Howard County Bird Club
Woodstock Road Detailed Information
Habitat: Floodplain deciduous forest along the river. Open areas are created by the railroad tracks which run parallel to the river. Upland deciduous forest and seasonal stream valleys can be accessed through a trail system upstream.
Layout: The bridge where Woodstock Road crosses the Patapsco River (the name changes to Old Court Road on the Baltimore County side) provides access to a section of the 14,000 acre Patapsco Valley State Park (PVSP) which runs 32 miles along the Patapsco River. Upstream about two miles is the junction of the South Branch and the North Branch of the Patapsco River. From that point upstream, the Howard County line follows the South
Branch forming the boundary with Carroll County. There are no facilities in this non-fee area. There is a large parking lot with two picnic tables. Avoid parking in front of the wooden railings designed for horses. There is a restaurant across from the parking lot.
Best Time to Visit: April and May; for the breeding Neotropical species late spring or early summer visit; September.
Birding: Begin birding in the parking lot by scanning the fringe of trees along the river. Cautiously cross the active double railroad tracks to the high river bank for mid-level looks into the trees. A wide variety of warblers, including Yellow-throated Warbler, can be found here in the appropriate season.
A short section of river beneath the highway bridge can be reached by descending a steep gully to the river, but travel is soon blocked upstream and downstream by steep banks descending to the water.
Upstream – Return to the parking lot. In the morning, the sun will be at your back travelling upstream. Initially, walk along the railroad tracks. Take advantage of the open sky to watch for raptors and vultures.
Stay on the uphill side of the double tracks about a quarter-mile until they change to single tracks as the river side
of the tracks often has no shoulder. At the point at which the tracks change to a single track, there is the option to cross to the river side and find your way down the railroad embankment to an area of open floodplain forest containing a large winding stream. Soon a broad path used by horsemen appears that leads eventually back to the tracks and a trail junction 0.4 miles from the parking lot. At the junction just uphill from the railroad tracks, the trail splits left and right.
The righthand trail in the forest parallel to the tracks goes approximately 2.5 miles north to Marriottsville Road. It will sometimes be in sight of the river, but other times the river swings east away from the tracks and will be out of sight. The left path will lead west away from the river up a broad stream valley with mature open forest. Listen here for Barred Owls, Pileated Woodpeckers, and other forest birds. After 0.3 miles the trail reaches a pipeline clearing which is a good turn around point. A PVSP complete trail map and compass and/or GPS device are recommended for further travel on the network of inland trails which could be followed north to the Driver Road access point (See the Marriottsville Road description.) Be aware that some trails indicated on the map are little used and may be hard to find. The professionally produced PVSP “Complete Trail Map” is recommended.
Downstream – Travel downstream from the Woodstock Road parking lot is more difficult. A short section of river
floodplain under the highway bridge can be accessed from the parking lot, but the way is soon blocked by a river inlet and a steep slope of loose rocks. To travel downstream, cross Woodstock Road and walk cautiously on the uphill side of the active double railroad tracks. Walking on the river side of the tracks is not recommended as in some areas there is no shoulder, just loose rocks sloping to the water. After 0.5 miles, an upslope trail through the forest parallel to the tracks is marked by blue flags, but the trail is little used and hard to follow, involving walking on the side slope in leaf litter through open forest. An option instead is to cautiously cross the double tracks and search for deer trails down the steep embankment to the floodplain. Once on the floodplain there are no trails, just moderate walking through open forest, with occasional downed trees and small stream crossings. At approximately 1.0 mile, where old bridge abutments are visible, the railroad tracks again come close to the river
and the way is blocked by a jumble of large rocks. You will again need to travel along the tracks past this area. A PVSP complete trail map and compass and/or GPS device are recommended for further travel. It is 4.4 miles from Woodstock Road to Daniels Road, the next car access point downstream. Although beyond the scope of this web site, there is good birding in the Granite area of the PVSP across the river in Baltimore County.
Highlights: High river bank offers mid-level looks into floodplain trees. A wide variety of warblers, including Yellow-throated Warbler, can be found here in the appropriate season. Riverine dragonflies are interesting.
Handicapped Access: There is good birding from the parking area and across the railroad tracks along the high bank above the river. Otherwise it is not recommended for the mobility impaired. River access is down a steep gully. Further travel will at least initially be rough walking along railroad tracks.