Trolley Trail

As a lifelong resident of Maryland, I have visited historical Ellicott City many times. However, I was never aware of this hidden gem before stumbling across suggestions for this trail on Unilocal.
Parking is easy to find, but finding the actual entrance of the trail is a little trickier. We parked at the big parking lot right behind Trolley Stop, and hunted for the entrance of the trail along with several other hikers who were just as lost as we were. Finally after wandering around in circles, we found a flight of wooden stairs accessible from the parking lot that led us to the entrance of the trail.
The trail itself is an easy walk — wide path, level, shaded by trees, and paved for some of the time, making it a great trail to take pets, children, or bikes on. However, there are marked detours off of the trail leading to different destinations including the Benjamin Banneker museum and the Country Corner store. While these side trails are marked, the side paths are remarkedly more narrow than the main trolley trail path and not as friendly for bikers.
The trail is pretty short and took us less than 1.5 hrs, including a detour to Benjamin Banneker museum and breaks to take photos or to find our way. Highly recommended for when you are in the area and want a breath of fresh air!

As a Catonsville resident, I’ve frequented the Trolley Trail very often. It’s great for a nice walk on a spring or summer day. It’s an easy walk and is well paved. I usually start at the head of the trail, which is right down the road from Catonsville Middle. When you reach the Breadery, its always nice to grab a muffin there or go to the old country store up the street, to grab a burger. When you continue on, there are many streams and waterfalls that are to the left and the right side of you. When you finish the trail, you can head through Ellicott City to see some of the local businesses. The trail is great for bike riding, or just heading out with the family!

I’d never heard of this place, but found a
hiking group that organized a group hike, so I joined up. We were told this was «newbie, family, and dog friendly», so I loaded up my pooch and made the drive from Annapolis.
The trail was actually very nice, some beautiful creeks, and even an uphill path that leads to a museum and picnic area. The wooded paths are color-​coded with markings on the trees so you can find your way should you get disoriented, although I really don’t see how you could, the trails are so well laid out. I did see a lot of people on bikes and with strollers, as the main path is paved and easily navigable. And while I saw a few dogs, there weren’t too many, and my mutt really enjoyed the walk (although he was pretty wiped out by the end of the hike… a total of about 4 miles).
I don’t think this is something I would do again as part of a group, as I would have liked to stop and just take in some of the natural beauty. But our guide was very knowledgeable of the area and the history of the trail, and did provide some interesting narrative as we went along.
There is a restaurant right next to the trail, and had I not had my dog with me I probably would have stopped in for lunch. But I’m sure I’ll get my chance, as I can see myself coming back to this spot in the future for a little peace and quiet.

Uphill but very pretty and serene. If you want a jog, a walk or just to sit on a bench and be alone without have to go far this is it

A 1 – 2 mile walk up (and the back down) a gentle incline. Woods to the left of you, woods to the right of you. Waterfalls. Beautiful and it’s right in Ellicott City. Great place to walk a dog!

A beautiful catonsville walk, the perfect length, great for kids, convenient, beautiful, just great all along. A must-​do in Catonsville: Get snow cones or softserve at Opie’s then walk up the Trolley Trail for a classic Catonsville afternoon!

The Trolley Trail is definitely one of my favorites in the area. Its very user friendly — no navigating necessary! It’s bike and stroller friendly with a nice wide paved path for most of the trail and a short portion near downtown Ellicott City is a boardwalk. There are mile markers to track your progress and lots of trees and shade for those hot days and even a few benches to stop and take a load off. I would definitely classify it as an easy trail. There are a few «off the path» trails that shoot off from the Trolley Trail, but I haven’t branched out to those.
You can park in the lot behind the Trolley Stop to start or head to the Breadery in Oella for a snack or coffee (ZEKE’S coffee!). The Breadery’s parking lot overlooks the trail and there is a small parking area you could use and then start your walk, bike or run. I almost don’t want to share this hidden gem because it’s so nice and NOT crowded, but for the sake of other Unilocalers I’m doing it! You can thank me later…

Trolley Trail #9 is just one slice of a railway that originally shuttled Baltimorons between Ellicott City and downtown from the late 1890s to the mid-​1950s. There is a lot of history here and I’m relieved that the city decided to preserve it with a glorious walking, biking and skating path.
The West end of the trail is surrounded by 100 foot high rock walls that were originally cut out by the old school rail workers. There is also a small one-​way bridge that runs over the trail. The rumble of cars going across can be pretty loud and might actually spook you as you walk below it.
There are a few gems just off of the trail, including a small waterfall (right before the boardwalk part on the West end), The Country Corner Store (North side of the trail as you cross Oella Avenue) and a marked side trail (about halfway down) that leads to the Benjamin Bannaker museum and house. Do yourself a favor and check these out.
Tip: Park on Stonewall Road and enter the trailhead. Bring your GPS and find a few geocaches along the way. At the end of the trail, keep walking until you reach historic Ellicott City. Cross the river and grab a cup of joe from The Bean Hollow. Enjoy it as you walk back up the trail.