Baltimore and Annapolis Trail Park

«How can you write a review for a long stretch of pavement?»
–Me, before seeing this Unilocal page.
once, long ago, there lived a railroad
laid out in the Stephenson gauge,
it ran north to south,
from B down to A,
o’er rivers, by trees, and through sage.
but time, she was cruel, caught up with the rail,
as the gears all started to gnash,
only freight stressed the truss,
fares took the bus!
while the owners kept hemorrhaging cash.
the railway’s now gone. it’s no longer there
but if you wish to pay your respects,
go see this bike trail
and learn more ’bout this tale!
just watch for the tools in spandex.

Awesome trail to go on. I love being able to walk my dog on it everyday because it’s super close. However it is very dangerous to cross roads since cars can’t see the trail until they are already passing it. It is kept well maintained and is the perfect place to walk, bike, or run as long as your careful.

We were looking for a place to do some hiking during our recent visit to Annapolis and stopped first at Jonas Green Park along the river. The ranger there told us that there was no hiking there but we should head up the road a couple miles to try the B&A trail. So we did!
While I wouldn’t say it’s exactly what we were looking for to hike, it did serve the purpose of getting us out away from the city and a give us a chance to unwind. The paved path that goes all the way to Glen Burnie was amazingly well kept, wide, and an ideal place to do some biking. Wish we had bikes! But I wouldn’t recommend it for hiking. We were hoping for a path through the woods and this wasn’t that. But it’s flat!

Spanning the distance between Annapolis and Linthicum, the Baltimore and Annapolis (B&A) trail is a fantastic bike trail /​walk for anyone.
My personal experience has been delightful and frequently surrounded by many kind people who make sure to observe bikers rights. The biggest downside is the speed limit and the several public road crossings you will encounter, once you travel further into Severna Park /​Arnold.
Parking can be found directly off of Route 2 among several other parks lots along the way; ergo, Thomas A Dixon Aircraft Jr. observation park in Glen Burnie /​Linthicum.
There are multiple rest spot throughout the trail, including benches and water fountains, which lead to a large rest station midway through the trail.
5 stars.

Even with all the reminder signage people still manage to not announce they are passing you. Watch out for rude trail users!
Can be overcome by strollers and people just there for a lazy walk.
As a cyclist it can be disrupting to use the straight part of the trail because of all the stops and road crossings which do not allow you much time to actually ride.

Biked this trail with some friends on Saturday over labor day weekend. We took the light rail ($ 1.60) from Baltimore to Cromwell station, the last stop in Glen Burnie. Once you get off, bike across the street, and the B&A trail begins.
It’s 13 miles all the way to annapolis. The trail is paved, mostly flat, and well-​maintained with luscious vegetation lining the trail. There are rest areas along the way with benches, water fountains, shops, stores, etc. so you can start/​stop all along the trail. There is also ample shade from the trees lining the trail so even though it was above 90 degrees that day, the shade kept us cool.
When you are a few miles from annapolis, the trail merges with the road so you have to bike alongside cars and you have to bike uphill to get over the bridge. The bike line is wide though so it’s not a big issue.
Overall, this is a great trail that is suitable for running and biking. The scenery is very relaxing. We biked to annapolis, grabbed a bite to eat, walked around, and then biked back to glen burnie. It wasn’t that crowded even though it was labor day weekend. The 13 mile ride takes about 1.5 hours depending how fast you bike.
I love this trail after biking it the other day. Great way to enjoy sunny weather.

Great trail. Can get really crowded and you can’t go more than 20 mph. Good for training and endurance. Will visit more this spring.

We accessed the trail via Sawmill Park, and ran 2 miles out east (ish) the first day, and 2mi in the other direction the second day. The first day took us through city sections of Glen Burnie — and a few too many busy intersections. But I enjoyed the second run, which was forested for the most part (aside from running along an overpass)… the trail goes alongside a highway part of the way; so you could hear the cars, but not see them most of the time. There was enough variation in elevation to keep it interesting, but nothing so steep or prolonged that it affected my tempo. All in all, a really enjoyable and easy run.

I frequent this trail, from the beginning of the trail at Manresa up to Pasadena it’s great… smooth and safe. Past that the trail get’s broken up and more obstacles are intruduced. There are some water fountains in Arnold and Severna Park as well as many shops, stores and parking just off trail for convenience. Open from dawn to dusk and occasionally there are rangers who ticket people after dark. Watch out for people cycling over the posted speed limit of 15mph, it is a multiuse trail with runners, families and pets so share the path and be safe.