Hike the Black Marsh Trail at North Point State Park

First, a few disclaimers:

• The parking lot may be "at capacity" if you choose to visit the park in the summer. Do not despair; there is an auxiliary lot of sorts just near the gate.
• The park may be "full" but chances are you'll have the trails to yourself. Most people are here to hang in the designated beach area.
• There are certain areas of the park in which dogs are not welcome. Check with the gate attendant to make sure you're in compliance. 

North Point State Park is a lovely oasis just outside of Baltimore City limits. With flat, well-marked, well-maintained trails and teasing glimpses of the Chesapeake, this park is ideal for early morning strolls or your trail-running training regimen. 

The Black Marsh Trail is the longest trail in the park and will lead you through (duh) marshland and dense oak forests, past derelict structures left behind by an amusement park or Bethlehem Steel (both now long gone). The crescendo of the hike is a spur to the deteriorating Ferry Grove Pier. The old concrete structure is technically off limits but you can walk the rocky shore around it. The pier was once home to restaurants, dancing halls, and midnight bathers. Now, it's crumbling into the Bay.

After crossing Bayshore Road, the Black Marsh Trail turns into the hiker-biker trail which will lead you to the southern portion of the park, where you'll find the designated swimming and fishing areas, as well as more artifacts from yesteryear. If you want to complete the loop, you can take a right on Bayshore and walk the road back to the parking lot. If you do, take a second to marvel at the cattle egrets feasting on insects in the roadside fields. 

For your own post-hike feast, you can pick up steamed crabs and snowballs in the little town just outside the park. What could be more #Maryland than that?