Last weekend I took the opportunity in the wake of a strong cold front to go check out a new (to me) local trail at the American Chestnut Land Trust, in Calvert County, MD. I had noticed on my GPS app that there was a trail there not already covered by my various path traces, so I went to check it out. There’s a short YouTube video copied here if you’d prefer that medium.

I’m honestly not sure how long the Oriole Trail has been open, but in my defense, it’s in a fairly obscure section of the Trust, and constructed as if it’s meant to be a lollipop-shaped tour of a new land acquisition. To get there, you have to park at the East Loop Trailhead (38.50899, -76.52100) along Scientists Cliffs Road (do NOT go to the primary South Side Trailhead, but use the lot along the road). You then follow the East loop down into a creek valley, where the Oriole trail splits off to the south. Total round trip for me – parking lot, via East Loop Shortcut, full Oriole lollipop, then back via the east side of the East Loop (no shortcut, just to mix it up). That route was just under 4 miles long, with about 250 feet of elevation change.

The Oriole is a nice walk through an open woodland. Where the East Loop is fairly tight in areas, boxed in by mountain laurel and holly, the Oriole traverses a poplar forest, with tall, straight tree trunks emulating the columns of a cathedral. The area is bisected by a creek valley as well, so there’s a nice combination of forest walk and bluffs around the eroded creek valley.

On the nice, cool, windy April morning I visited, several wildflowers were in bloom (many of which I highlighted in a post last week!) Jack-in-the-Pulpits (Jacks-in-the-Pulpit?), blueberries, bedstraw, mayapples, deadnettle, and black locust were all in bloom.

I also saw some discarded blooms on the ground with no obvious source. I didn’t mention these last week, but it turns out (I believe) that these were recently fallen blooms from an invasive Princess Tree that I didn’t otherwise notice.

Overall, the Oriole is a nice addition to the already substantial and beautiful trail system at the American Chestnut Land Trust. If you’re in the area and looking for a good location to get out and explore, the ACLT is a great destination!

Get Out There!