Pain Cave
- 0.7 mi
- round trip
- 150 ft
- climb
- Mixed
- surface
- Out and back
- route
- Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov
- best months
Pain Cave is a short, low-elevation mountain biking route of about 1.4 miles in Rockburn Branch Park, Maryland, set within the park's own land unit. The climb is an out-and-back, with a high point of about 337 feet and a low of about 258 feet. The total gain is around 150 feet for the whole trip, and the steepest stretch comes at about 0.5 miles in, with a grade of roughly 7 percent. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to ride. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 76°F and October highs near 68°F, while July averages about 89°F. The Rockburn Trail, a hike, starts just 0.1 mile away, and the Belmont Trail and Morning Choice Trail, both within 0.3 mile, offer more riding and walking. Climbers can head to the Ilchester climbing area, about 2.6 miles off.
Local outfitters
- Terrapin Adventures7 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Rockburn TrailHiking0.1 mi
- Morning Choice TrailMountain biking0.3 mi
- Belmont TrailHiking0.3 mi
- TwistiesMountain biking0.3 mi
- IlchesterRock climbing2.6 mi
Friction WallRock climbingPhoto: Jstuby, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)4.1 mi
North side of riverRock climbingPhoto: Jstuby, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)6.5 mi- Middle Patuxent RiverCanoeing9 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Grist Mill TrailMountain biking · ~3 min drivePhoto: Bohemian Baltimore, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Rockburn TrailMountain biking · Next door
- NachoMountain biking · Next door
- Barley and HopsMountain biking · ~2 min drive
- Grist Mill TrailMountain biking · ~3 min drivePhoto: Bohemian Baltimore, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Rockburn TrailMountain biking · Next door
- Log TrailMountain biking · ~1 min drive
- Garrett's PassMountain biking · ~3 min drive
- Grist Mill TrailMountain biking · ~3 min drivePhoto: Bohemian Baltimore, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- TwistiesMountain biking · Next door
Best time to visit Pain Cave
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, 4.9 mi away at 156 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
