Buzzards Rock Trail
- 0.7 mi
- round trip
- 418 ft
- climb
- 324 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov
- best months
Buzzards Rock Trail is a short, easy out-and-back hike in Maryland, about 0.7 miles from the town of Ilchester. The trail is roughly 1.5 miles long, with a total elevation gain of 418 feet, and it reaches a high point of 324 feet. The climb is steepest near the 0.6-mile mark, where the grade reaches about 44 percent, but the route is short enough to fit into a half-day outing. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Baltimore show May highs around 76°F and October highs around 68°F, while July averages climb to about 89°F. Several other trails start close by. Sawmill Branch Trail and Forest Glen Trail are each about 0.1 mile away, and Grist Mill Trail, a mountain biking route, is about the same distance. Climbers can find the Ilchester climbing area about 0.6 mile away.
Local outfitters
- Gettysburg Licensed Town Guides48 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Sawmill Branch TrailHiking0.1 mi
- Forest Glen TrailHiking0.1 mi
Grist Mill TrailMountain bikingPhoto: Bohemian Baltimore, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)0.1 mi- Garrett's PassMountain biking0.2 mi
- IlchesterRock climbing0.6 mi
Friction WallRock climbingPhoto: Jstuby, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)2.4 mi- Patapsco Valley State ParkRock climbing4.9 mi
- Middle Patuxent RiverCanoeing8.9 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Nun's TrailHiking · ~2 min drivePhoto: aparlette, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Valley View TrailHiking · ~2 min drivePhoto: aparlette, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Grist Mill TrailHiking · Next door
Cascade Falls TrailHiking · ~2 min drivePhoto: krossbow, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Red TrailHiking · ~4 min drivePhoto: Jstuby, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Patapsco Howard County Thru TrailHiking · ~3 min drive
- Morning Choice TrailHiking · ~2 min drivePhoto: krossbow, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Mill Race TrailHiking · ~6 min drivePhoto: cdsessums, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
Barley and HopsHiking · ~2 min drivePhoto: krossbow, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Sawmill Branch TrailHiking · Next door
Best time to visit Buzzards Rock Trail
Best months: March–June and September–November. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
43° / 25°
10 wet · 3 snow
Feb
46° / 27°
9 wet · 3 snow
Mar
55° / 34°
11 wet · 1 snow
Apr
66° / 44°
11 wet
May
76° / 53°
12 wet
Jun
84° / 63°
11 wet
Jul
89° / 68°
10 wet
Aug
87° / 66°
10 wet
Sep
80° / 59°
9 wet
Oct
68° / 46°
9 wet
Nov
57° / 36°
9 wet
Dec
48° / 30°
10 wet · 1 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Baltimore Wash Intl Ap, MD, 6.7 mi away at 156 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
