The Hereford Tract of Gunpowder Falls in Baltimore County, MD has outdoor gems to discover and rough spots to avoid. We’ll show you the best way to go.
Gunpowder Falls State Park in Maryland consists of six non-contiguous tracts boasting over 120 miles of trails along the Gunpowder Falls and Little Gunpowder Falls streams. In this adventure, we explore the Hereford Tract in Baltimore County. We began at the easternmost trailhead off of Big Falls Road at 39.60876, -76.63502. Trails run on both sides of Gunpowder Falls, so our strategy was to hike upstream on the south side to our objective at the western terminus, the scenic Prettyboy Dam. Then we returned on the trail along the northern bank, forming a loop.
The trail follows closely to the stream for much of the trek, except for the portion between Interstate 83 and Masemore Road, which climbs up and down several hills. There where were some nice boulder areas and ravines near tributaries, and much of the stream itself is quite scenic. However, for most of the journey, the trail is hemmed by dense brush on both sides, detracting from the beauty of the stream. The brush consists largely of thorny plants suited to colonizing disturbed areas such as barberry, multifloral rose, and greenbrier. In most parts, these were cut back so as not to grow into the trail. It would be a wicked, nearly impassable journey otherwise. We encountered the remains of an old farm with an abandoned old car as shown above. Note the thick barberry all around.
In addition to the dense brush, the trail was plagued by washed out portions and fallen trees, particularly prior to Falls Road (not to be confused with Big Falls Road where we started). However, after Falls Road, the trail completely changed character from a brushy fisherman’s path to a rugged rocky bank. This rocky stretch had vigorous cascades and was by far the most scenic of the hike. Be careful though; the rocks are slippery when wet.
Gunpowder Falls makes a hairpin turn at 39.61427, -76.69870. Here the boulders give way to a much easier packed earth trail passing through rhododendron and mountain laurel tunnels. After the sharp curve the Prettyboy Reservoir Dam becomes visible in the distance.
The water jet from the spillway gate generates a significant breeze that grows stronger with proximity to the dam. We rested on some rocks in front of the dam enjoying the misty wind. This would be a great place to cool off on a hot day. The dam stands approximately 150 feet high and is an impressive sight from the bottom. The Prettyboy Reservoir was completed in 1932 and is a major water supply for Baltimore. Local lore holds that the reservoir was named after a settler’s horse “Pretty Boy” that drowned nearby.
It is hard to make out in the photos, but you can see in the video at the bottom of this post that the water shoots out in a jet-like cone. At the vertex, the water blasts into itself, arking over the spillway.
From the Prettyboy Reservoir Dam, we backtracked to the haripin curve then headed up the ravine on the highland trail. This trail passed over a plateau on earthen paths and a gravel road to a power line cut then descended to return to the stream at Masemore Road. We made use of the bridge at Masemore Road to cross to the trail on the north side of Gunpowder Falls for our return trip. Like the trail on south side, the north trail closely parallels the stream for most of the trip but had muddier sections than on the south side. Overall, the trail on the north side also had sections of dense brush, but with a greater prevalence of grasses, although there was no shortage of thorns.
Again, the stream itself was scenic, but the disturbed brushy landscape around the trail was unattractive. We found a rocky waterslide pictured above at one of the tributaries. The trail was easy to lose at times, but we just followed the water and made it back to the trailhead at Big Falls Road. Portions of the blue trail between Route 145 and Big Falls Road were very easy to lose.
Overall, the round trip was 13.6 Miles.
There are numerous trailheads, but the one we started at was Big Falls Road on the eastern terminus. It is at 39.60876, -76.63502.
On the way out to the Prettyboy Dam, we took the white trail on the south side of Gunpowder Falls.
On the return trip, we backtracked the white trail to the Red Highlands Trail at Masemore Rd. We then followed the blue trail on the north side of Gunpowder Falls.
Note that the bridge at Bunker Hill Road is permanently out.
Although the stream is named “Gunpowder Falls,” there were no true waterfalls, at least at the Hereford Tract. Based on our experience hiking the entire length of the Hereford Tract, on both sides of the stream, we recommend only the westernmost section between Falls Road and the Prettyboy Reservoir Dam. With the rocky bank, cascades, and mountain laurel tunnels, this portion was by far the most scenic and interesting. And the dam is a fun objective for the journey. Just be careful – the rocks are slippery when wet.
Parking for the Falls Road Trailhead is at 39.61762, -76.69311.
The out-and-back would be 2.7 miles.
Although the stream itself is scenic, the rest of the hike was through largely unattractive brush, grass, and mud. The way was more suitable as fishermen’s paths than a hiking trail. It was OK for mileage, but there are much nicer hikes on which we would rather spend our time. If you do choose to hike the rest of the trail, we strongly recommend doing so in late fall through early spring when the brush has died back.
Be sure to check out our other adventures.
