Downs Park, Pasadena, MD

A fitness station, along the trail.

Location:  Downs Park Outer Loop, Pasadena, MD

Date run: Many times.  I run this loop at least a few times, whenever I'm home visiting family.

Distance: 3.4 Miles, loop

Pros:  This is one of the remaining green spaces in northern Anne Arundel County.  You start and finish the run alongside the Chesapeake Bay.  There's are also fitness stations along a smaller section of the loop, if you're so inclined to do pull ups, sit ups or other calisthenics.  The trail is well marked for distance, every 0.1 of a mile.  The trail winds through fairly typical Eastern deciduous forest.  On runs, I've seen deer, box turtles, pileated wood peckers and other wildlife that are an increasingly rare site in northern Anne Arundel County.

View along the outer loop.

Cons:  The outer loop is paved, which can be a pro, but I find it to be a con.  It's also flat.  Both of these make the run less interesting, for me.  Mosquitoes can be bad at certain points in the summer.  The trail can be crowded, on nice weekends.  There is a $5 per car entry fee, or you can pay $40 for a year round pass.  I don't mind the entry fee all that much.  It grants a bit of peace of mind.  I don't have to worry as much about who I'll encounter on the run, because folks who are on the trail generally want to be out there for recreation.  Otherwise, they wouldn't pay $5 for access.  On other runs in the area, and in my hometown, homeless and drug users are fairly common on the trails.  They've never bothered me, but I've had to have my 'what if' plan, just in case.

Number of people encountered on run:  I usually encounter at least a few folks on this run.  On nice weekends, it can be a bit crowded.

Summary of Run:  Drive into the park, and head towards the bay.  Park in the main parking area, where you'll see a playground to your left and the visitor's center straight ahead.  Walk towards the covered pier (I believe this was originally built as a place for people to paint and draw).  Head down the stairs to the right of the covered pier area.  This is the start of the run.  Green mile markers mark the distance on the outer loop.  The mile markers are split red and green, where the outer loop overlaps with the fitness loop.

I run the loop clockwise.  Once you pass about the 1.0 mile point, you'll more than likely have the trail to yourself on all but the busiest of days.  A bit after the 1.0 mile mark, you'll pass the entry gate, and will have to cross over Mountain Road.  This 'other side' of the park is rarely visited.

The trail winds through fairly typical Eastern deciduous forest.  There seems to be fewer invasive plants and less erosion along stream beds in this park, compared to Patapsco Park, for instance.

There is one very modest climb, as you loop back around to crossing Mountain road, to return to the 'main' section of the park.  The climb is up to a pedestrian bridge that crosses Mountain road, and descends into the main section of the park.

The last 0.5 mile of the run is approaching or along the Chesapeake Bay ~ a real treat at the end of a 5K run!

The run starts and finishes along the Chesapeake Bay.

Distance markers appear every 0.10th of a mile.  The outer loop distance is in green.  Where the outer loop overlaps with the fitness loop, the distance markers are red and green.