Soldier's Delight Natural Environment Area Owings Mills, MD

Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area features a nature center and seven miles of marked hiking trails. The landscape provides much different scenery than most of the other deciduous forest hikes near Baltimore. The serpentine barrens in the area make these family friendly hikes near Owings Mills some of the most unique in the Baltimore County region!

If you're visiting Soldiers Delight with kids you'll definitely want to stop into the visitor center. There, adults and older children can learn about the rich cultural history of the area and see mining artifacts from the 19th century. Younger kids will enjoy visiting the birds and reptiles that are housed in the children’s area. You’ll also be able to chat with rangers that will provide you with trail maps and answer any questions that you may have.

When open, the visitor center also provides a bathroom. Be advised, the visitor center has limited hours and is only guaranteed to be open on Saturdays. Depending on staff availability, the nature center is sometimes open on other days as well. If you're planning on spending a family day at Soldiers Delight, you'll want to go on a Saturday or call ahead to ask about visitor center availability.

When you’re ready to hike, turn left at the end of the nature center driveway. You’ll find a parking area on your left, about half a mile down the road. From this parking lot you’ll be able to access two different trail heads.

The White Trail leads you through the serpentine barrens, where you’ll be able to hike on the serpentinite rock that makes the area so unique. The Red Trail will lead you through a more meadow-like landscape to some of the abandoned mine shafts (fenced in, of course).

The area does not have the tree cover that keeps most Maryland hikes cool and comfortable. Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area is best hiked on cool or cloudy days. Due to the sensitive nature of the area, the serpentine trails are also very narrow. You’ll be hiking single file and it’s wise to choose long, protective pants as the brush encroaches on the trail at some points.

Also remember that the sensitive nature of the area means that no rocks, flowers, or other plants should be collected. Overall, this is a hike that is best suited for families with slightly older children (4 or 5 years old and above).

Visiting the park is free although donations are always accepted. Parking is readily available both at the nature center and at the trail heads.

The Friends of Soldiers Delight sponsor conservation and children’s activities throughout the year. Check out their website to find out about upcoming events. If you're looking for hikes near Owings Mills, you're not going to do much better than Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area!