What clients say about Patuxent River State Park in Brookeville (MD)
Nice trails with the ability to get near the river. Went on Jan. 4 and was hearing what sounded like gunshots. Not sure if there's a range nearby, but it took away from the tranquility of the location.
Wonderful walking trails in beautiful forest. Trouble is, I've never checked to see if the flowing something trails is a loop, so I end up walking it for an hour, the turning around and retracting my steps
A place to get lost in your thoughts. God's tapestry is alive and His melodies are symphonicially present all all times. A walk here is an experience of nature done right.
Park ranger was wonderful and the hike was beautiful. The path was we'll marked all the way. I especially loved seeing the graveyard. I'd like to go back and learn more of the history!
We explored Patuxent River State Park in winter with the kids and had a peaceful yet adventurous hike. The trails were quiet, and the bare trees gave us some great open views of the river and surrounding woods.
What We Loved:
Serene & Less Crowded – The park felt like a hidden gem in winter, with very few other hikers.
Scenic River Views – The Patuxent River looked beautiful, especially with some icy patches.
Moderate Trails – Not too difficult for the kids, though some sections were muddy.
Chilly Winds – By the river, it got quite cold, so layering up was necessary.
A great winter hike for families who enjoy nature without the crowds. Just dress warmly and be prepared for some muddy spots!
Love this place. The trails are well maintained and marked. No trash bins here though. Free of entry. There's also markers for the patuxent challenge here. It's a great place for a quick walk or some serious exploration. At most you can probably spend 3 hours walking here, with a run of an hour. There's a nature center here as well as some picnic tables right by the parking lot.
Beautiful area, multiple hiking trails, easy hike, with water views, can be muddy, pets friendly, need to keep on leash, some paths are shared horse trails. There’s 1 single stall restroom by the entrance. There are A good number of parkings by entrance.
Such a great hiking spot, chill, vibrant, lively with flat open areas for kids to explore.
Highly recommend by @winedinenvacay
Really nice park. Picnic tables, benches, ample parking, nice trails, and composting(?) toilets. Park office was not open on a Sunday, at least not in January. Easy access to Patuxent River. Enjoyed our short hike and visit.
Red trail is lined with poison ivy and is about 3 inches thick. Full of horse droppings. There are a couple small cut off trails that lead to the river. Seems like you need a horse to enjoy. The picnic area was nice but I was bummed out by the poor trail. Might as well walk straight through the woods.
Three interconnected trails for hikers and their dogs. Bring your binoculars and camera if you want to see the birds. Or just your phone for the plants and insects.
We enjoyed the beautiful bamboo grove by the river at the nature center picnic area. A hike along the Flowing Free Trail (yellow blaze trail) took us through diverse ecosystems. Fresh air, sound of gentle river flow, lush pine forest, echo of birds singing, and old farmland grass make you feel like to come back and enjoy them all over again.
Nice park, we did the yellow trail which was mostly flat. Plenty of parking, small but cute nature center right behind the parking lot. No big views or waterfalls but away from traffic and noise, not crowded either.
Great shaded trail, but no viewpoints along the 3.5 mile loop. Blue and white mini loops are less well maintained but still very approachable. Flat nature trail without any steep in/decline or rock scrambling. A couple of SMALL water crossings. The trail was pretty dry despite it having rained recently. Watch for horse poop on the trail as this is a horse friendly trail! There is a single stall restroom available at the start of the trail and a picnic area near the historic house.
The reason for the visit was to get out of the city for a moment. The walk was on a dirt path, this was refreshing. The old building was still in perfect condition. I enjoyed my long nature walk with my dog. On our walk we realized there were horse trails too!
I have been going to this park for a few years now and explored the "pink ribbon" marked trail for quite some time. The park employees and planners did a wonderful job bringing the trail to life as an official trail (red). It's beautiful with easier terrain which is great for hiking with my senior dog. When people say "go to your happy place" this park is what I think of!
This is one of my favorite places to hike. You can hear the running water from the river and walk through grassy fields, over streams and through the deciduous forest then all of a sudden you find yourself walking on top of pine needles and, just like that, you are in a pine forest! The smell of the pines reminds me of hiking in the Sierras and Christmas! Try all the different trails; they're AWESOME!
Easy trails through gently sloping terrain make this a great place to take kids. The lapping river added to the peaceful setting. A quick, pleasant getaway for those desiring more than a touch of nature's grace.
For a detail oriented mind, the trail maps read like a kindergartner drew it. The visitor center smells, the vault toilet looks to be not cleaned in a very long time. If you’re here for Park Quest, none of the boxes are marked with numbers, you don’t have any idea where you are and where you’re supposed to go next, hence the kindergarten map and they’re not along just one trail but to traverse in multiple places around the park.
