Liberty Reservoir – Baltimore County

Liberty Reservoir – Baltimore County

5685 Oakland Road, Eldersburg, MD 21784-6828
(410) 356-9272

Located in the Piedmont region of Maryland, Liberty Reservoir spans the border between Baltimore and Carroll Counties.  A section in Carroll County accessed from Bollinger Mill Road is described separately in this Birder’s Guide.

Liberty Reservoir is the largest of three drinking water reservoirs located in Baltimore County but owned by the City of Baltimore, the other two being Prettyboy Reservoir and Loch Raven. Built in the early 1950s, Liberty Reservoir was formed by damming the North Branch of the Patapsco River to produce a source of drinking water for the City of Baltimore and surrounding counties. Smaller streams within the Liberty Reservoir watershed include Aspen Run, Beaver Run, Cooks Run, Keysers Run, Morgan Run, Middle Run, Locust Run, Norris Run, and Timber Run; some of the favored birding areas are along these streams. See a map of the streams and sub-watersheds that drain into Liberty Reservoir.

Liberty Reservoir provides birders with an unparalleled opportunity to explore undeveloped woodlands with access to the reservoir’s shoreline. The reservoir covers over 3,000 acres and is 11 miles long, with 82 miles of shoreline. The size of the surrounding city-owned watershed lands is 9,200 acres.

Most of the watershed land area is wooded with mixed deciduous species and patches of coniferous forest. The watershed lands are considered prime habitat for Forest Interior Dwelling Species (FIDS) of birds, of which 27 species breed in the Piedmont region of Maryland, according to Audubon Maryland-DC. Of those 27 species of FIDS, 26 species (all but Black-billed Cuckoo) have been observed in the Baltimore County portion of the Liberty Reservoir Watershed, according to eBird reports. The watershed lands also include shrubby areas, mostly in and near power line cuts, and wetland areas are scattered through the woods.

On its east side in Baltimore County, the Liberty Watershed lands abut Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area, which contains an outstanding example of rare Serpentine Barren habitat. To the south, the watershed lands are adjacent to sections of Patapsco Valley State Park.

Liberty Reservoir and the lands surrounding it are managed by the City of Baltimore in partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources as a Cooperative Wildlife Management Area (CWMA). Under the CWMA agreement, the watershed lands are open to the public for  hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, nature photography, boating (no gasoline motors or inflatables), fishing, and birding. Swimming is not allowed. The area is also open to archery hunting for deer and other game species during the regular hunting seasons established by the state.

Although low-impact recreation is permitted, the main goal of the management practices it to protect the watershed and the quality of drinking water in the reservoir. The forested lands of the watershed protect the water from runoff and ensiltation. There are few visitor amenities; for example, no public restrooms, and only two parking lots: near the dam and at the boat launch. 

Liberty Reservoir can be challenging to bird, for two reasons: the aforementioned lack of visitor amenities, and the fact that there are few waterviews from public roads.

There are bridges on three public roads that cross the reservoir: (from north to south): MD Route 140/Westminster Pike/Baltimore Boulevard; Deer Park Road; and MD Route 26/Liberty Road. The bridges on Route 140 and Deer Park Road offer only a narrow view of the water, being situated on a thin arm of the reservoir; it is not possible to stop on either bridge, but there is shoulder parking near the west end of the Deer Park Road bridge and it would be possible to walk back toward the bridge to get a water view. There is absolutely no place to stop or stand on the busy Route 26 bridge over the reservoir.

Birding the reservoir and watershed lands is done mostly on foot, using a dense network of old fire roads and foot-trails. For many of the trails, the biggest challenge can be finding a place to park.

On the Baltimore County side, two of the most easily accessed birding areas are near the reservoir dam, south of Rte. 26/Liberty Road.

• Liberty Dam Road (see Directions below) provides access to a view of the dam and of the south end of the reservoir above the dam. Liberty Dam Road is gated immediately at its start at Wards Chapel Road, and there is another gate a few hundred yards in, just past a large parking area. Normally the first gate is open dawn to dusk, but if closed, you are out of luck because there is no place to park along Wards Chapel Road, a two-lane road with no shoulders. If the first gate at Liberty Dam Road is open and the second one closed, park and walk in to the dam; the birding is better on foot, anyway. If both gates are open, you may drive in to a parking area overlooking the dam. It is 1.8 miles (one-way) from Wards Chapel Road to the overlook that provides a view of the dam and reservoir. The entire distance is paved. Be aware that here (and everywhere on the reservoir south of Route 26), the county line hugs the near shoreline, so any birds you see on the water will actually be in Carroll County, not Baltimore County (this matters to county listers). Also note that the top of the dam is fenced and it is not possible to walk out on it.
• The Liberty Dam Trail (see Directions below) is a foot-trail originating in a slice of Patapsco Valley State Park that is contiguous with the reservoir watershed lands. The foot-trail starts at Marriottsville Road and goes north up the valley on the east side of the North Branch of the Patapsco River toward the dam, a distance of 0.9 miles one-way. It is an easy walk with very little change in elevation. There is a tiny parking lot at the trail head, holding only four cars (a couple more cars can fit if you are with friends and can double-park.) The trail starts out on paved two-track, but after about a tenth of a mile, the paved two-track veers to the east and becomes a private driveway. Continue straight ahead here, on a narrow dirt foot-trail, with the river sometimes visible on your left. This section of the trail has dense understory and may have downed trees, so be prepared and have proper hiking footwear – this is not a casual stroll. Just below the dam, the trail will split; the left fork leads to an imposing view looking up at the dam, while the right fork goes up a steep slope to the dam overlook area at the end of Liberty Dam Road, as described above. Again, if you are a county lister, be aware that the Baltimore-Carroll County line runs down the North Branch of the Patapsco. The Liberty Dam trail is covered in the free AllTrails app. As a sidenote, it is possible to park at the nearby McKeldin Area of Patapsco Valley State Park, and to hike from there to the Liberty Dam Trail; consult the McKeldin Area Trail Map for connecting trails. Hiking from McKeldin to the dam overlook would require crossing the North Branch; there is no pedestrian bridge, and the river is wide and deep, so this is not recommended. If hiking this route, it is better to go out to Marriottsville Road and CAUTIOUSLY cross the road bridge. Be aware of traffic.

There are numerous additional access points for the Liberty Watershed lands, and there are some road shoulder parking areas on public roads, but good trail maps are hard to come by. Unfortunately, the PDF-format Parking Locations Map provided by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for hunting use doesn’t show any designated parking areas on the Baltimore County side of the reservoir, and the Designated Mountain Bike Routes Map from the City of Baltimore does not show parking areas on either side of the reservoir.

Apart from those maps, your best bet is to use online trail maps, including those accessed via smart phone apps. Several trails on the Carroll County side of the reservoir are shown on the free AllTrails app, but only the aforementioned Liberty Dam trail is shown for the Baltimore County side. AllTrails can be accessed from a web browser on a desktop computer or from a smartphone. When using the smartphone app, a dot will show your location on the trail map and the dot will move along with you, making it impossible to get lost.

For another set of trail maps in the Liberty Watershed, see the online maps produced by the Eldersburg Rogue Runners, a non-profit based in Carroll County that supports the sport of running, both for adults and students. Most of the Rogue Runners maps cover the Carroll County side of Liberty Reservoir, but there are three trails (#7, #8, and #9) on the Baltimore County side, as shown on their trails descriptions page. The Rogue Runners descriptions include information on where to park.

The online Open Street Map shows trails around the reservoir, covering both counties; trails appear as dotted or dashed lines, some with names, as you zoom in on the map. However, only a few parking areas for Liberty Watershed are indicated on Open Street Map. Also be aware that the trails shown on Open Street Map are contributed by users and some of the trails are not maintained and may no longer exist.

Access Note: It was reported by local media in summer of 2019 that the City of Baltimore has decided to decommission seven fire roads within the Liberty Reservoir watershed lands. According to the reporting, the public is no longer allowed to use these roads for hiking, hunting, biking, horseback riding, or any other use. Reportedly, the seven roads that have been decommissioned are Murray Road, Content Lane, Poole/Pouder Area, Glen Falls Road, Old Oakland Road to Wards Chapel Road, Cockeys Mill Road to Md. 140 and Ivy Mill Road. A citizens’ group is working to attempt to restore access; see https://www.facebook.com/Friends-of-Liberty-Reservoir-384917249013180/. At this time, the City of Baltimore has not provided a trail map showing which fire roads and trails are open and which have been decommissioned. Obey posted signs at the property.

Birdlife:

There are 8 eBird hotspots covering the Baltimore County section of Liberty Reservoir and its surrounding watershed lands, with a combined total of 194+ species seen at these 8 hotspots.

• Liberty Reservoir–Content Lane Trail – 111+ species
• Liberty Reservoir–Dam Trail – 145+ species
• Liberty Reservoir–Liberty Dam Road – 149+ species
• Liberty Reservoir–Locust Run Trail – 133+ species
• Liberty Reservoir–Norris Run Trail – 145+ species
• Liberty Reservoir–Oakland Trail – 111+ species
• Liberty Reservoir–Route 140 – 138+ species
• Liberty Reservoir–Timber Run Trail – 76+ species

Twenty species of waterfowl have been identified at Liberty Reservoir, including breeding Canada Geese, Mallards, and Wood Ducks. Most of the waterfowl are winter visitors. There are also Horned and Pied-billed Grebes, American Coots, Double-crested Cormorants, and Common Loons in winter.  Being inland, Liberty Reservoir is not a big attraction for gulls, but Ring-billed and Herring are common in the colder months.

Swallows, including Cliff; Chimney Swifts, and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds can be found in the summer months. A smattering of shorebirds night occur in the spring through early fall, depending on water levels; regularly occurring shorebirds include Killdeer, Semipalmated Plover, Spotted and Solitary Sandpiper, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs; Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers. Do not expect big flocks; these shorebirds typically appear singly or in small numbers. In the heron department, expect Green Heron, Great Egret, and Great Blue Heron; Little Blue Heron has been reported, but rarely.

Diurnal raptors are well-represented, with year-round Black and Turkey Vultures, Cooper’s Hawks, Bald Eagles, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks; in addition, there are Ospreys from April through September; Sharp-shinned Hawks in winter; and Broad-winged Hawks in spring and fall migration. Eastern Screech-Owls, Barred Owls, and Great Horned Owls are resident year-round, and occasionally a migrating or wintering Northern Saw-whet Owl shows up.

All along the shoreline, it is common to see Belted Kingfishers, which are present year-round. All seven species of woodpeckers found in Maryland occur here: Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (winter only), Red-headed, Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy, Pileated, and Northern Flicker.

Other year-round residents include Wild Turkeys, Mourning Doves, and of course widely distributed birds such as American and Fish Crows, Blue Jays, Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatches, Carolina Wrens, Eastern Bluebirds, American Robins, Cedar Waxwings, House Finches, American Goldfinches, and Northern Cardinals.

The lands surrounding Liberty Reservoir are forested, and all the usual forest-dwelling bird species can be found here in appropriate seasons: warblers, flycatchers, vireos, thrushes, and more. As mentioned above, 26 species of Forest Interior Dwelling Species (FIDS) that breeding the Maryland Piedmont Region have been observed at Liberty.

Notable breeding birds include Willow Flycatchers, Wood Thrushes, Yellow-breasted Chats (try near power-line cuts), Cerulean Warblers, Kentucky Warblers, Louisiana Waterthrushes, Prairie Warblers, Prothonotary Warblers, Worm-eating Warblers, Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, Blue Grosbeaks and Indigo Buntings.

Breeding sparrows include Chipping, Field, Song (present year-round), and Eastern Towhee (also year-round). Some sparrows are present only in winter or during migration: American Tree, Fox, Dark-eyed Junco, White-crowned, White-throated, Savannah, Lincoln’s, and Swamp.

Other wintering birds include Ruby- and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creepers, Winter Wrens, Purple Finches,  and Pine Siskins.

The greatest diversity of species is found at the north end of the reservoir, near MD Route 140/Westminster Pike/Baltimore Boulevard, but the entire watershed area is worth exploring.

Wheelchair Access: 

On the Baltimore side, the best area for mobility-impaired birders is Liberty Dam Road, which can be birded from or near the car. The overlook at the dam is reached by a set of concrete stairs and is not wheelchair accessible. The trails at Liberty Watershed are natural-surface, dirt and grass lanes and are not wheelchair-accessible. Limited birding is possible from the car at some of the road-shoulder parking areas. There are no public restrooms in the watershed. The closest public restrooms are at the McKeldin Area of Patapsco Valley State Park, on Marriottsville Road south of Liberty Dam.

Pet Policy:

Pets are permitted on leash; pick up after your pet.

Special Designations:

Liberty Reservoir is contained within the Patapsco Valley Important Bird Area (IBA), as designated by the National Audubon Society.

Special Features:

The Friends of Liberty Reservoir is a non-profit group that provides volunteers to conduct trail and road cleanups and to work with the City of Baltimore on issues such as access, train maintenance, and control of invasive species.

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.

Parking:

•  There is a head-in paved parking area at the beginning of Liberty Dam Road. GPS 39.390593, -76.868946. There is another paved parking area at the far end of Liberty Dam road, near the dam overlook, which can be reached when the inner gates are open. GPS 39.378250, -76.888640. Parking is not permitted on the shoulders of Liberty Dam Road.
• There is a small gravel parking area (four cars) at the trailhead for the Liberty Dam trail. See directions below. GPS 39.365397, -76.884651.
• Limited parking is available along the numerous roads throughout watershed property north of Route 26/Liberty Road, unless otherwise designated as a no-parking zone. The “No Parking” signage changes from time to time. Look for legal parking spots on road shoulders along Wards Chapel Road, Deer Park Road, Ivy Mill Road, Nicodemus Road, Cockeys Mill Road, and MD Route 140/Westminster Pike). Some of these parking spots only hold one car. Obey “No Parking” signage and do not park in posted areas. In general, roads through residential communities (such as the west end of Oakland Road, the west end of Deer Park Road and South Lake Way, Content Lane, Green Hill Farm Road, Bondi Way, Gores Mill Road, and others) have been posted “No Parking.”

Directions:

To Liberty Dam Road:

From the west side of the Baltimore Beltway/I-695: Take Exit 18 for MD Route 26/Liberty Road westbound. Travel west on Liberty Road for about 7.5 miles. At a traffic light, turn left to go south on Wards Chapel Road for just under a half-mile. Turn right through the gates onto Liberty Dam Road. If the inner gates are open, you can drive to a parking area near the dam overlook in 1.8 miles. If the inner gates are not open, park at the head-in spaces near the first gate and walk in on the paved road.

To the Liberty Dam Trailhead:

From the west side of the Baltimore Beltway/I-695: Follow directions as above, driving west on MDRoute 26/Liberty Road for 7.5 miles to a left turn to go south on Wards Chapel Road. Drive south on Wards Chapel Road for 2.2 miles, passing the gates for Liberty Dam Road on the right and continuing to where Wards Chapel Road ends at a T-intersection with Marriottsville Road. Turn right to go south on Marriottsville Road for a half-mile, to a small unnamed, paved road on the right. Turn right onto the small road, at a  a cluster of mailboxes behind a guard rail. Drive up the small paved road for just 100 yards to a gravel parking area on the left. There is room for only about four cars. Do not drive past the parking area; beyond this point, the paved road becomes a private driveway and there is no parking further on. After parking your car, continue on foot through the gate and north on the paved road. In about 170 yards, a foot-trail will be visible on the left – this is the Liberty Dam Trail. Continue up the foot-trail; do not go further on the paved road. If the parking area here is full, you might want to park at the nearby McKeldin Area of Patapsco Valley State Park and hike in (see description above for caveats). To reach the McKeldin Area in your car, go back out to Marriottsville Road and turn right to go south. The entrance to the McKeldin Area will be on your left in a half-mile, and is well-marked. McKeldin is a fee area.

To other trails on the Baltimore County side of Liberty Reservoir:

Additional trails on the Baltimore County side of Liberty Reservoir (i.e., the eastern side of the reservoir), are accessed via a network of public roads that lie north of Route 26. We will post specific directions to several birding spots with legal parking after completing additional field work. For now, you may wish to drive north on Wards Chapel Road and continue to Deer Park Road, Ivy Mill Road, Nicodemus Road, Cockeys Mill Road, and MD Route 140/Westminster Pike, looking for legal parking and trail heads as you go.

Nearby Sites:

Baltimore County:  Irvine Nature Center ◾ Lake Roland ◾ Milford Mill aka Villa Nova Park ◾ Oregon Ridge Park ◾ Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area

Carroll County: Avondale Wildlife Management Area ◾ Hashawha Environmental Center / Bear Branch Nature Center ◾ Krimgold Park ◾ Liberty Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area – Bollinger Mill Road ◾ Morgan Run Natural Environmental Area ◾ Patapsco Valley State Park – McKeldin Area ◾ Piney Run Park & Nature Center ◾ Wakefield Valley Park

Howard County: David Force Natural Resource Area ◾ Howard County Conservancy – Mount Pleasant Farm ◾ Patapsco Valley State Park – Daniels Area ◾ Patapsco Valley State Park – Henryton ◾  Western Regional Park

Habitats:

ConifersUpland Deciduous Forests Suburban Neighborhood Old Fields, Shrubby Meadows Freshwater Marsh or FloodplainFreshwater Pond, Lake, or ReservoirMud Flats (Tidal or Non-Tidal)Rivers & Streams

Features:

Bicycle Trails (Bikes may be prohibited on some trails)FishingFree - No Entry Fee at Any TimeHiking/Walking TrailsHuntingParkingPets AllowedWater View

Type:

Audubon Important Bird AreasHunting AreasPonds, Lakes, and ReservoirsThe Rivers of the Western Shore