Cromwell Valley Park

Cromwell Valley Park

2002 Cromwell Bridge Road, Parkville, MD 21234
(410) 887-2503

Located just off the Baltimore Beltway north of the City of Baltimore, Cromwell Valley Park is comprised of 460 acres of diverse habitats situated in a stream valley and the surrounding rolling Piedmont hills. The park, which was formed through the purchase of several historic farms, is managed by Baltimore County in partnership with the non-profit Cromwell Valley Park Council.  Situated in a historic area known as “Lime Kiln Bottom,” the park was acquired by the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks starting in 1993, with assistance from the State of Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources.

The diversity of the park’s habitats makes it an excellent area for wildlife. Habitats include both upland and bottomland deciduous forests, conifers, shrubby fields, hedgerows, and old orchards and pastures, as well as cultivated gardens that include a native plant garden and a Children’s Garden. The gardens, live animal exhibits, and honey bee hives are the focal points for a variety of nature education programs related to conservation, native plants, gardening, wildlife, pollinators, butterflies, and birds.

The park has an extensive trail system (see trail map) that takes visitors through the varied habitats and past the many historic structures that dot the park, including several houses and outbuildings, lime kilns, a log cabin, and the cemeteries of local families and enslaved people. The production of lime was an important industry in the 1800s and was part of the basis for economic development in the region.

The park has four main visitor areas:

• Sherwood Farm, which includes the park administration offices, located in an imposing stone home that dates back to the 1930s.
• Willow Grove Farm, with a more modest frame farm house that dates back to the 1860s, now housing the Willow Grove Nature Education Center; the Nature Center is the hub of naturalist activities in the park.
• The Lime Kilns Historic Area, located along Mine Bank Run, which features three historic lime kilns that have been carefully restored, along with the Merrick Log Cabin and the balancing reservoir, which was built to regulate water flow from Loch Raven reservoir to the city’s water distribution system. The balancing reservoir is now a productive wetland surrounded by woodlands.
• The Barrans-Baldwin section, the newest part of the park, which features trails through hilly woodlands and fields. This is the most remote part of the park, located north of Sherwood and Willow Grove Farms and east of Providence Road, and reachable only on foot, from a connecting trail at the north end of the Willow Grove Trail.

The southwest corner of the park houses Talmar, a non-profit that offers a therapeutic environment for the development of work skills and vocational, educational and recreational programming in horticulture and agriculture.

To the east along Loch Raven Drive, Cromwell Valley Park adjoins the Baltimore City-owned lands of the Loch Raven Watershed, and the park’s trail system connects to the larger watershed trail network.

The historic farms and lime kilns in the park are situated on lands that trace back to the earliest European settlements in Baltimore County, including “Fellowship,” a land grant made to Luke Raven in 1710 — Luke Raven is the namesake of Loch Raven Reservoir. With its many historic structures as well as the Nature and Education Center and live animal exhibits, Cromwell Valley Park is an outstanding site for family visits.

There are a total of 33 bluebird boxes, maintained by park volunteers, and positioned in key locations:

• Along the east side of the Sherwood Farm entrance road south of Minebank Run, and along the Minebank Run Trail on the south side of the stream between the Sherwood Farm and Willow Grove Farm entrance roads.
• Along the Birder’s Loop and at the edges of the meadow where the Birder’s Path is located, as well as in the field along the Sherwood Farm Trail just southwest of the Willow Grove parking area and at the Nature Center and Children’s Garden.
• At the Lime Kilns and along the Loch Raven Drive Trail, where it passes through fields near the northeast border of the park.

There are five established bird monitoring routes and two stationary sites in the park (click for map): the stationary sites include a hawk watch on a hill between Sherwood and Willow Grove Farms, and a station at the Willow Grove Nature Center. These specific routes and locations were originally established with the intention of gathering shared eBird data, and although the eBird data collection along these routes has fallen off, the routes continue to remain useful as recommendations for personal birding visits.

The Baltimore Bird Club hosts frequent bird walks at Cromwell Valley; these are free and open to the public. See the schedule on the Baltimore Bird Club website.

Birdlife:

Over 215 bird species have been reported  at the main eBird hotspot for Cromwell Valley Park. There is a separate eBird hotspot for Cromwell Valley Park–Barrans Trail/Betty’s Pond, with 59+ species reported from this seldom-visited section of the park.

With Loch Raven Reservoir to the north and east and Gunpowder Falls State Park to the east, Cromwell Valley Park is a magnet for water-related species, including Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Belted Kingfisher, and various gulls and terns. Swallows are common in the warm months. Songbirds include both orioles, Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, Indigo Bunting, and Eastern Bluebird, as well as flycatchers, vireos and warblers.

Cromwell Valley Park is situated on a fall raptor migration route and its hillside hawk watch provides a ringside seat for this event. The hawk watch, located along the east-west paved road between Sherwood and Willow Grove Farms, has tallied 15 raptor species, with the usual suspects being American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, Red-tailed, Red-Shouldered and Broad-winged Hawks, and Bald Eagles. The occasional Golden Eagle or American Goshawk livens things up. The Hawk Watch is located along the east-west road, at GPS 39°24’58.9″N 76°32’58.5″W and must be reached on foot from either the Sherwood Farm parking area or the Willow Grove Farm parking area. Feel free to bring a folding chair, snacks, and drinks; don’t forget sunglasses.

Wheelchair Access:

There is one short trail that is wheelchair-accessible, the Lillian D. Jenifer Mobility Path, which opened in 2019. The Jenifer Mobility Path is not shown on the park’s trail map, but can be visualized on Google Maps; it is reached from the Willow Grove park entrance, and is a short out-and-back with a loop at the end, located within the larger Birder’s Loop Path to the east of the entrance road just south of Minebank Run. The Jenifer Mobility Path is hard-surfaced and has minimal grade changes to make it inviting for wheelchairs or other means of assisted mobility. Along the path are several benches for rest and contemplation as well as interpretive signage.

The other trails the park are natural-surfaced and are not wheelchair accessible, but there is fairly good birding from or near the car, along the entrance roads and at the parking areas. Accessible restrooms are located outside the large barn at the Willow Grove Farm.

Pet Policy:

Pets must be leashed at all time, in all areas of the park. Owners are responsible for cleanup. “Mutt Mitts” and waste receptacles are located throughout the Park. Citations are issued to those who do not comply.

Special Features:

• The Willow Grove Farm area features a Children’s Garden, a Nature Discovery Zone, and an outdoor classroom. The park’s Nature Education Center offers programs for children, adults, and families.
• A picnic area is adjacent to the Willow Grove Nature and Education Center. The picnic area includes charcoal grills, or you can bring your own charcoal grill; charcoal-type fires are permitted in private and park owned grills. All charcoal MUST be disposed of in designated red charcoal barrels only. Propane grills are NOT allowed in the Park.
• Cromwell Valley is a Leave No Trace park. Please take all trash with you when you leave the Park.
• The park holds organized bird walks several times each season, usually on Saturdays and Sundays. The park also sponsors an almost daily hawk watch during fall migration. See the calendar of events at https://cromwellvalleypark.org/event_calendar/.

Local MOS Chapter

The local chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society is the Baltimore Bird Club. The Baltimore Bird Club is the founding chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society, and remains an important hub of birding activity in the state. The club offers monthly meetings with informative presentations and a full schedule of field trips and bird walks, all free and open to the public.  Cromwell Valley Park is a favorite destination of the Baltimore Bird Club; see the Club’s calendar at https://baltimorebirdclub.org/schedule.html.

Lights Out Baltimore is a project of the Baltimore Bird Club and the Maryland Ornithological Society that works toward making Baltimore safe for migratory birds by advocating for turning out decorative nighttime lighting in the city during peak migration seasons, as well as advocating for bird-safe building design that makes glass and windows visible to birds. Volunteers are needed to scout for birds killed or injured by hitting buildings during migration. See the Lights Out Baltimore website for ways you can help.

For a whimsical look at birding activities in Baltimore, check out the graphic arts booklet, “Birdland,” created by local artist and Baltimore Bird Club member Book Karnjanakit.

Parking:

There are two entrances to Cromwell Valley Park from Cromwell Bridge Road: the west entrance goes to Sherwood Farm and the east entrance goes to Willow Grove Farm. The Baltimore Bird Club advises that the west entrance (reached first if coming from the Baltimore Beltway) is somewhat safer because the left turn into the park provides better visibility for oncoming traffic than at the east entrance.

There are three main parking areas: at Sherwood Farm near the park headquarters building (GPS coordinates 39.415911, -76.551125), at Willow Grove Farm near the Nature Center (GPS coordinates 39.417021, -76.547128), and along the entrance road to Willow Grove Farm south of Minebank Run, adjacent to the Birder’s Path (GPS coordinates 39.415936, -76.545803). Note that although there is a paved east-west road that connects Sherwood Farm to Willow Grove Farm, the east-west road is open to pedestrians only, so it is necessary to walk between the two farm areas.

Directions:

At the north end of the Baltimore Beltway/I-695, take Exit 29 for Cromwell Bridge Road north. At the bottom of the ramp, turn left onto northbound Cromwell Bridge Road. Once on Cromwell Bridge Road, drive north about 1.4 miles (be aware of the speed camera by Loch Raven High School on the left), and turn left into the park* at the second park entrance, signed for “Willow Grove Farm.” Follow the entrance road, cross a small bridge over Minebank Run, and find parking in the lot on the left.

*For a safer left turn into the park (better visibility of oncoming traffic), you can turn left at the first park entrance, “Sherwood Farm,” go up the long, winding entrance drive, and park behind the Sherwood House (park headquarters). Once you have parked, if you wish to reach the Willow Grove Farm area, simply walk the paved east-west park road (pedestrians only) east to the Willow Grove parking lot. Allow 5-10 minutes for the 1/4 mile walk.

The Hawk Watch is located along the east-west road, at GPS 39°24’58.9″N 76°32’58.5″W and must be reached on foot from either the Sherwood Farm parking area or the Willow Grove Farm parking area. Feel free to bring a folding chair, snacks, and drinks; don’t forget sunglasses.

Nearby Sites:

Baltimore City: Cylburn Arboretum ■ Druid Hill Park ■ Fort McHenry National Monument ■ Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center ■ Patterson Park

Baltimore County: Fort Howard Park ■ Gunpowder Falls State Park – Hammerman Area & Dundee Creek Marina ■ Hart-Miller Island State Park ■ Holt Park ■ Irvine Nature Center ■ Lake Roland ■ Liberty Reservoir – Baltimore County ■ Loch Raven Reservoir ■ Marshy Point Nature Center ■ Milford Mill aka Villa Nova Park ■ North Point State Park ■ Northern Central Rail Trail (NCRT) ■ Oregon Ridge Park ■ Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area

Habitats:

Bottomland Deciduous ForestsConifersHedgerowsUpland Deciduous Forests FarmyardGarden or ArboretumLawn, Ballfields, Golf CourseSuburban Neighborhood Agricultural Crop Fields or Fallow FieldsHay Meadows, Pasture, Grass FieldOld Fields, Shrubby Meadows Freshwater Marsh or FloodplainRivers & Streams

Features:

BeginnersFree - No Entry Fee at Any TimeHabitat Restoration ProjectHawk WatchHiking/Walking TrailsHistorical FeaturesNative Plant Garden or Meadow/Pollinator PlantsNature Education ProgramsParkingPets AllowedPicnic AreaRestroomsWheelchair Accessible FeaturesYoung People / Families

Type:

County ParksMAEOE Green CenterNature Centers