book. MacKay's book is a total rewrite that incorporates his expertise in nature and ecology." -- Reed Hellman, Recreation News

Updating an old favorite, The Baltimore Trail Book, Bryan MacKay has provided a comprehensive and detailed guide to trails on public lands in and around Baltimore. To complete the new work, MacKay walked, cycled, and explored nearly 80 trails in local state, county, and city parks, as well as area watersheds. Discover Hemlock Gorge, a small slice of Appalachia transported into northern Baltimore County, with its timeless peace and ancient gnarled hemlocks; or Black Marsh, with birds soaring overhead or skulking among the vegetation of the pristine freshwater wetlands; or the unique landscape of Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area, which shelters more than 38 rare plant species.

Baltimore Trails answers the needs of hikers and mountain bikers, offering accurate maps, up-to-date access information, and reliable trail descriptions. From fieldwork conducted entirely in the year 2000, MacKay provides a detailed description, topographic map, and the length, location, and degree of difficulty for each trail. Some trails offer an easy afternoon stroll while others provide a day of rugged hiking or biking. Thumbnail essays offer scenic highlights and discuss typical plants, animals, and local ecology.

Praise for MacKay's Hiking, Cycling, and Canoeing in Maryland: A Family Guide

"MacKay tells you where to go, what to see and do across the very varied state of Maryland. Well written, the book includes excellent maps, line drawings, and numerous sidebars on the wonders of wandering in the state." -- Paul Sullivan, Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star