Pushing The Tush: Patuxent Research Refuge, North Tract

The sky over an oak tree on the Orange Trail.

I played hooky yesterday.

The sky was an incredible azure in the Washington, D.C. area with those too-picturesque fluffy, white clouds putting along with the light breeze. So I gave up staring at my computer screen, filled up my CamelBak, and took off for the Patuxent Research Refuge at 10:30 A.M. Normally, in August, in the Chesapeake Bay area, you’re asking for heat exhaustion if you run between 10 and 4 (and if the 90 degree temperatures don’t get you the thick, lung-clogging humidity will). But yesterday the humidity was low and the temperature barely reached 80. Perfect for running.

I’ve never been to the Patuxent Research Refuge but figured I’d try a new trail because 1. I’m getting tired of my old route and 2. I’m just coming off a nagging cold, so I gave myself permission to go slowly and even stop which would happen because I invariably get lost and have to backtrack (I have this amazing ability to head down the faintest deer trail and miss the car-wide, brightly marked people trail).

The park is very easy to find. Head up 295 N (if coming from D.C.) and exit onto 198 E. Go about a two miles and turn right onto Bald Eagle Drive at the red Patuxent Research Refuge sign and go another mile down a dirt and gravel road to the Visitor Contact Station (typically open 8 AM to 4 PM, but do check, and some trails/areas are seasonal).

The Visitor Contact Station at the end of Bald Eagle Drive.

This is a park where you have to sign in (so you don’t get locked in at closing time). Two awesome retirees manned the desk and provided me with literature and maps (including a single sheet, paper map I could tuck in my pack) and a rundown on the park since I admitted I was a newbie. However, I’d already researched the 10.5 mile loop I wanted to complete in an effort to limit gratuitous stumbling through the woods due to my wonky internal compass. It was a good thing I memorized how many right turns I had to make because the park recently renamed all the trail paths.

Here’s a rough outline (with a few of my special observations) of the 10.5 mile loop that might be of use to another runner or hiker looking for a new adventure:

1. Once you’ve parked and signed in, continue down Bald Eagle Drive past the Contact Station and hang a right onto the Wildlife loop. Very soon, on your right, will be the entrance to Wild Turkey Way (formerly the Green trail, and still nicely marked with green circles). Wild Turkey Way is what I describe as a dirt farm road that devolves into two tire tracks into the woods. The trail is a compact to moderately compact mix of small gravel and silt/sand (very gentle on the knees and just what I was looking for). While all of the trails are in the forest, it is a young forest and the canopy hasn’t filled in completely. I’d describe some sections as beautifully dappled but the majority is open to the sky. DO NOT skimp on the sunscreen. Other trails shoot off this trail, just continue baring right. Length: 1.2 miles.

The entrance to the Green Trail off of the Wildlife Loop.

2. Hang a right and continue onto Sweetgum Lane (formerly Red) for just a short distance.

3. Turn right onto Whip-poor-will Way (formerly Yellow). Whip-poor-will Way has a few very gentle
hills and washed out places. It also has patches of what I call kitty-litter. Evil kitty-litter is that typically blue-gray, very small gravel that gets in your socks and, like little pitchfork-welding Satans, jumps up and down and stabs your heels. If you’re prone to kicking up dirt, I recommend higher socks (I tend to wear no-shows because I’m a girly-girly and hate tan lines). At the top of Whip-poor-will Way is a beautiful, forest cemetery.

4. Whip-poor-will Way turns into Pine Warbler Way (though both used to be classified as Yellow). You can really start to tell the park is a wildlife refuge here AND why they allow hunting in the Fall.

The beginning of the Yellow Trail.

It became a game of dodge the deer scat. (I thought about taking a picture of the poo for Charlotte over at the Great Fitness Experiment since she recently had a poo-in-the-woods discussion-and no, I did not make any personal side trips. Sorry, Charlotte.) Length of Whip-poor-will and Pine Warbler: 1.8 miles.

5. Turn right, back onto Sweetgum Lane (formerly Red). Length: .6 miles.

6. Sweetgum Lane ends and South Road begins (formerly Red). Length: .7 miles.

7. Turn right onto Wild Turkey Way (this portion was formerly Orange) and head for Blue Heron Pond.
Up until this section, I had yet to see other people (though I must have been surrounded by deer if the poo was any indication). I took a water break and stretched my hamstrings courtesy of the gate in front of the pond. Don’t go wandering into the grass (or cop a squat) as it is riddled with poison ivy.

There is a viewing blind set up to observe the birds, but while it was a beautiful day for runners I didn’t see one bird on the pond.

The cemetery located midway along the Yellow Trail.

8. Wild Turkey Way dead ends at the pond, so go back the way you came and head for South Road. Out-and back total length: 3.2 miles.

9. Turn right onto South Road (formerly Blue). At the junction of Wild Turkey Road I had a lovely meeting with a scout for the Mountain Club of Maryland who was checking the park for a potential group hike. Let’s just say right off
that I grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The only thing flatter than the Eastern Shore is probably portions of Kansas and Nebraska. So I typically think a hill is a mountain and well, real mountains, they totally blow my mind. But even I was baffled as to why he was out here in Anne Arundel County–it’s pancake flat. He just smiled and said sometimes they take leisurely hikes. It would be leisurely all right. The only reason I noticed the few slight increases in grade is because my nose is still stuffy, and I was suffering from slight oxygen deprivation. Length: 1.7 miles.

10. South Road will lead you back to the Wildlife loop. Turn…wait for it…LEFT (finally). This is a paved road and there is occasional car traffic. You’ll reach the Contact Station in about 1.3 miles.

Blue Heron Pond at the end of the Orange Trail.

The trails are wonderful on the knees, ankles, and feet and the area is serene with just the sounds of
cicadas and the occasional small propeller plane overhead (the tiny Tipton airport is next door). There are shorter loop options if you don’t want to do 10.5 miles. I’m trying to thrust myself back into my long distance routine since I’ve been slacking off due to my cold and then was super-scared I’d fallen too far out of shape to do more than three or four miles. I’m excited to say that except for a short water break at the pond and my chat with the scout, I managed to not get rocks in my socks and (slowly) push my tush the whole 10.5 miles.

Another fun fact about the Refuge: It used to be a military training area for nearby Fort Meade and there may be unexploded ordinances within the North Tract area (marked with the sign UXO).

Dodging deer poo, staying out of poison ivy, and jogging 10.5 miles all without getting lost.

The scout for the mountain group was concerned about this as from time to time people may need to go off for a few private moments (yes, more pooish references). However, the informative docents at the front office never mentioned the UXOs. I brought up the point to the scout that the hunters in the fall surely didn’t stay on the paths. Wouldn’t we have read about exploding hunters and deer? That’s the kind of wonky local news that always gets overexposed. So while I wouldn’t recommend wandering off into the woods (for a variety of reasons), I wouldn’t worry overly much about the little buried bombs-you’re probably much more likely to get stuck in a deer traffic jam.