Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Trail

WB&A Trail
Length	10.25 mi (16.5 km)
Location	Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties, Maryland, USA
Trailheads	Annapolis Rd and Seltzer St Lanham, Maryland Odenton Rd and Piney Orchard Pkwy Odenton, Maryland
Use	Hiking, biking
Hiking details
Trail difficulty	Easy
Season	Year-round
Sights	Patuxent River, Little Patuxent River
Hazards	Tick-borne diseases Limited water Poison ivy Venomous snakes

The Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Trail (WB&A) is a 10.25-mile (16.50 km) long discontinuous rail trail from Lanham to Odenton in Maryland. Despite its name, it does not actually connect with Washington, D.C., Annapolis or Baltimore; its name is taken from the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway, from which the right-of-way comes.

The WB&A Trail makes up part of both the East Coast Greenway - from Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida - and the American Discovery Trail - from the Atlantic coast of Delaware to San Francisco, California.

Places served

From south to north, the trail passes through the following locations:

• Lanham (terminus)
• Glenn Dale
• Bowie (Huntington Section)
• Piney Orchard
• Odenton (terminus)

Route description

The trail currently exists as two unconnected segments: Lanham to the Patuxent River (within Prince George's County), and the Patuxent River (within Anne Arundel County to Odenton (within Anne Arundel County).

Lanham to MD 193

The trail begins next to MD 450 near Lanham, just to the north of that route's intersection with MD 704. Closely paralleled by a BG&E 33kV distribution line, the trail runs due northeast, crossing the Folly Branch, before encountering a major BG&E electrical substation. Here, the 33kV line enters the substation and is replaced by a much larger BG&E transmission line; the line runs parallel to the trail all the way to Bowie.

Past the substation, the trail shares the WB&A's right-of-way with the power line and a local street, named Railroad Avenue. Just past Walnut Ave., the road is also known as Electric Avenue. At milepost 1, the trail passes to the north of the Glenn Dale Hospital, a defunct hospital now closed and scheduled for demolition. Near the hospital site, the trail is served by ample parking near its crossing of MD 953 Glenn Dale Road, the original route of MD 193. Beyond the crossing (at which trail users must stop before crossing), the trail diverts away from the WB&A alignment to run along Old Pond Drive; after running parallel for a short distance, the trail turns to the north for a very short distance before rejoining the WB&A alignment. Both trail and road share the alignment for a short distance before the latter meets Bell Station Road at a T-junction; beyond here, the trail runs alone through a suburban neighborhood, crossing beneath the dual carriageway of MD 193 via a short tunnel.

MD 193 to Bowie

Past MD 193, the trail runs through various suburban neighborhoods, screened by undeveloped land. At milepost 2, the trail crosses the Horsepen Branch near its headwaters. Near milepost 2.5, the trail crosses Hillmeade Road via a truss bridge; access to the road is via Daisy Lane. Beyond Hillmeade Road, the trail right-of-way is abutted by suburban development, with the BG&E power line a constant companion. Continuing northeast, the trail meets a pair of driveways just to the north of milepost 3 before once sharing the right-of-way with a local street, Mockingbird Lane. Beyond the start of the street, the trail quickly crosses several neighborhood streets on the level at milepost 3.5 before flying over High Bridge Road and a CSX railway line via a pair of truss bridges.

Beyond the second truss bridge, the trail runs past the back of a number of houses before serving as a driveway once again. Near the point where the first driveway merges with the trail (close to milepost 4), the BG&E transmission line quickly descends to ground level and turns due north, following two more transmission lines north to BG&E's Jericho Park substation. Just beyond the transmission line cut, another BG&E 33kV distribution line appears; this one is partially out-of-use and parallels the trail all the way to Odenton. The trail itself passes to the northwest of the Bowie Golf and Country Club before meeting several other driveways and Normal School Road, a former alignment of MD 197; interspersed with these junctions are two more crossings of the Horsepen Branch. Eventually, the trail itself crosses MD 197 via yet another truss bridge, the longest bridge on the entire trail. Access to the trail from MD 197 is provided via a driveway; after crossing the bridge, the trail meets it immediately beyond the driveway's intersection with MD 197, and a STOP sign is posted for the protection of trail users.

The trail and the driveway run east-northeast, passing just to the south of a local shooting range; the driveway ends at the gates of the range, while the trail continues onward. Protected by a low sound barrier, this portion of the trail is again screened from nearby neighborhoods by undeveloped land. Near milepost 5.5, the trail crosses the Horsepen Branch again before passing beneath Race Track Road at milepost 5.5 via another tunnel, similar in design to the tunnel under MD 193. Beyond here, the trail curves upward and terminates at another parking lot.

Bowie to the Patuxent River

At the far end of the parking lot, a gate protects an access road to the Horsepen water pumping station; a gap in the gate permits access for WSSC, BG&E and M-NCPPC purposes; the latter covers users of the WB&A Trail.

At the far end of the access road, the trail resumes, turning north and then northeast again before meeting a side trail; the side trail is used by equestrians and passes through Patuxent River Park and the Fran Uhler Natural Area. Past the side trail, the main trail continues northeast for an eighth of a mile, crossing a tributary of the Horsepen Branch just west of its junction with the Patuxent, before terminating at a turnaround near the Prince George's County bank of the Patuxent River. At the site of the turnaround, the former abutments and supports of the WB&A's railway bridge can be seen, and on the far side of the river (on the Anne Arundel County side), the WB&A's formation can be seen continuing northeast alongside the BG&E distribution line. A wooden sign, facing to the north, can also be seen from the turnaround near the riverbank.

Patuxent River to Bragers Road

The trail resumes on the Anne Arundel County side of the Patuxent River. The trail follows the longer winding options that does not follow the WB&A Railroad right-of-way. The trail climbs a steep hill from the banks of the Patuxent River before crossing Conway Road. The trail then turns east and parallels Conway Road as it passes through The Villages at Two Rivers before turning again north again and resumes it path along the old WB&A Railroad right-of-way on Bragers Road.

Bragers Road to Piney Orchard

The trail continues northeast on Bragers Road, a local street serving houses alongside the northern side of the trail. Other than the houses, this portion of the trail passes through undeveloped land, consisting mainly of forest and wetlands. The trail and the roadway share the right-of-way all the way to Patuxent Road, where the roadway ends.

Continuing across Patuxent Road (where trail users must also give way to road users), the trail continues through more wetlands and forest before crossing the Little Patuxent River via a newly constructed truss bridge. Past this truss bridge, the trail runs to the south of the Piney Orchard Nature Preserve before crossing another watercourse via another truss bridge. Beyond the second bridge, the trail meets a side trail that enters the preserve and eventually enters Piney Orchard proper at its crossing of Strawberry Lake Way.

Piney Orchard to Odenton

Beyond Strawberry Lake Way, the BG&E 33kV distribution line is in active use again; several transformers can be seen to the side of the trail, next to an artificial drainage pond. Past the pond, the trail runs through the heart of Piney Orchard, although it continues to be screened by a buffer of undeveloped land. The trail meets several side trails, providing access to the individual neighborhoods of Piney Orchard and Chapel Grove, before reaching another grade crossing at Waugh Chapel Road. Here, there is no direct crossing of the roadway, and trail users must turn south and use the sidewalk next to the road before crossing over and backtracking to the trail.

Beyond Waugh Chapel Road, the trail enters Odenton and passes beneath Old Waugh Chapel Road via a third tunnel before continuing through more suburban neighborhoods. More side trails are encountered as the trail runs north-northeast, crossing June Drive on the level. Beyond June Drive, the trail soon meets Piney Orchard Parkway and runs alongside it before terminating at Odenton Road, near its intersection with Piney Orchard Parkway. At the terminus, trail users can either continue north along a sidewalk or turn east and follow Odenton Road to its terminus with MD 175. Recently, new signage advertising a bike route to Odenton station on the Northeast Corridor has appeared at the northern terminus.

History

The trail derives its name from the now defunct Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway along whose right-of-way the trail now runs. From 1908 through 1935, state-of-the-art electric commuter trains ran along this route carrying passengers between Washington, DC, and Baltimore. The same railroad's right of way also serves as the basis for the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail.

The first section of the trail, in Prince George's County, a 5.6-mile (9.0 km) long stretch from MD 450 in Glenn Dale to Race Track Road in Bowie, opened in 2000. A separate 2.3-mile (3.7 km) long section, in Anne Arundel County, through Odenton opened in 2004, linking Waugh Chapel Road to Strawberry Lake Road, both located in Piney Orchard. The Prince George's County section was extended northeast from Race Track Road to the Patuxent River in 2005. The Anne Arundel County section was extended another two miles (3 km) northeast in 2006 to connect Waugh Chapel Road to Odenton Road. A third length of the Anne Arundel County section opened in late 2007 incorporating two bridges, one passing over the Little Patuxent River. This third section runs south from Strawberry Lake Road to Bragers Road. A fourth length of the Anne Arundel County section was completed in 2015. This fourth section runs from Bragers Road to the shores of the Patuxent River. As of early 2009, plans exist to close the gap between these two sections with a bridge over the Patuxent River.

Future

The trail is currently discontinuous due to the gap between the Prince George's side and the Anne Arundel side; there is no bridge over the Patuxent River as of 30 November 2015. Anne Arundel County has received a Bikeways Program grant for 80% of the estimated cost for bridge design. Prince George's County and Anne Arundel County will share equally the 20% match. The Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works will manage the design effort for the bridge with construction programmed for Fiscal Year 2017.

External links

• Prince George's County Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Recreational Trail website
• Anne Arundel County WB&A Trail website
• Prince George's County section of WB&A Trail map
• Bike Washington: The Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Trail