RESTORE MULTI-USE TRAIL ACCESS TO LOCH RAVEN RESERVOIR
Loch Raven Reservoir is a 1,600 acre reservoir in Central Baltimore County that is owned and managed by Baltimore City. Loch Raven is open to hiking, boating, horseback riding, hunting and more. In recent years, the Baltimore City Department of Public Works has limited access to these trails, and mountain bikers are largely not permitted to use the trails. The trail system is in desperate need of an ongoing, sustainable maintenance program.
LOCH RAVEN RESERVOIR
The Loch Raven watershed covers 303 sq. mi. and contains a reservoir located just north of the Baltimore Beltway. It has a capacity of 23 billion gallons and provides drinking water to Baltimore City and most of Baltimore County.
LOCH RAVEN'S TRAILS
The lands around Loch Raven Reservoir contain miles of scenic trails used by hikers, bikers, runners, fisherman, bird watchers and more. Unfortunately, many of these trails are "social trails" that were formed by user traffic, and the reservoir has not enjoyed the benefit of a sustainable, properly maintained trail system. As a result, many popular trails such as the Fire Road shown to the right are experiencing significant damage from storm runoff and erosion.
Trail Erosion
The lack of a sustainable maintenance program has left the trails in a state of disrepair.
Standing water
Standing water is problematic for trails and leads to further degradation of trail health. This is due to foot traffic trampling nearby vegetation, as well as the water itself washing away trail surface material during rainfall events.
Poor Signage
Lack of proper trail markings leads to unclear instructions on where trail use is permitted. The few existing signs are often ignored, as most popular trails appear on apps such as All-Trails, Trailforks and Strava.
A SUSTAINABLE TRAIL SYSTEM IS NEEDED
A sustainable trail system is desperately needed to solve these problems. Properly managed trail systems embrace grassroots initiatives to create sustainable change. For example, the U.S. Forest Service has adopted a national strategy that combines community-driven volunteer efforts with land-manager intent to sustainably manage thousands of miles trails across the country. Loch Raven desperately needs a more modern approach to trail maintenance and sustainability. Greater Baltimore Outdoors is working hard to promote policy change for the improvement of this incredible natural resource.
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Other nearby trail systems such as Gunpowder Falls State Park and Patapsco Valley State Park work with volunteer organizations to embrace community led trail stewardship programs. Organized groups of local mountain bikers are often responsible for these trail maintenance efforts in other areas. However, due to the policy that restricts mountain bikers from using the trails at Loch Raven, organized community led volunteer efforts to maintain the trails here are largely non-existent.
Contact us to see how you can help!