The Rachel Carson Greenway is a planned 25-mile stretch of trails, spanning from the historic

Adelphi Mill The Adelphi Mill is the only surviving historic mill in Prince George's County, Maryland. It is the oldest and largest mill in the Washington, D.C. area. History The Adelphi Mill and Storehouse is located on the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia ...

Prince George's County ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrooks ...

north through eastern

Montgomery County, Maryland Montgomery County is the most populous county in the state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 1,062,061, increasing by 9.3% from 2010. The county seat and largest municipality is Rockville, although the census-design ...

Patuxent River State Park Patuxent River State Park is a public recreation area located along the upper reaches of the Patuxent River in Howard and Montgomery counties in Maryland. The state park features hunting, fishing, mountain biking, horseback riding, and hiking on ...

, and incorporating existing Northwest Branch trails. The greenway was proposed as part of a 1998 Countywide Park Trails Plan. A plan for the greenway was approved by the Montgomery County Planning Board on June 15, 2005. The Rachel Carson Greenway would include a set of three existing trails, including the Northwest Branch trail in Silver Spring, Woodlawn Manor trails in Sandy Spring and Rachel Carson Conservation Park trails near Laytonsville. The Northwest Branch Trail Corridor was officially renamed as the Rachel Carson Greenway on March 20, 2004. The largest section of the greenway consists of a network of unimproved hiking trails through the Northwest Branch stream valley gorge in Burnt Mills, Maryland. A Sandy Spring Heritage Trail is being considered as part of the greenway trail system. In 2008, Montgomery County approved plans to extend the

Rock Creek Park Rock Creek Park is a large urban park that bisects the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. The park was created by an Act of Congress in 1890 and today is administered by the National Park Service. In addition to the park proper, the Rock Cr ...

trail system north to Rachel Carson Conservation Park and connect with the Rachel Carson Greenway.

Existing trails

As of 2011, the Greenway included three trail systems:

Rachel Carson Conservation Park

The Rachel Carson Conservation Park is a 650-acres park located near Laytonsville, in Montgomery County, Maryland. The park contains over six miles of existing hiking and equestrian trails, and Hawlings River traverses the park. The conservation area was named in 1977 for noted environmentalist

Rachel Carson Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservation movement, conservationist whose influential book ''Silent Spring'' (1962) and other writings are credited with advancing the ...

, the author of ''

Silent Spring ''Silent Spring'' is an environmental science book by Rachel Carson. Published on September 27, 1962, the book documented the environmental harm caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides. Carson accused the chemical industry of spreading d ...

'', who lived nearby. The park includes 50.6 acres acquired by Montgomery County in 2004. The

Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is a bi-county agency that administers parks and planning in Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland. History The commission was formed in 1927 by the Maryland ...

prepared a master plan for the park in 2000.

Underground Railroad Experience Trail

The Underground Railroad Experience Trail, located in Sandy Spring, Maryland, commemorates the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

and

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

traditions. The trail extends north from Woodlawn Manor Park to the Sandy Spring and then on to a 300-year-old Champion White Ash tree. This trail is a member of the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government within the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of ...

's Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

Northwest Branch

Rachel carson greenway l20200830 101304 1

Between the

Burnt Mills Dam Four Corners is a neighborhood and census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Many residents consider the neighborhood a part of Silver Spring, to whose CDP it belonged until 2010. It had a population of 8,316 ...

trailhead on U.S. Route 29 (Colesville Road) and Kemp Mill Road near Wheaton Regional Park the Rachel Carson Greenway Trail follows the east side of the Northwest Branch, across the creek from the

Northwest Branch Trail The Northwest Branch Trail is a multi-use (hiking, biking, equestrian) trail that follows the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC. It is part of the Rachel Carson Greenway and the Anacostia Tri ...

. The trail is rustic and designated

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A His ...

only except for the stretch between Valley Brook Drive and the trail connection to the Northwest Branch Trail, where equestrian riders are also permitted.

References

External links

* * * * * {{Maryland hiking trails Protected areas of Montgomery County, Maryland Protected areas of Prince George's County, Maryland Hiking trails in Maryland

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...