At a Glance

Hours:

  • Grounds: sunrise to sunset, all year. Sunset time is posted and gates are locked at sunset. Be sure to leave enough time to walk back to your car so that you don’t get locked in.
  • Park Office Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, from 9 am to 5 pm. Closed Mondays.
  • Nature Center Hours: Monday through Sunday, from 9 am to 5 pm. Closed on holidays.

Cost: Free. Donations are appreciated, especially to offset the cost of the construction of the Nature Center.

Tips: Don’t miss the boardwalk! ◾ Bikes are permitted only on the Red Trail, Blue Trail, boardwalk, and the paved areas. There are additional rules related to bicycles. ◾ Fishing is permitted. ◾ Kayaking and canoeing are allowed; bring your own.◾ Smoking of tobacco products is allowed in the park in general but nit in certain areas; see park regulations. ◾ Under state law, cannabis smoking is not allowed in public places (the whole park). ◾  The Nature Center is wheelchair accessible, paved paths are accessible, and the fishing pier, dam overlook, boardwalk, and pedestrian bridge to the Nature Center are wheelchair-accessible. ◾ Restrooms are located in the Nature Center, near the playground, and at the main parking area at the end of Lakeside Drive.

Best Seasons: Year-round, but especially good during spring and fall migration.

Breeding Bird Atlas Block: Cockeysville SE

Local MOS Chapter: Baltimore Bird Club

Lake Roland

1000 Lakeside Drive, Baltimore, MD 21210
(410) 887-4156
Email: lakerol-rp@baltimorecountymd.gov

Lake Roland (formerly known as Robert E. Lee Park) is a 503-acre park located in the Jones Falls Valley, just north of the City of Baltimore boundary and inside the Baltimore Beltway. The park is owned by the City of Baltimore but is managed by Baltimore County in partnership with the Lake Roland Nature Council. Parts of the park are designated as National Historic Districts. As the name implies, the most notable feature of the park is the 100-acre Lake Roland, ormed by damming the Jones Falls below the confluence with Roland Run. The park is treasured as a rare slice of nature within the highly urbanized Baltimore metropolitan area.

The park has multiple habitats including wetlands, meadows, and deciduous forests. Features include a freshwater marsh accessed by a short boardwalk, numerous woodland trails, Lake Roland itself (a man-made freshwater reservoir that covers 100 acres), a boardwalk and bridges, a dam, and streams. The park also features a pollinator garden near the dam. There is a special nature trail for children.

The many visitor amenities include picnic pavilions; a dog park, called Paw Point; a natural play area for children, called Acorn Hill; a fishing pier;  and a canoe/kayak launch.

A distinctive feature of the park is the Bare Hills section, a remnant of a serpentine barrens, a rare geological-ecological formation that results in a sparse, shrubby grassland habitat punctuated with rock outcroppings and with species of rare plants. Historically, before European settlements and extensive developments, there were bands of serpentine barrens in northeastern Maryland and extending up into Pennsylvania, and the early colonists minded chromite at these sites. However, most of the Maryland-Pennsylvania serpentine barrens have been obliterated. Serpentine Barrens are extremely delicate habitats composed of grasslands, pitch pines and other rare plant communities, and shrub-scrub habitat that were historically dependent upon natural fires to remain open. In the absence of fire or intentional human management, natural succession takes over and results in woodland overgrowth that causes the gradual destruction of the grasslands and rare plant communities. The Bare Hills serpentine barrens at Lake Roland Park has been undergoing a restoration led by The Lake Roland Nature Council, with participation of several non-profit organizations and numerous volunteers; read about the restoration efforts here and view a photo gallery here. Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area is another local example of a preserved serpentinc barrens habitat.

For a suggested birding route through the park, you can use the description of Lake Roland in the Birder’s Guide to Baltimore and Baltimore County, Maryland, published in 1998 by the Baltimore Bird Club. The guide is out of print but we have a complete downloadable scanned version here, and the following excerpt describes the birding route.

A traditional meeting place for a Lake Roland bird walk is at the beginning of the Boardwalk starting at the Light Rail Station. The boardwalk is a good area to see warblers, finches, wrens, chickadees, titmouse, flycatchers and woodpeckers, including nesting species. Move on to the dam where Yellow-crowned Night-Heron can be found at the feeds at the base and along the stream. Swallows and Chimney Swift are often overhead. Look for warblers and vireos around the area. Depending on the amount of time, you can bird along the road back towards the Light Rail stop before heading across the bridge.

From the dam, follow the path up into the park towards the picnic area where bluebirds can be seen year around and Baltimore and Orchard Orioles are seen during migration (birding varies depending on the crowds). Follow the path along the lake shore, counterclockwise around the picnic area, and on the side opposite the lake, look for a dirt path which will take you down across the Light Rail track to the inner part of the park. Be careful crossing the track.

After crossing the track, follow the trail along the lake. Barred Owls nest in the area. Pileated Woodpecker has been seen flying overhead. Look for various ducks in the lake. Scan for shorebirds and herons along the shore and in the mud flat area on the north side of the lake. When you come to the fork in the trail, you can take the path to the right, which follows a dike and loops back to the main trail. During migration, vireos, thrushes, and flycatchers are common, and 20 or more species of warblers can be found in one day.

The community is justly proud of the Lake Roland Nature Center, completed by Baltimore County in 2015 as a green-focused project using renewable construction materials and a minimal environmental footprint. The Nature Center has won the Associated Builders & Contractors Award of Merit. The Nature Center provides year-round education, arts and crafts, and event programming with access for special needs and handicapped participants. Its proximity to the boardwalk provides direct access to the Falls Road Light Rail Station — the transit access being a notable feature in the Baltimore metro area. One key design feature of the Center is that the front elevation facing the dam is comprised of a series of glass doors, allowing activities to extend onto the deck that provides year-round views of the Lake Roland.

There are several inholdings of private homes, including some reached by Hollis Lane, Barroll Road, and at the end of Copper Hill Road (see trail map at the link at left.) These private properties are not open to the public. Please be respectful of people’s privacy.

Fun Fact: Lake Roland was the site of the very first formal bird walk offered by the Baltimore Bird Club/Maryland Ornithological Society, on March 11, 1945. Club President Irving Hampe wrote an account of the walk, published in Vol. 1, #1 of the Bulletin of the Maryland Ornithological Society.

Historical Notes: Lake Roland was constructed in the 1850s as part of the water supply for the growing City of Baltimore. Druid Lake, downstream on the Jones Falls, was also part of the City’s water supply system. The network of parks, reservoirs, and parkways in the stream valleys of the City of Baltimore was laid out by the famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

Although known originally as “Lake Roland Park,” in 1945 the City changed the name to “Robert E. Lee Memorial Park” at the insistence of an influential donor.

The City managed the park until 2009, when it fell into such disrepair that the park was temporarily closed. An agreement was reached for Baltimore County to take over management of the park and to make the investments needed to improve the park and bring it to usable standards. The park re-opened in 2011 under County management but is still owned by the City.

Because of Robert E. Lee’s association with the Confederacy and with slavery, in 2015 the City was persuaded by Baltimore County (by then the manager of the Park) to change the name back to “Lake Roland Park.”

Birdlife:

A combined total of over 225 bird species have been reported on eBird from Lake Roland Park. There are six eBird hotspots covering the park:

Lake Roland Park provides year-round interest to birders.

During migration, a rich diversity of species can be seen, including many types of warblers, vireos, other passerines, shorebirds, ducks, and raptors. The park hosts nesting Baltimore and Orchard Orioles and many other species, including herons, swallows, woodpeckers, and flycatchers. The water attracts a variety of ducks, herons, and occasional shorebirds.

Wheelchair Access:

Apart from the natural surface foot-trails, which are not wheelchair accessible, there is excellent wheelchair-accessible birding at the core area of Lake Roland Park. See the detailed trail map of the peninsula area.

There is good birding from the car (windows down) along the long main entrance road, Lakeside Drive, which runs through deciduous woods leading to a paved parking area just past the dam, where a wheelchair-accessible ramp leads down to an accessible fishing pier with picnic tables and an excellent water view just above the dam. There is another accessible viewing area at the dam itself, adjacent to the pump house, where there are a couple of park benches looking out over the water. There is are reserved handicapped spaces and an accessible portable restroom at the parking area at the fishing pier.

Just south of the dam, a concrete, wheelchair accessible pedestrian bridge leads from a small paved parking area (reserved handicapped spaces) across the tailwaters below the dam to reach the Nature Center, which has an access ramp.

There is a paved pedestrian loop trail leading from the Nature Center down a peninsula, providing access to a couple of picnic pavilions and the playground and dog park. There is are accessible portable restrooms along the paved loop.

At the second entrance to Lake Roland Park, at the Light Rail Station, the wheelchair accessible Lake Roland boardwalk starts at the far end of the paved parking lot and runs to the Nature Center.

Pet Policy:

Pets must be on a leash at all times; except within the Dog Park; pick up after your pet and take the bagged waste with you when you leave. Pets are not allowed in the playground or Nature Center. Citations are given for unleashed pets.

The Paw Point Dog Park is available on a paid membership basis.

Special Features:

  • As described above, an outstanding natural feature of the park is the remnant of a serpentine barrens ecological community in the Bare Hills Section of the park. Read more about Serpentine Barrens on the MD Department of Natural Resources website.
  • The Nature Center has classroom, educational and meeting space with audio/visual capabilities, plus support space.
  • The non-profit  Lake Roland Nature Council partners with Baltimore County in managing Lake Roland Park. Please consider making a donation, or become a member to provide continuing support.
  • The Lake Roland Nature Council sponsors a full calendar of programs and events.
  • Paw Point is Lake Roland’s membership-only off-leash dog park.
  • Canoeing and kayaking are allowed at Lake Roland. All boaters must wear a life preserver at all times while on the water and children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Please note that trailers and sailboats are not allowed; car-top boats only. Visitors boat at their own risk. See full boating regulations.
  • Fishing is allowed from the shoreline and from boats. Only hook-and-line; no bow-fishing. A state freshwater fishing license is required.
  • The park has a memorial tree and a memorial bench program.

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.

Fun Fact: Lake Roland was the site of the very first formal bird walk offered by the Baltimore Bird Club/Maryland Ornithological Society in February 1945.

Parking:

There are three parking areas:

  1. The main entrance has a paved parking lot at the end of Lakeside Drive inside the park, just past the pedestrian bridge to the Nature Center and the dam on the left. Street address: 1000 Lakeside Drive, Baltimore, MD 21209; GPS coordinates 39.379076, -76.641579.
  2. Falls Road Light Rail Station parking, just off Falls Road at 29 Railroad Avenue, Baltimore, MD, 21209; GPS coordinates 39.376545, -76.649393. Take the boardwalk at the far end of the parking lot to reach the Nature Center and trails.
  3. Parking for the Red Trail access on the east side of Falls Road (road shoulder parking for ten or more cars), just south of where Falls Road goes under I-83; approximate street address 7329 Falls Road, Towson, MD 21204; GPS coordinates 39.396298, -76.663565. The trail head for the north end of the Red Trail is located here.

Directions:

From the Baltimore Beltway/I-695: take Exit 23 and head south on the Jones Falls Expressway/I-83 south. Take the Northern Parkway exit, and at the bottom of the ramp turn left to go east to the next traffic light at Falls Road. Turn left to go north on Falls Road.

  • To the main parking area for Lake Roland: After the third traffic light on Falls Road at Lake Avenue, take the next right onto Lakeside Drive, the main entrance road for Lake Roland. Follow Lakeside Drive to its end at a parking area just past the pedestrian bridge to the Nature Center and the dam on the left.
  • To the Falls Road Light Rail Station parking lot and boardwalk access: Follow the directions above, but after turning right onto Lakeside Drive, instead of Following Lakeside Drive around a curve to the right, continue straight ahead to go north onto Railroad Avenue, which parallels Falls Road, which at this point is on an elevated overpass. Follow Railroad Avenue about 460′ to the entrance on the right for Light Rail parking. After you entering the parking lot, drive to the far end of the lot, and park near the park’s boardwalk entrance. Take the boardwalk to the Nature Center.
  • To the Red Trail access on the east side of Falls Road (approximately 7329 Falls Road): Follow the directions above, but instead of turning right onto Lakeside Drive, continue driving north on Falls Road to the point just before Falls Road passes under I-83. This will be about 2.7 miles from where you started on Falls Road at Northern Avenue.

By Light Rail: The Falls Road Light Rail Station is located adjacent to the park, providing Light Rail access from downtown and suburban Baltimore. See the Maryland Transit Administration website for schedules.

By Bus: See the Maryland Transit Administration bus schedules and routes.

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 ■ Irvine Nature CenterLiberty Reservoir – Baltimore County ■ Loch Raven Reservoir ■ Milford Mill aka Villa Nova Park ■ Northern Central Rail Trail (NCRT)Oregon Ridge Park ■ Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area

Habitats:

Bottomland Deciduous ForestsConifersHedgerowsUpland Deciduous Forests Garden or ArboretumUrban or Small Town Landscape Old Fields, Shrubby Meadows Freshwater Marsh or FloodplainFreshwater Pond, Lake, or ReservoirRivers & Streams

Features:

BeginnersBicycle Trails (Bikes may be prohibited on some trails)BoardwalkBoat or Canoe/Kayak LaunchFishingFree - No Entry Fee at Any TimeHabitat Restoration ProjectHiking/Walking TrailsNative Plant Garden or Meadow/Pollinator PlantsNature Education ProgramsParkingPets AllowedPicnic AreaPlaygroundRestroomsWater ViewWheelchair Accessible FeaturesYoung People / Families

Type:

County ParksNature CentersPonds, Lakes, and Reservoirs