Wincopin Trail
9299 Vollmerhausen Road, Jessup, MD 20794
Miles of wooded trails along two rivers combine natural history and county history in a scenic setting.
Amenities: Paved parking. Portable toilet in parking lot. 3.73 miles of trails. Junction of Middle Patuxent River and Little Patuxent River. Ruins related to historic Savage Mill. Remnant quarries. Orienteering course.
Handicapped Access: Extremely limited due to rocky trails and steep grades. Although the initial paved section of the main stem (Red Trail) is short, it continues as a wide, almost level, packed-earth trail for several hundred yards.
Habitat: Mostly dry, upland deciduous or mixed woods on rocky substrate along two rivers; some steep slopes; narrow floodplain. Most of the area is wooded with trails overlooking segments of the Fall Line along the Little Patuxent River and Middle Patuxent River. A few remaining mature pines are giving way to deciduous forest. Shallow-rooted trees on the thin soil with a rocky base are frequently uprooted in high winds. Traffic noise from I-95 on the west is the biggest drawback, especially from late fall until early spring.
Layout: The mostly wooded 3.73 mile Wincopin Trail system consists of four color-coded, interconnected trails marked with colored blazes on trees. Some segments are level packed earth, but many portions are rocky; most contain steep slopes. Sturdy footgear is advised. Trailhead for the Red Trail is at the southeast corner of the parking lot. All others are accessed from the Red Trail. Square wooden posts with arrows are positioned at trail intersections; maps are posted on trees in a few key locations. The Red Trail (1.1 miles) serves as the main stem of the system. The initial quarter mile passes posts marking the trailheads for the Green and the Blue trails. Beyond this point, the Red Trail remains on the upland for a short distance before it turns to the left on a final loop which drops to the sandy floodplain along along the Middle Patuxent River. The Green Trail (1.63 miles) is the longest of the four and covers uplands as well as sections of the floodplains of both rivers. The information board in the parking lot provides detailed historical information about items to be found along this trail. The junction of the two rivers is at about the halfway point along this trail. In early spring, the south-facing slope of the Middle Patuxent River contains early blooming wildflowers. In season, a small pond favored by amphibians exists on the floodplain near the trail. The much cooler north-facing slope of the Little Patuxent River extends the blooming season of some of the same spring ephemerals. This trail also contains historical ruins. The Blue Trail (0.77 mile) stays on high ground and serves as a shortcut to reach the junction overlooking the two rivers. The Yellow Trail (0.14 mile) is a short loop off the Red Trail (trailhead on the right shortly after the Red Trail turns left). This trail drops to the floodplain along a less rocky section of the Middle Patuxent River than that found slightly farther downstream.
Compilers: Joanne Solem and Tom Miller
