Brighton Dam
Triadelphia Reservoir
2 Brighton Dam Road, Brookville, Maryland 20833
Amenities: Portable toilets in the paved parking lot. Free maps available in the information office in the cabin adjacent to the parking lot.
Handicapped Access: Challenging. Crossing Brighton Dam Road is not always
easy. The water is only visible over the almost four foot cement barrier adjacent to the sidewalk. The sidewalk is usually not shoveled after snowstorms.
Special Attractions: Besides the water, which is the main attraction, there is an azalea garden on the west side open for a few weeks each spring. It opens after waterfowl migration so the access doesn’t gain much for birders trying to view the blind spot favored by ducks and mergansers, but the flowers draw many visitors.
Habitat: The dam spans the southern end of the reservoir. Brighton Dam Road runs along the top of the dam. Standing on Brighton Dam facing north, one is looking at a cove of Triadelphia Reservoir. The wooded edges on the east are in Howard County; those on the west are in Montgomery County. There may be unvegetated spits of land visible depending on the height of the water. A small section of the main reservoir can be seen in the distance. Both orange and white buoys serve as convenient perches.
Trails/Paths: Parking is in a gated lot on the Montgomery (southwest) side of the dam. A sidewalk runs along the north side of the dam adjacent to Brighton Dam Road. There is no sidewalk on the south side facing the Patuxent River. A picnic area below the dam is reached through a gate from the parking lot. It is open in warm weather during daylight hours.
Compilers: Nancy Magnusson and Joanne Solem
