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Re: Accessible Birding Locations (near Baltimore)

From:

Steve Sanford

Reply-To:

Steve Sanford

Date:

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 20:37:09 -0500

Georgia, and all,

One of my favorite haunts in migration, Milford Mill Park, near 
Liberty Road and the Beltway, is wheelchair accessible. The one mile 
loop is completely paved or boardwalked. (Admittedly, one stretch is 
subject to 1-3" puddling for 20 feet or so.) It's on Milford Mill Rd 
immediately east of Scotts Level Rd. On maps it is usually called 
"Villa Nova Park." The Beltway noise is intimidating, but gets much 
better as you go around the loop. It's somewhat of a migrant trap 
since it's an oasis of green in a suburban desert. It is mostly wooded 
and follows Gwynns Falls for half of the loop.

I have somewhat less experience with the following, but...

Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park in western Baltimore has paved trails from 
"Winans Meadow" to at least Windsor Mill Rd, which could probably be 
scootered or wheel-chaired. That may apply to the whole 15 mile extent 
of the Gwynns Falls Trail which is set up as a biking/hiking trail 
from Leakin Park to Carroll Park and the Inner Harbor. Incidentally, 
the trail is well-patrolled by police on bikes. They may be the only 
people you'll see there. See 
http://www.gwynnsfallstrail.org/trail_info.asp
And there is the closed-to-traffic section of Wetheredsville Road out 
of Dickeyville for about a mile.

I've heard that Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park is one of the last chunks of 
"climax" forest in the area. It is full of giant oak, beech, and tulip 
trees, and you'd never guess you were in a big eastern city.

Steve Sanford
Randallstown MD (Balto Co)
scartanATverizonDOTnet