Return Trail
- 0.2 mi
- round trip
- 67 ft
- climb
- Singletrack
- surface
- Out and back
- route
- Apr–Jun, Aug–Nov
- best months
Return Trail is a short, easy mountain biking route in Maryland, about 0.3 miles from the town of Glenallen. The trail is an out-and-back, roughly 0.34 miles long, with a total climb of about 67 feet. The route is front-loaded, with the steepest stretch at about 0.12 miles in, and the high point sits at about 414 feet. The trail is rated easy, and the climb is gentle. Dogs are not allowed here, so plan on leaving them at home. For comfortable weather, aim for late spring or early fall. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Rockville show May highs around 74°F and September highs around 77°F, with July the warmest month at about 87°F. Several other trails sit close by. The Intermediate Bike Trail and Beginner Bike Trail are each about 0.1 miles away, and Pine Lake Trail is about 0.2 miles off. Paddlers can head to the Northwest Branch Anacostia River, about 2 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Terrapin Adventures13 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Intermediate Bike TrailMountain biking0.1 mi
- Beginner Bike TrailMountain biking0.1 mi
- Pine Lake TrailHiking0.2 mi
Northwest Branch Anacostia RiverCanoeingPhoto: Paul from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)2 mi- Downstream Slab AKA Snowflake FaceRock climbing2.6 mi
- Upstream SlabRock climbing2.6 mi
- Little Falls BranchCanoeing7.5 mi
- Greenbelt Park Picnic AreasCamping9.3 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Northwest Branch TrailMountain biking · ~2 min drivePhoto: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Intermediate Bike TrailMountain biking · Next door
- Northwest Branch TrailMountain biking · ~2 min drivePhoto: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Northwest Branch TrailMountain biking · ~3 min drivePhoto: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Northwest Branch TrailMountain biking · ~3 min drivePhoto: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Northwest Branch TrailMountain biking · ~4 min drivePhoto: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Northwest Branch TrailMountain biking · ~4 min drivePhoto: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Northwest Branch TrailMountain biking · ~4 min drivePhoto: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Return TrailMountain biking · Next door
- Beginner Bike TrailMountain biking · Next door
Also worth it near here
Northwood-Chesapeake Bay TrailHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: inkdroid, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Northwest Branch Anacostia RiverCanoeing · ~3 min drivePhoto: Paul from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Downstream Slab AKA Snowflake FaceRock climbing · ~4 min drive
- Cherry Hill ParkCamping · ~10 min drive
Best time to visit Return Trail
Best months: April–June and August–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
42° / 27°
10 wet
Feb
45° / 28°
8 wet
Mar
54° / 36°
11 wet
Apr
66° / 46°
11 wet
May
74° / 55°
11 wet
Jun
82° / 64°
10 wet
Jul
87° / 69°
9 wet
Aug
85° / 67°
8 wet
Sep
77° / 60°
9 wet
Oct
66° / 48°
8 wet
Nov
56° / 38°
8 wet
Dec
46° / 31°
10 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Rockville 1 Ne, MD, 6.6 mi away at 440 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
