The Grist Mill Trail is a 5.0 mile long hiking and biking trail located in

Patapsco Valley State Park Patapsco Valley State Park is a Maryland state park extending along of the Patapsco River south and west of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. The park encompasses multiple developed areas on over acres of land, making it Maryland's largest st ...

in the

Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland. The county is part of the Central Maryland region of the state. Baltimore County partly surrounds but does not include the independent city ...

side of the Patapsco Valley near

Catonsville, Maryland Catonsville () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland. The population was 44,701 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 US Census. The community is a streetcar suburb of Baltimore along the cit ...

. The paved pathway runs parallel to the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...

to the north, and the

Patapsco River The Patapsco River ( ) mainstem is a river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal portion forms the harbor for the city of Baltimore. With its South Branch, the Patapsco forms the northern border of Howar ...

to the south. The original segment of the path connected the Lost Lake to the

Patapsco Swinging Bridge The Patapsco Swinging Bridge is a pedestrian suspension bridge located in the Avalon/Orange Grove area of Patapsco Valley State Park in central Maryland, United States, just outside of Baltimore. It consists of a wooden deck supported by large ...

in the Avalon area of the park. In 2006, the trail was expanded to Ilchester Road, where a second swinging bridge was built atop the remains of the

Patterson Viaduct The Patterson Viaduct was built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) as part of its Old Main Line during May to December 1829. The viaduct spanned the Patapsco River at Ilchester, Maryland. It was heavily damaged by a flood in 1868 and subs ...

. All together, the Grist Mill Trail travels from River Road in Relay, Maryland to Ilchester Road/River Road in

Ellicott City, Maryland Ellicott City is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place in, and the county seat of, Howard County, Maryland, Howard County, Maryland, United States. Part of the Baltimore metropolitan area, its ...

References

External links

{{Patapsco Valley Bike paths in Maryland Catonsville, Maryland Ellicott City, Maryland Hiking trails in Maryland Oella, Maryland Protected areas of Baltimore County, Maryland Protected areas of Howard County, Maryland