Photos by Ed Schultze

The Maryland, Virginia, DC area has wonderful parks, recreation facilities, natural resources, and trails, particularly in our region.

While it is easy to refer to the greater Washington area as one of the largest, busiest, densest, and most congested urban localities in the country, consider the total mileage of trails in Rock Creek, the W & OD, C & O, Potomac Heritage, Northwest Branch, Seneca Creek Greenway Trail, the AT, Catoctin trails, and so many others, just for starters. There are parks and trails and trail systems and corridors sprinkled all over the area. However, the picture is far from static. New parks and trails are being introduced constantly. In addition, some great effort has been applied to connecting various parks, trails, natural resources, and recreational areas. For trail runners, this is right up our alley.

One recent addition is the Hoyles Mill Connector Trail.

The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC) recently completed this connector trail which links Black Hills Regional Park near Clarksburg to the Schaefer Farm Park which is part of the Seneca Creek State Park (which is managed by the State Department of Natural Resources). Also included in the linkage created by this connector trail are the Germantown Recreational Park (most call this "The Soccerplex"), the Hoyles Mill Conservation Park, and the Boyd's Local Park. This great connector trail just opened last year.

For the trail runner, he or she can run from Black Hills to Schaefer Farm and back and add any desired mileage at either end. But that is just part of the story. From Schaefer Farm, trail runners can also connect to the Seneca Creek Greenway Trail and enjoy its 20 some miles of trails and connections. Here is just one option for a good morning of trail running: Riley's to Black Hills and back.

Starting from Riley's Lock main parking lot (NPS lot closest to the canal), go upstream on the towpath over the bridge over Seneca Creek. Immediately beyond the bridge, veer right and head to the trailhead for the Seneca Creek Greenway Trail on Tschiffley Road. Go down Tschiffley to River Road (directly across the street from Poole's Store, open most times Monday through Saturday). Take a right on River Road, cross back over Seneca Creek and turn left onto Seneca Road. Immediately on the left is the trailhead for the SCGT. Follow the SCGT upstream beyond Berryville Road, beyond the parking lot at Route 28, to the Black Rock Mill, approximately eight to nine miles from Riley's. Blue blazes mark this entire section.

Leaving the mill's parking lot, go left on Black Rock Road, cross the creek, but instead of crossing the street to continue on the SCGT, look for a trail going up the hill on the left. This short but steep climb will connect to the white trail--a loop trail--which is part of the Schaefer Farm trails. You will be near point five on the white trail and can go either left or right on the loop to the parking lot for Schaefer Farm Park.

Exit the park on the gravel road leading toward Schaefer Road. Cross the street and look to the right for the Hoyles Mill Trail sign. The trail goes into a grassy field; the worn area is pretty obvious to follow. After a while, the trail will take the runner into a wooded area and then to the asphalt, which is part of the Germantown Recreation area. The trail will go close to the new swimming center, the golf driving range, and some of the many fields, and then goes back into a wooded area before dumping you on the old partially gravel and partially deteriorated, previously-paved Hoyles Mill Road. There are at least two creek crossings; one is much larger than the other. Expect to get your shoes wet at the least.

After crossing Little Seneca Creek (the wide creek crossing), the road heads toward the Hoyles Mill Conservation Park and the Boyd's Local Park. At some point the road becomes a dead end for some limited local use. As the road approaches White Ground Road, look to your right for trail markers. This short section of single-track will take you through thick low-growing shrubs, then a cornfield, and then end very close to the intersection of Barnesville, Clopper, and White Ground Roads. You can pretty much see Little Seneca Lake beyond the bridge looking to your left and across the street from the cornfield. To get to the park the legal way, cross the street and go left and head toward the lake. There is a kiosk on your right easily within sight after crossing under the bridge, which shows the entrance and some of the park features. You can also just continue up Rt. 121 and take the right into the park about a quarter-to half-mile up. Go past the boat launch and up the next hill to get to the main park road and turn right to head to the visitors center or boathouse.

Estimated mileage one-way from Riley's to Black Hills is 15 miles (give or take a mile or two).

There are porta-johns at Riley's and Schaefer Farm, and year- round restrooms and water at the Germantown Recreation Center and Black Hills. In addition, there are opportunities for some fun diversions at Black Hills Park and the Soccerplex. There is swimming available to the public at the Germantown Recreation center as well as miniature golf, a driving range, splash pool, playgrounds for kids, and the opportunity to watch a soccer game- -outdoors or indoors. At Black Hills Park, there are rental boats, opportunities for fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking, picnicking, and a fitness course that is part of one of the trails, and more than ten miles of natural surface trails within this slightly less than 2,000 acre park that surrounds Little Seneca Lake.

There is parking at the Black Hills Park, at Hoyles Mill Conservation Park, at the Soccerplex, at Schaefer Farms, at Black Rock Mill, at Route 28, at Berryville Road, at Seneca Road, and at Riley's Lock.

Starting at Riley's, it can make for a great morning to look across the beautiful Potomac River at sunrise into Virginia as you begin your workout. Then leave the river behind you and head onto single-track dirt around a part of the canal that is a big pond loaded with bullfrogs, Maryland Sliders (in the summer it is common to see groups of water turtles sunning on half sunken trees almost stacked on top of one another), and kingfishers circling over the water. Then head down the old Tschiffley Road. Soon you are on the SCGT enjoying (usually) solitude, all single- track trail, and views of Seneca Creek. After seeing the old Black Rock Mill and climbing up to get on the Schaefer Farm trails, the trail runner will probably encounter a mountain biker or two. Many of these bikers help build and regularly maintain these wonderful trails.

So far, the runner has enjoyed a trip through the woods that skirts much agricultural use. After leaving Schaefer Farms the runner now goes through a modern, state-of-the-art recreation area--the Germantown Recreation area with its beautiful fields and facilities. Within minutes, the runner is back into history, running down a washed out old road and the old town of Boyd's with some interesting historical sites. Through a cornfield and a fairly busy intersection, the runner is back in another refuge, the Black Hills Park. For a roughly 30 mile out-and- back, there is little evidence that a runner was in the stereotypical Montgomery County suburbs, near two of the three largest cities in Maryland (Gaithersburg and Germantown) and not too far from I-270.

It is easy to cut this trip shorter, make it longer, or perhaps with a friend turn it into a point-to-point instead of an out- and-back. None of the route is difficult and most of it is easy to moderate to navigate. If the runner has gone more than 10 to 15 minutes without sight of a blaze, trail marker, or one of the landmarks noted above, he or she need only backtrack and regain the trail. You really are never more than a few miles from a road crossing, although you will hardly notice.

Photos below

1. On the few road crossings, the signs are easy to see.


2. Part of the year, water crossing is necessary.


3. Well marked trees help on narrow paths.


4. Sometimes the "path" is through a corn field.