Another route for bikers opens
by Lori Barrett | June 9, 2008 at 9:42 am
Posted in Baltimore, travel
Bikers and hikers now have another trail to explore.
The 15-mile Gwynns Falls Trail officially opened on Saturday — 15 years and $15 million later. The trail connects the I-70 Park & Ride lot to the Inner Harbor (10.6 miles) and Harbor Hospital (15 miles), so there are hopes that the trail will see commuter as well as recreational use. Plans call for the Gwynns Falls Trail to connect to the Jones Falls Trail after its completion.
Senator Cardin said at the ceremony: “You’ll be able to go from here to Baltimore and really enjoy the beauty of the park. We’re going to continue to use this model to help people around Maryland and around the nation.”
Advocates fought a number of obstacles over the past decade of construction, including road expansions and cell phone towers. Now, future plans for the Red Line could impede on the trail — if that project ever gets off the ground.
Said the vice president of the Gwynns Falls Trail Council: “Now they want to put the Red Line in. The question is: Where is the station? They’re talking about a multistory parking garage. We just finish one fight, and there’s another one.”
Has anyone checked out this trail? I’m curious about the contrast between the upper half (”pristine”) and the lower (”industrial”).
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June 9th, 2008 at 3:53 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
I love the idea of having bike trails for commuters. It's such a smart and safe idea. I hpe they do connect it to the JF trail.
June 9th, 2008 at 5:04 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
The portion of the trail west of Carroll Park is great. You'll almost forget that you're in a city. Especially when you reach Leakin Park and the region in the valley just south of this area. The "trail" east of Carroll Park is actually along roads. The section through the industrial area isn't bad (safety wise, etc.) but it's not very scenic. It gets better after you pass the stadiums towards the inner harbor. And the southern extension along the Patapsco middle branch is very worthwhile.