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Hemlock Gorge Last Reviewed: 07/04 Description: Moderate 6-mile figure-8 circuit hike along the headwaters of the Gunpowder River above Pretty Boy Reservoir. Includes a particularly beautiful rocky gorge full of Hemlocks and cascades. Flora: Spirea, Meadow Rue, and Scarlet Pimpernel. Fungi: Old Man of the Woods, Russula Pulchra, Chicken of the Woods, Coral Mushrooms.
Warnings: A couple of the areas on either end of Hemlock Gorge proper may get overgrown with thorns, Stinging Nettles and Poison Ivy. Wear light weight long pants preferably with zip off legs in the summer. Th There will be a pull-over with two trails on the right followed by a corral for River Valley Ranch. Park on the shoulder but do not block the corral gate. |
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Trail Notes: This is the first hike that I ever
scouted alone. Although it is only of moderate difficulty one
has to pay attention. There are no signs or official blazes.
There are just enough cross trails to confuse you if you are
not prepared. From the
parking area, look into the woods alongside of the corral.
There is a trail going directly up the hill on your right.
There is another trail going straight into the woods
paralleling the corral. Take this route. In about 40-50 yards
come to a fork in the trail. The left is your return route.
Turn right and climb steeply to the top of the
hill.
The next leg of the hike is
either flat or mostly downhill. Follow this well-worn trail on
an old farm road. At approximately 0.6 and 0.8 miles, look for
trails to your left. You will use these on your
return.
At about 1.2-1.3 miles from the
beginning come to Gunpowder Rd. Turn left and walk down the
road, staying on the grass shoulder. Cross the bridge over the
Gunpowder River. To the left there is a gravel bar that
supports a lush growth of tall flowering weeds in the summer.
Several species of butterflies and moths can be observed
here.
As you continue along Gunpowder
Rd look for a trail at a pull-over on the right shoulder. Take
this up and around the hill. It will soon become a forest
road.
At a four-way intersection (about
0.3 miles from Gunpowder Rd), come to the original Hoffman
Cemetery. Buried here is the founder of the Hoffman Paper Mill
established in the 1700s along with other family members and
servants.
Continue straight through the
intersection, down a steep hill, across a stream (Walker Run),
up another steep hill and back down to another stream (Silver
Run, about 0.5 miles from the cemetery). If you haven't
noticed by now there is an abundance of Hemlock trees around
you.
If you have a sense for history
and a little imagination, cross this last stream and
immediately turn right onto another woods road. Follow the
stream down to its confluence with the Gunpowder. This is
where the Hoffman Paper Mill was located. If you look to the
left and downstream you can see a mound immediately in front
of you, which is all that remains of the dam. Across the way,
in winter, you can see the remains of an old out building.
There used to be some old gears and other metalwork in the
shallows but that has been recently
removed.
Return to the last stream
crossing and re-cross it. Follow the other bank downstream on
a well-worn trail towards the stream juncture. The trail might
get iffy when you arrive at a sandy but very weedy bench along
the river. Turn right here and work your way up river until
you find the trail again on the other side of the
bench.
This is where Hemlock Gorge
officially starts. In a few steps you will find yourself in a
setting more like that found way up north than below the
Piedmont Plateau. You'll be surrounded by close canyon walls,
massive gray rocks, Hemlocks, and rushing white water. The
trail is well defined at first but sections of it require that
you find your way upstream the best you can until you regain
the trail. Just don't get too high up on the
wall.
In about 0.5 miles from the last
stream junction you will come to the confluence of Walker Run
with the Gunpowder and the old swimming hole. This is one of
the best lunch spots in MD on a hot July
day!
After you've had your fill of
relaxation, grab your gear and continue upriver, arriving
again at Gunpowder Rd in about 0.3 miles. Turn left and
re-cross the bridge. Immediately after crossing turn right,
passing a forest gate, and walk along a forest road. Youll
pass through more Hemlocks as you go
along.
Near the crest of the hill the
road splits. A grassy road goes straight and the main route
turns sharply to the right. Make this turn. In a short
distance the trail will make a sharp left and start heading
down hill. Stop and look for another trail to your left just
after your last turn. Make this left turn and walk uphill some
more to the intersection of the trail you first started
on.
Turn right here but in a short
distance make another right on an old woods road that takes
you down to the river one last time. Follow the river until
you reach another small stream. Turn left on a well-worn
footpath and return to your car. |
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______________________________________ name: Janet Hike Venue: Hemlock Gorge*
Hike date: several
times Ranking: 5 _______________________________________
name:
Alex hike name: Hemlock Gorge*
M. R. Hyker note: Will try to clarify places where Alex made some wrong turns. I'll let the visitor read all of the critiques found here. Everbody sees a hike with different vision I guess. This is viewed by many hike leaders in the Baltimore area as a crown jewel especially being so close to a metropolis. _______________________________________ Name:
Bob Gabbart
Hike:
Hemlock
Gorge M.R.Hyker Note: I checked my data and I think Bob missed a turn. E-mail me Bob and we'll discuss it but: After you leave Gunpowder road you walk parallel to the river but pretty removed from it. After a while the old woods road you're on goes straight into a grassy area and you turn right onto another well worn woods road. It follows a seasonal draw on the right. Sometimes it has a stream, other times its dry. As you near the river the road makes a "left" and begins to descend to the river. Right at that bend is another trail on the left that climbs up and over a small hill. _______________________________________
Name: matt w
Hike:
Hemlock Gorge
Critique: Great
hike for being so close to the city. Took me 30 minutes from
downtown Baltimore to arrive. _______________________________________ |
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