At a Glance

Hours:

April-October: open Tuesday through Sunday, 9 am to 5 pm.
Novembe-March: open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm.
Irvine is closed every Monday, year-round. Also closed on major holidays, and for certain weather conditions such as heat advisories, inclement weather, or air quality advisories.

Cost:

Free for members.
Free admission for the public on Fridays, thanks to a grant from the Orokawa Foundation; check Irvine website to be sure Free Fridays is still in effect..
Non-Members (except Fridays): $5 per person, except children 5 and under are free. Donations are appreciated and annual memberships are available.

Tips: No dogs or bikes allowed. ◾ Trails can be muddy and wet; waterproof boots are recommended. ◾ The wetlands are seasonal, so dry, warm weather may reduce bird diversity. ◾ Restrooms are located along the Old Farm Lane on the way to the Bluebird Meadow and along Caves Woods Road on the way to the Sunflower Meadow. See trail map at link at left.

Best Seasons: Fall, winter, and spring. Summer for blooming native plants.

Breeding Bird Atlas Block: Reisterstown CE

Local MOS Chapter: Baltimore Bird Club

Irvine Nature Center

11210 Garrison Forest Road, Owings Mills, MD 21117
(443) 738-9200

Located northwest of the City of Baltimore, Irvine Nature Center is a private, non-profit nature education center that offers free public access to its 211 acres, consisting of meadows, wetlands, and deciduous woods. Trails of dirt or mowed grass wind through the property. One walks down a hill to reach the meadows and wetlands—other than that, the terrain is flat. The excellent trail system takes visitors through a diversity of habitats.

Wetlands and streamside thickets are the best spots to look for sparrows and other passerines. The Woodland Garden features more than a hundred species of shade-loving native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, ferns and grasses, all protected from deer by a surrounding fence. The Woodland Garden is maintained with the help of volunteers from the St. George’s Garden Club.

The Nature Center offers extensive programming, with over 90,000 children and adults served annually. Facilities include an open-air amphitheatre, a Butterfly House, an aviary, an outdoor classroom, and demonstration gardens. The Nature Center also has extensive exhibits featuring live animals native to the Piedmont.

Birdlife:

Over 195 species of birds have been reported at the eBird hotspot for Irvine Nature Center.

In the colder months, Irvine is one of the more reliable places in greater Baltimore to look for American Tree Sparrows; other sparrows that are often seen are Song, Swamp, Field, Savannah, Fox, Dark-eyed Junco, and Eastern Towhee. Occasionally a true rarity such as LeConte’s Sparrow appears. Also in the colder months, check the wetlands for Wilson’s Snipe.

Raptors are easy to spot in the open habitats. American Kestrel (summer and migration), Red-Tailed Hawk, Red-Shouldered Hawk, and Northern Harrier are fairly common. Great Horned Owls have nested.

Wheelchair Access:

The visitor center and exhibit hall is fully accessible. The trails are unpaved, but some trails may be navigable by some wheelchairs. Ask at the Visitor Center or call ahead for accessibility details.

Pet Policy:

No dogs allowed. Please do not leave dogs in your car.

Special Designations:

Irvine Nature Center is a certified Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) Green Center;.

Special Features:

Irvine Nature Center offers an extensive series of nature education programs for children and adults. The Nature Center houses 24 different species of live animals indoors, including some that were donated and that are unable to sustain themselves in the wild. The Nature Store stocks nature-related items, including bird seed.

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.

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.

Multimedia:

The Irvine Nature Center has its own YouTube Channel, with numerous videos about plants and animals. A short video serves as an introduction to the Center’s grounds and programs, with beautiful aerial footage. Check it out!

Parking:

Paved parking lot near the Nature Center. Street address: 11210 Garrison Forest Road, Owings Mills, MD 21117; GPS Coordinates: 39.433337, -76.762771.

Directions:

From the Baltimore Beltway/I-695: take Exit 20 and go north on MD Route 140/Reisterstown Road for 1.7 miles. Turn right (east) on MD Route 130/Greenspring Valley Road for just 0.3 miles, then make a sharp left turn to go north for 2.1 miles on Garrison Forest Road. The entrance to Irvine Nature Center will be on your right, just past Stevenson University-Owings Mills East Campus and the Jemicy School campus on the left.

Nearby Sites:

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

Baltimore County: Cromwell Valley Park ■ Fort Howard Park ■ Gunpowder Falls State Park – Hammerman Area & Dundee Creek Marina ■ Hart-Miller Island State Park ■ Holt Park ■ 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