Howard County Bird Club
Annapolis Rock Detailed Information
The best trail network of any portion of Patuxent River State Park (PRSP) and excellent habitat diversity combine to produce a site for some of the county’s most sought bird species.
Habitat: Large blocks of pines planted 20 to 40 years ago on the upland are easily reached from the horse trailer parking area (P1 on the map). Scrub and second-growth still exist in isolated fields to the east, as well as south and west of the lot, mostly along old fence lines. Some distance southwest, but well hidden along a trail, there is a pond surrounded by deciduous trees. No trail encircles it. The floodplain forest along Cabin Branch (east of the intersection of Annapolis Rock Road and Hipsley Mill Road) contains a beaver-created wetland where sunny, swampy areas are interspersed with deciduous trees. Upstream from that intersection along Cabin Branch is additional floodplain forest well worth exploring. Farther south along Hipsley Mill Road, horse trails pass along field edges (DNR land that is tenant-farmed).
Layout: There are no state-produced maps of the trail network. The main parking area on the south side of Annapolis Rock Road (P1) is marked by a small sign across from the entrance. Designed for horse trailers, it is entered through a metal gate which is usually closed, but not locked. The deeply rutted lane leading to the parking area can be difficult for a car with low clearance to negotiate, especially in wet, snowy, or icy weather. Parking is in a large, circular, grassy (sometimes muddy) area. Wide and easily followed horse trails (also used by hikers) fan out through patches of planted pines, along old farm fields, and through young deciduous woods. Trails are generally dry except after heavy rains or where they drop down to cross small streams. Trail access from additional small parking lots (P2–P5) along Old Annapolis Road and Hipsley Mill Road are described in the Birding section below. The trails leading from the parking lot where Hipsley Mill Road crosses the Patuxent River are described in the Hipsley Mill site guide. On the floodplain, there is a greater likelihood of encountering muddy trails or needing to ford Cabin Branch. It is safest to cross only at horse fords, which are generally gravel-bottomed and fairly shallow.
Best Time to Visit: Each season provides something different. Spring and fall migrants are found both in the scrubby second-growth and in the more mature floodplain woods and wetlands. Late fall to late winter can produce unusual owls in the pines; late winter and early spring are best for American Woodcock. Not many years ago Eastern Whip-poor-wills could be heard in spring and early summer, but their presence has become increasingly sporadic. The last few years have yielded no reports.
Birding: One of the wider sections of this linear park, Annapolis Rock has excellent habitat diversity. Upland: In addition to migrating and breeding passerines in the pines and scrubland, look for roosting and wintering owls, displaying woodcock in spring, and Wild Turkeys year-round. There are some good views of the sky. Much of the area surrounding the main parking lot used to be covered with annuals and young second-growth. A combination of pine plantings and natural succession is gradually changing the habitat and reducing bird diversity. There are fewer sparrows, chats, and thrashers than were present a few years ago; woodcock courtship habitat dwindles each year. Eventually, the latter species may no longer be found here, except as an irregular migrant in fall and late winter.
From P1, there are three trail entrances. With your back to the entrance road, A is to the right near the information board, B is straight ahead between posts, and C is to the far left. Exploring from each trailhead, whether “out and return” or a short loop, will provide a sense of the habitats found here. The parking pullout (P2) is 0.4 miles east of the P1 entrance and can be a good alternative if P1 has too much activity. From this point, one can cross Annapolis Rock Road and enter the extensive trail system (D). Take the first left into a little stream valley and continue straight at the junction past a derelict shelter in order to travel along the base of several overgrown fields. (They can also be reached from P4 as described below.) P2 also gives access to Cabin Branch at (E), a trail that begins a little west of the pullout and follows the branch north. Most birders will want to turn around in about 0.3 miles when a field becomes visible on the right. From this point on, the trail
is in poor condition as it loops back to Annapolis Rock Road.
Floodplain: The third parking area (P3) is on Annapolis Rock Road 0.2 miles farther east, just before the intersection with Hipsley Mill Road. To explore the floodplain, look for trails running east from Hipsley Mill Road near the intersection with Annapolis Rock Road. Just north of that junction, a trail leads into a beaver wetland (F). At the intersection, on the south side of the bridge across the guardrail, a trail (G) leads uphill from Hipsley Mill Road. It soon crests and drops to the branch which you must cross in order to continue. Southwest of that same intersection 0.2 miles along
Hipsley Mill Road is a small field entrance (P4) with room for perhaps two cars. Don’t block field access for farm machinery. Walking from P3 to P4 on the road is possible, but be aware it is
up a hill and the road cut in places leaves steep banks with no shoulders. In the winter or fall, there are trails that lead from point G to I; by summer they may be so choked with briars as to
be unrecognizable. To stay in the non-hunting area from P4, cross the road and enter the trail system at point H through a stand of mature White Pines. A suggested route is to take a right at the junction just past a fence line and follow the trail around to the base of several overgrown fields. Or, from P4, one can go east at point I (into the hunting area) on a trail that soon splits: the left choice drops to Cabin Branch and the right choice parallels a farm field and eventually drops to Cabin Branch. If you choose to cross it, a horse trail follows the stream on the south (east) side about 0.4 miles until it joins the Patuxent River. It is also possible to follow a trail on the west side of Cabin Branch all the way to the Patuxent River. (Both Cabin Branch trails are described in more
detail in the Hipsley Mill site guide.)
A half mile farther south on Hipsley Mill Road is a wide gravel pullout (P5). This gives a good view of scrubland from the road. It is a prime location for observing courting woodcock. From a path
just north of the pullout (point J), one can explore two large scrubby fields crisscrossed with mown paths (all are within the hunting area once one goes off the road corridor). These fields can be especially productive spring through fall.
A GPS unit or a reasonable sense of direction is advised if one chooses to wander the trails. The park headquarters is in a brick building on the north side of Annapolis Rock Road, a quarter-mile west of the gated parking lot (P1). Feeders are maintained behind the building in the winter and may offer chances for winter finches and nuthatches.
Highlights: Varied habitats, unusual county birds, and an extensive trail system combine to make this an attractive destination.
Handicapped Access: Extremely limited except for what can be heard and seen from parking areas and roads.
Hunting: The core Annapolis Rock section is one of the few sections of this park in which there is a large no hunting area with extensive trails. Note that the older forest west and south of the horse trailer parking lot all the way to the river is a public hunting zone, as is the area south and east of Hipsley Mill Road. Sundays are non-hunting days. Watch signs to determine whether you have wandered out of the no hunting area. Wearing blaze orange during the hunting season is recommended.