Walk for the Woods 2024

Click Here to Register for Guided Hikes

**Important Event Location Information**

Walk for the Woods parking and registration is located off of Farm Road in Crownsville. This access point to Bacon Ridge Natural Area is not usually open to the public. There is not an official address.

Use the following information to get to the event:

Address: Farm Road, Crownsville, MD 21032 (Good for GPS. Once you reach Farm Road, follow to registration.)

Directions: Take Generals Highway to Crownsville Road. Turn right onto the second entrance to Marbury Drive where you will see our Walk for the Woods signs (within 1/4 mile of Generals Hwy). Follow signs to parking.

Join Scenic Rivers Land Trust for our signature community event celebrating the joy of the outdoors and our local, protected woods.

Enjoy a day of guided hikes exploring the heart of the conserved Bacon Ridge Natural Area in Crownsville. Experts in wildlife, native plants, birds, and more will be on-site and available to attendees. Plus, self-guided hike options will be offered, complete with trail maps and educational signage posted along the trails, as well as other fun educational activities.

Registration for guided hikes is now open. Follow the registration links to see the full hike schedule.

The day’s activities include:

• Guided Hikes. Led by experts in wildlife, native plants, birds, nature photography, and more, guided hikes will be offered throughout the day. Advanced registration is recommended, but not required. Hikes range from 1 to 4 miles, vary in degree of difficulty, and are on marked unpaved trails.
• Self-led Hikes. Explore Bacon Ridge Natural Area’s 1,000+ acres of woodlands, wetlands, streams, and meadows on your own. The Colby Rucker Memorial Self-led Naturalist Hike will be offered again this year. Hike is approximately one mile round trip and great for small children or those who prefer a self-led option.
• Critter Discovery. Learn about the life teaming in our local streams! Wildlife experts will be set up along the banks of Bacon Ridge Branch with hands on exhibits and information about the aquatic wildlife found in the stream. This activity requires a short hike into Bacon Ridge and is wildly popular with children and adults alike.
• “Say My Name” remembrance ceremony. Honoring the Crownsville State Hospital patients who were buried in the Crownsville Hospital Cemetery with only numbers to mark their graves, this ceremony is hosted annually by local historian Janice Hayes-Williams during Walk for the Woods.
• And more!

We anticipate a fantastic, fun day in our local, protected woods!

We look forward to seeing you on the trails and celebrating another beautiful day in the woods!

Attendees who donate $25+ receive a Walk for the Woods t-shirt featuring the unique, custom art of local illustrator Phyllis Saroff. 

Shirts will be available for purchase/pick up on site at the event. Adult sizes XS, S, M, L, XL, and XXL available.

The 2024 design was inspired by three spectacular moths—the Luna, Polyphemus, and Cecropia moths—that need canopy trees to survive. Read more about these fascinating nighttime forest dwellers in this article from the Chesapeake Bay Program.

Click Here to Register for Guided Hikes