Came here for some interval training and was really impressed with how beautiful and clean the…read moretrack is. There are also plenty of other fields and facilities for different activities, along with plenty of parking. There's no traditional running track, but this setup works perfectly for me. The bathrooms are also clean and don't smell, which is always a plus! It's still new, so I hope they keep everything this well-maintained. I'll definitely be back to use the basketball and tennis/pickleball courts!

This park is a ton of fun. Built within the past 5 years, this park has everything. It has swings,…read moremega slides, a spider web climber, and baby zones. It even has disability friendly options and party zones. I love taking my kids here to just run free. The only downfall I see is when some neighborhood teenagers come around and play aggressive tag games and curse. It is a place for smaller children and they are welcome, but bring inappropriate and unsafe behaviors.

Read the reviews before coming here and it's still a very nice playground. There are a couple…read moredifferent areas that need repair but at least they are blocked off so that parents are aware and keep their kids away from those areas. One review mentioned a grilling area but I didn't see any grill at the pavillion.

This playground is huge and has tons of features…read more Unfortunately several are broken. However there are still enough features to keep a ton of kids entertained. The maze of features are y'all enough so that adults can access all elements and thus play with or keep track of their kids, which is a HUGE plus. I would have listed a 5+ except for the two broken features

The Howard County Recreation & Parks Summer Concert Series at Centennial Park is a fantastic way to…read morespend a summer evening! We saw I&I Riddim at the Centennial Park Amphitheater, and they brought incredible music and such a fun, relaxing vibe. The beautiful park setting made it even better. This was the first of the five-concert summer series, with free concerts taking place on Thursday evenings through August 5. If you're looking for a laid-back night with great live music, this is definitely worth checking out. Bring a lawn chair or blanket, relax, and enjoy a wonderful evening outdoors!

I love summertime and this park is perfect to park in the shade and enjoy breakfast. This moment…read morewas followed by a break walk around the loop. Without my dog, this time,I was approached by a squirrel and even two deer. It's nice having so many wonderful things to do outside!

There is a free entrance off of Landing Rd. A month ago I started a walk at the Landing Rd. I…read morewalked to the Avalon area (3 miles). I walked north on the ridge trail 6 miles. I turned around and walked 6 miles back to Avalon. Then walked 3 miles to the landing road starting point. It was 97 degrees. Brought 7 liters of water and about 30% of it was electrolytes. brought some snacks. overall it was a good solid hike of 6 hours. I rested a bit at cascade falls (CF) CF parking lot, Avalon (in both directions) Total mileage was around 18 miles. Trail reference: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/afternoon-hike-at-a-long-but-exciting-walk-65af16a

I came to Patapsco after planning a hike here for my run/walk/hike club. We chose the Cascade Falls…read moreloop trail as it seemed easy for beginner hikers which were a lot of members of my group and like it would not require any extra supplies. We came on a Sunday morning, parking was $2 as our shuttle was an in state vehicle ($4 for out of state!) and when we arrived around 9:30, there was already a decent amount of people at the trailhead parking lot, but we were able to easily park. There is a bathroom located nearby that is clean and has running water. I do think it is relatively well maintained and looked after, though there was 1 stall missing toilet paper. The hike itself was lovely, with fall foliage still around in sight. We did not come across any big wildlife like deer but given the amount of people this made sense. We did use bug spray on our shoes and bottoms of our leggings / ankle area to prevent any ticks. The trail itself was beautiful, there are 2 water crossing areas where you could get by on rocks but I have waterproof hiking shoes and just walked straight through. I would recommend this trail to beginners!

A very easy-access section of the Patapsco Valley State Park- you can drive right into the middle…read more I'd rank it as perfect for introducing people to a "natural" state park without the distractions of overly developed amenities. Great trails, enough elevation change for solid workouts, some sections with lovely old trees. There's a long stretch of a beautiful stream (Saw Mill Branch) and some areas that give you that lovely isolated feeling of being in the woods. There's campgrounds (way better than "backyard camping") and driving in from the gate on Hilton Ave puts you in a good spot to immediately start hiking. There's also trails leading in from a number of the surrounding neighborhoods. The paved path by the river is pedestrian and disabled friendly. A historic rail route runs parallel to the river and train spotters can get some unique views as well as see the famous Ilchester Tunnel. PVSP is one of my favorite things about living in central MD, and each section has some unique things. Explore them all - but this (Hilton) area is particularly accessible for beginners who want the full experience.

This is one of my favorite places to visit when I'm in Maryland. I had a marvelous hike there on my…read morelast trip by Cascade Falls. It was beautiful! The waterfall isn't that big but it was still enjoyable to see. There are some rough spots to navigate if you're expecting an easy hike. But overall, it is definitely worth the trip!

Patapsco State Park is a huge, beautiful plot of land accessible from multiple areas of MD…read more For only $2 car, collected in an unattended Honor Box, you get access to acres and acres of nature's finest greenery scattered among hills and rocks and boulders to hike through trails of trees, streams, waterfalls, and more. Because of the tall trees, you get plenty of shade while walking through the woods. I take my young children who can effortlessly conquer 3 miles of the trail without hesitation. It's an awesome nature experience hearing the birds chirp & insects buzz, seeing the small schools of fish being carried down the stream, the crawling creatures perfectly positioned for nature enthusiasts capturing photos. The park entry also allows you to use the open grass areas to picnic or grab a grill. The water is practically a beach area as I've seen multiple families lined up on both sides of the bridge enjoying the cool water. As well as my children and I. There's plenty of parking. The bridge is a highlight boasting wonderful opportunities for pictures with beautiful natural lighting. There's also some train tracks on the other side of the bridge perfect for photo ops but BEWARE! it is a functional and operating train track! My family and I can't get enough of this park. Definitely experience it for yourself.

There's a resident Bald Eagle in the park now and I've seen him five times this spring. Saw him…read moreflying upstream with a fish in his talons today. Woodpeckers, blue jays, and nuthatches were there today.

Nice quant lake in Columbia. Came here to watch a bit of the World Cup game vs. Turkey which was…read morefun even though we got tired to stay and they lost.

Loved this park.Very scenic and nice way to get your exercise in. Be it jogging, biking, or…read morewalking. Plenty of benches available. As well as free parking. They hold a lot of concerts nearby. As well as porta pottys available for a emergency restroom. I love everything and anything concerning lakes. People were out chilling on the grass. Or you can bring a lounge chair. This is very close proximity to collective Encore and collective offshore. I definitely will be returning whenever I want to enjoy an outdoor walk or event.

The Trolley Trail is one of my favorite local hiking and/or walking trails. I mentioned both hiking…read moreand walking because you can go off the walking path and into deeper forest trails. There are also a few streams that are not roped off and you can go off the walking path down to the water. This trail has a lot of wildlife, including snakes, bunnies, ducks and deer, therefore, it is best that you keep your pets on a leash. There is one spot of the trail that is underneath a bridge and a lot of the dogs and cats get spooked due to the loud shaking noises. I frequent this trail a lot with my cat, Rune and we have never had an issue. It is very quiet and most of the people coming and going are incredibly respectful. The trail is easy to get to, and there is a lot of free parking, especially if you come early! At the beginning of the trail there is a café which is the perfect spot to grab a coffee, tea or a breakfast sandwich to enjoy on your walk!

This is my favorite trail in Ellicott City. It's fairly easy, not too long and, surrounded by…read morebeauty. It's close to where I live so I often come here for a quick jog or hike. The difficulty level is very low; the trail is wide and most of it is paved. It's about three miles and there are markers every 1/2 mile. The view along the trail is absolutely beautiful during, it doesn't matter what time of the year you go. There's a stream which you easily can go down to. As for parking, there's a huge parking lot right at the start of the trail and since this trail isn't busy, it stays pretty empty. If you don't want a difficult hike and just want a relaxing walk, this is a great trail for that. Plus, it's great for kids and pets.

Quaint waterfront in a bustling suburb. Was at a show at the Encore and then saw they had a World…read moreCup watch party here so saw some of it Too bad I got too tired to stay and then Turkey upset USA.

The Lakefront area surrounds LakeKittamaqundi. It is a large open space that includes a small…read moreamphitheater, a fountain, a pedestrian promenade, and several restaurants and retail establishments (including While Foods) overlooking the lake. It's such a pretty area to eat, gather, or just chill. It's also a great place to exercise. You can walk/run around the lake and there are several other trails in the area. I walked about 1.2 miles from Blandair Park and thoroughly enjoyed the trails. There was plenty of signage so I always knew where I was going. There was some nice foliage and even some hills. A nice change from the flat Florida terrain!

This is my favorite area in Patapsco state park, I've brought many friends and family here over the…read moreyears. It's beautiful, you can find the ruins of an old mining camp and religious boarding school here. There's even a decent spot to jump off the train tracks into the water below, although take care because the water can be shallow in spots.

Probably one of the more interesting hikes that I have done in awhile. The hike will be quite…read moreshort, but you got hills and steps to get your work out on. I think the feel of the place is supposed to be spooky, unfortunately, I picked a spring break day to do it and there were enough teenagers running around here like savages (just kidding, they were all really sweet) it doesn't really have a scary feel to it at all. To explain the ruins, it was Roman Catholic school in Ilchester, Maryland. The ruins are near Ilchester and Bonnie Branch roads (so the Yelp location is pretty straight on). It was called hell house in the 70s after it was abandoned and vandalized and rumors have it a strange cult started living there. It also had an over zealous caretaker who had a gun and some dogs and would assault vandals. He was displaced after the school was set ablaze by arsonists. Hell House altar structure that most people take pictures of is at the top of a very steep hill, about a mile in. It used to have a large metal cross, and it is a very unique place for a photoshoot. For easy access, park in the lot for patapsco state park (right past the train tracks) where the trailhead is and start coming up to the left of the train tracks.