Howard County Bird Club
Hollofield (PVSP) Detailed Information
Habitat: Mostly upland deciduous forest on a high bluff above the river with clearings around day use areas; a power line right-of-way provides meadow and edge habitat, and there is a small pond with cattails. River habitat and open areas along the railroad tracks adjacent to the river are reached by steep trails.
Layout: The Hollofield Area is a section of the 14,000-acre PVSP which runs 32 miles along the Patapsco River. Here the river is the dividing line between Howard County and Baltimore County. Hollofield is divided by the Baltimore National Pike, US 40, into north and south sections. The two sections are linked by a park road through
an underpass.
The fee area south of US 40 consists of two parts: the day use area and a seasonal campground. This south section is open 9:00 a.m. to sunset. Fees are collected year-round, payable by the honor system if the entrance booth is not open. Water and restrooms are available except in winter, when only a portable toilet is available.
There are picnic shelters, playgrounds, and ball fields. An overlook provides views of the Patapsco River Valley. Two steep trails lead down to the Patapsco River. A telephone is located at the entrance booth. No pets are allowed except on leash in the campground. The south area is heavily used on warm weekends.
The non-fee north section contains the park headquarters and two trails in the upland forest (no river access). This section can be accessed by car Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., when the Headquarters (HQ) building is open. North area restrooms are available only during those hours. Outside these hours, the road into the north area is blocked by a gate and access is by parking in the south fee area and walking the park road into the north area. For information, call the main park office at 410-461-5005 during above-listed hours. To report problems, call the headquarters or Park Watch at 1-800-825-PARK.
Best Time to Visit: Spring migration; September for hawks. Avoid summer weekends after mid-morning when this popular park is crowded. Check with the Department of Natural Resources at http://www.dnr.state.md.us for seasonal hunting dates and areas at Hollofield.
Birding: Check for birds such as Yellow-billed Cuckoo, various woodpeckers, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Acadian and Great Crested flycatchers, Eastern Bluebird, Wood Thrush, Ovenbird, Kentucky Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, and Blue Grosbeak which all have been known to nest here. Most of the species found elsewhere in deciduous woods in the county can be found along this section of the river. The overlook can be a useful viewpoint for migrating fall hawks. In spring, birders have occasionally caught good waves of migrating warblers.
Birding the south area will take an hour to a half day depending on whether the steep trails to the river are investigated or the paved road to the campground is walked (only registered campers can drive it). It will take at least one to two hours to walk the trails in the north section.
South section: Bird the south section by checking the edges around the picnic area and ball field for species such as Eastern Phoebe. A short paved trail leads to a scenic overlook of the Patapsco River gorge. Look for soaring hawks and vultures.
The steep 0.3 mile Union Dam trail descends from the east end of the picnic area to the Patapsco River. At the river an option is to take the trail upstream under the Route 40 bridge (and later under the high Interstate 70 highway bridge) paralleling the railroad tracks about 1.5 miles to Old Frederick Road. Otherwise, walk downstream along the broad shoulder between the railroad tracks and the river checking the riverbank fringe of trees for warblers. Walking beside the tracks gives views of the sky and into the open woods. In about 0.3 miles, the River Ridge Trail climbs 0.2 miles through mature forest to the campground road. (There is seasonal hunting in this area below the bluff.) Upon reaching the road, turn right to return through mature forest to the day use area in 0.3 miles.
For an extended walk, turn left at the road. The steep park road continues through mature woods to a forested seasonal campground area. Many of the species found elsewhere in deciduous woods in the county can be found here, including Pileated Woodpecker and White-breasted Nuthatch. The campground is adjacent to open areas under a power line, which can be reached in the campfire area after site #404. After investigating this section, return to the day use area along the campground road.
North section: Birding in the north section is in upland deciduous forest and power line edge. There is no river access. The two dirt trails, the Peaceful Pond Trail and the Ole Ranger Trail, can be reached from the Headquarters (HQ) parking lot (or by walking in from the south area) and can be linked by connector trails to form loops of various sizes. The trails enter an area where there is seasonal hunting.
A free simplified trail map of the Hollofield Area (as well as individual maps of selected other areas of Patapsco Valley State Park) is available in the HQ building, but it is not to scale and does not show some of the connecting trails. The professionally produced PVSP “Complete Trail Map” is recommended.
The 0.1 mile Peaceful Pond Trail starts at the edge of the HQ parking lot. After a short distance, a post marks a trail junction. Take the left trail to survey the small Peaceful Pond. A bench and small observation platform at the pond and a picnic table a short distance away in the woods have views of the water and some of the patches of cattails. A faint track allows one to circle the pond, but not easily. Return to the junction. Turn left to take a 0.1 mile extension (not shown on the free map) to a post marking the junction with the 1.3 mile Ole Ranger loop. The extension is mostly through high canopy with some downed trees and brushy areas. A radio tower is off to the left.
At the Ole Ranger junction, one can go either left or right. The right turn is described here as this provides more options for making short loops, if desired. The trail goes through an area of brush where the canopy is more open. After 0.3 miles, the trail crosses a power line. At this point, an unpaved maintenance road joins from the right. This can be taken a short distance back to the HQ parking lot. The Ole Ranger Trail continues across the power line about 0.1 miles to a junction. At this intersection, the right trail is a 0.2 mile connector which leads to the park road near the Route 40 underpass. At the road, turn left to return to the south section or right to reach the HQ parking lot. The left trail crosses a seasonal stream and the power line again. From this point the trail is paved for 0.4 miles. It goes through mature deciduous forest to Church Lane Road (off Rogers Avenue), a neighborhood access point with no official parking, but room for one or two cars on the shoulder. Watch for a dirt trail to the left before Church Lane Road in 0.8 miles to finish the Ole Ranger loop and return to the HQ parking lot via the Peaceful Pond Trail. The entire loop will take one to two hours.
Unfortunately, invasive plants have become dominant in many sections of this trail. Although canopy birds may still be found, much of the ground and understory is dominated by Asiatic bittersweet and Japanese stilt-grass. Open areas along the power lines have been less impacted.
For the botanist, the Hollofield Area, PVSP, offers some locally rare species. Soils in the vicinity of the overlook with their neutral pH and serpentine rock are of particular interest. The steep slope makes investigation difficult to downright dangerous although stunted trees are obvious. Sharp eyes and binoculars may pick out some of the specialties including Small’s ragwort, four-leaved and whorled milkweed, Leonard’s skullcap, spiderwort, cornel-leaved aster, gray goldenrod, and many other species depending on the season. Habitat beneath the power lines has produced Canada lily, showy skullcap, green milkweed, and whorled rosinweed among other interesting plants.
Highlights: Panoramic views of the Patapsco River Valley; unusual plants particularly in the overlook area. The PVSP Headquarters in the north area has pamphlets and sells maps and state park passes.
Handicapped Access: The south section has extensive paved parking in the day use area and a paved trail to the overlook. It is generally level. The dirt trails leading down to the river are very steep and not recommended except for those in good physical condition. The paved campground road descends and ascends steeply through the woods. (It can only be driven by registered campers.) The north area has paved parking adjacent to the Headquarters. Trails directly from the HQ parking area are dirt. A half mile paved section of the Ole Ranger Trail could be accessed from Church Lane Road in the neighborhood on the west side; however, this paved trail has a
moderate to steep slope. Parking off Church Lane Road for one or two cars is on the grass shoulder as there is no official parking here.