Big Gunpowder South (White Trail)

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · River/Creek · Swimming · Views · Waterfall · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Start the trail from the park entrance on Harford Rd. There is limited parking on the trail side but you may be able to park across the street. It fills up quick on summer weekends with families enjoying the water and the little beaches that are exposed when the water is low.

There is one stream crossing about 0.25 miles in, which if you have little children, is a nice place for them to play in the water. After that crossing, there are very few people so the trail is very quiet. The trail follows the river the entire way and is very scenic. There is a very nice spot to rest or picnic about the halfway point just past the Gunpowder Pumping Station. It looks to have been an Eagle Scout Project with benches and little bridges to the little island in the middle of the stream.

The rest of the trail weaves its way along the river bank, which can sometimes become a little swampy if there has been a good rain. There are a ton of beaver signs along the river as well as plenty of deer. As you get closer to the end of the trail, you'll start to see other people on the other side of the river exploring the trails over there. The trail comes up behind the Gunpowder Inn, which has an outside dining area. You'll continue across their parking lot and then onto the trail which runs along Bel Air Rd and then travels under the road to the parking lot on the other side.

From there, the trail continues along the riverside until it eventually reaches an overlook of the Gunpowder Falls.

This is a great trail for families, we had our 8 and 6 year old, and they were fine.

Beaver and deer populate the trail.