Saw Mill Branch, PVSP, Maryland
I have been running a 2 mile loop in Patapsco Valley State Park near Baltimore once or twice a week for the past few months. It connects the Buzzard Rocks Trail with the Saw Mill Branch Trail. It’s been quite a challenge and I still haven’t been able to run the whole loop (ok, so I may not have run it every week). I guess it’s more of a mix between running and hiking because some parts are steep and rocky, requiring careful attention to footing. The total elevation change throughout the hike is 400 ft down and 400 feet up, with most of that seeming to only be in 2 sections.
If you’re not into trail running, It is also a great loop for a short day hike because it provides great views of the valley as well as some nice rugged hiking past multiple waterfalls.
I took all three of these photos on a misty/cloudy/rainy day in the middle of October when the fall colors were just starting to really come out in the valley. At peak colors, the forest is really pleasant to walk through. The views into the valley get better as the leaves start falling from the trees, but that also makes the trail around the stream more slippery.
Here is a link to the GPS data I recorded on one of my runs. You can get directions to the trail head (a small parking lot for ~10 cars) using the maps on that site.