Walk for the Woods
SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, April 27, 2024 (rain date Sunday, April 28)
Location: Farm Road, Bacon Ridge Natural Area, Crownsville, Maryland
**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.
This beloved spring event is scheduled for Saturday, April 27, 2024, at Bacon Ridge Natural Area in Crownsville (rain date is April 28).
Scenic Rivers will again partner with Anne Arundel County’s Department of Recreation and Parks to offer a wonderful opportunity to hike and explore this beautiful wilderness just minutes from downtown Annapolis.
We anticipate a fantastic, safe day in our local, protected woods!
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.
Registration for guided hikes will open on April 8, 2024. The link to registration will be announced via email and social media.
Guided Hikes & Activities
Guided hikes led by experts in wildlife, native plants, birds, nature photography, and more 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.
Hike & Activity Schedule
- All Day, Colby B. Rucker Memorial Self-led Naturalist Hike (1 mile)
- 7:30 am, Bird Hike with Oliver Griffin and Andrew Hazen (1 to 2 miles)
- 8:00 am, Archaeology Hike with Stacy Poulos of AA County Cultural Resources
- 8:30 am, Photography Hike with Jack Turner
- 9:00 am, Woodland Hike with Mitch Keiler and Nancy Roth (3 to 4 miles)
- 9:30 am, Bird Hike with Oliver Griffin and Pat Melville (1 to 2 miles)
- 10:00 am, Say My Name Remembrance Ceremony with Janice Hayes-Williams
- 10:00 am, Nature Hike for All Ages with Dave Walbeck (1 to 2 miles)
- 10:30 am, Northern Trails Hike with Phil Ferrara (4 miles)
- 10:30 am to 2:30 pm (Ongoing), Creek Critter Discovery with Coastal Resources
- 11:00 am, Say My Name Remembrance Ceremony with Janice Hayes-Williams
- 11:00 am, Reptile & Amphibians Hike with Robert and Rosemary Frezza (2 miles)
- 11:30 am, Northern Trails Hike with Andrew Garte and Mathew Drennan (2 miles)
- 12:00 pm, Shinrin-Yoku: The Art of Japanese Forest Bathing with Laura Falvey (1 mile, 2 hours, Ages 16+)
- 12:30 pm, Woodland Hike with Tree ID with Bradley Seay of Bartlett Tree Service and Andrew Hazen (3-4 miles)
Self-led Hikes
Attendees are also invited to explore Bacon Ridge Natural Area's 1,000+ acres of woodlands, wetlands, streams, and meadows on their own. The Colby Rucker Memorial Self-led Naturalist Hike, complete with trail maps and educational signage posted along the trails, will be offered again this year. The hike is approximately one mile round trip and is great for small children and for those who prefer a self-led option.
Critter Discovery
Learn about the life teaming in our local streams! Experts from Coastal Resources, Inc. 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
During Walk for the Woods, local historian Janice Hayes-Williams traditionally hosts the "Say My Name" remembrance ceremony honoring the Crownsville State Hospital patients who were buried in the Crownsville Hospital Cemetery (located adjacent to Bacon Ridge Natural Area) with only numbers to mark their graves.
Walk up attendance is available for this event. Times for this event will be announced in April 2024.
Walk for the Woods T-Shirts
Each year, 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 beautiful 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.
Guided Hike Registration Now Open
About Walk for the Woods
Walk for the Woods is Scenic Rivers’ annual celebration of families exploring the outdoors, the beautiful, permanently protected Bacon Ridge Natural Area, and the power of land protection to provide quality of life, wildlife habitat, and Chesapeake Bay and river health.
The event, held in late April of each year, is a day of guided hikes, including bird watching, amphibian searches and naturalist hikes, and educational programs. Attendees are also invited to explore the Bacon Ridge Natural Area’s 1000+ acres of woodlands, wetlands, streams, and meadows on their own. It is always a beautiful, relaxing day in our local woods!
Sign up for our monthly newsletter and follow us on Facebook or Instagram to receive alerts about the event.
Scenic Rivers is able to make Walk for the Woods a fun, FREE event for our community because of the generosity of local businesses who sponsor the event.
About Scenic Rivers Land Trust
For 35 years, Scenic Rivers has worked with landowners to permanently protect over 3,700 acres of forests, farms, meadows, and wetlands through conservation easements. Once such conservation agreements are in place, we assist landowners in the ongoing stewardship of their land. Our efforts safeguard critical wildlife habitat, protect water quality of nearby streams and rivers, remember our history, and help our rural communities and farmlands endure.
Thank You to these 2024 Walk for the Woods Sponsors!
Premier Sponsor
Paul & Maxine Frohring Foundation
Mike and Trish Davis
Jeff and Kristyn Eckel
Supporting Sponsors
The Grandkids' Future
Elizabeth and Rick Rosborg
Lily and David Openshaw
Wood Duck Sponsors
Mars Foundation
Phyllis Saroff
The Troy Family in Memory of Colby B. Rucker
Magnolia Warbler Sponsor
Carolina Chickadee Sponsors
Simply Stronger Yoga, Fitness and Massage Studio
