Loch Raven Reservoir
3700 Morgan Mill Rd. Glen Arm, MD 21057
Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
$
bike-trails, hikes, run
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Hike & Bike at Loch Raven Resevoir in Glen Arm, MD
Loch Raven Reservoir, located about a 25 minute drive from Baltimore City, is one of the lesser known areas for outdoor recreation in Baltimore County.
However, on Saturdays and Sundays between 10am and 5pm, Baltimore County closes the 1.7 mile stretch of Loch Raven Drive between Providence Road and Morgan Mill Road in Glen Arm so that visitors can use the entire road for walking, running, stroller jogging and kid-friendly bike rides while taking in the surrounding views of the forest and water.
The road was just recently repaved so you’re guaranteed a completely smooth ride for family biking, scooters, and jogging strollers.
There are no official parking lots in the area. You can either park alongside Morgan Mill Road or Providence Road for access to the closed portion of Loch Raven Drive. Use the intersection of Morgan Mill Rd. and Loch Raven Dr. OR the intersection of Providence Rd. and Loch Raven Dr. for GPS purposes.
Keep in mind that Loch Raven Road, south of Morgan Mill and north of Providence Road will be closed, so make sure that your GPS is not trying to take you through there.
Once parked, walk alongside the road until you hit Loch Raven Drive. You’ll see the road closure gate; walk through, and you’ve arrived at your destination! (Neither road is very busy since they dead end on weekends.)
The Morgan Mill Hiking Trail, a great choice for family hikes near Baltimore, can also be accessed from this area if you’d like to do some forest hiking.
The trailhead can be a little tricky to find, but if you park on Morgan Mill Road and keep your eyes fixed on the forest as you walk down Loch Raven Dr., you should be able to spot it about 800-1,000 feet before you hit the bridge. There are numerous hiking and bike trails in the area.
You can use this GPS enabled mapto help you if you aren’t able to spot the trailhead on your own.
If water sports are your thing, you can also take a short drive and rent a boat at the Loch Raven Fishing Center. If fishing is in your plan, there are a variety of species: Northern pike, blue gills, large mouth bass, crappies, sunfish and catfish.
Since the area is not a dedicated recreation spot you won’t find bathrooms or picnic tables. There are some trash cans throughout the area though.