Start of the Woodlot Nature Trail at Oxon Cove Park in Maryland

Length: .6 mile, one-way
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆

The trailhead for the Woodlot Nature Trail at Oxon Hill Park is located off the gravel road that runs along the right side of the farm buildings at Oxon Hill Farm, about .4 mile from the parking lot. This is well past the last farm building. The trail is .6 mile long, stretching from the gravel road on the its western end to another dirt road on its eastern end, one that just happens to connect back to the parking lot in a tenth of a mile. Thus, if you want to hike the Woodlot Nature Trail, consider making this the very last thing you do at the park so that you end up back at your car just when you are ready to leave.

The Woodlot Nature Trail starts off downhill, so if you typically use hiking poles, be sure to bring them. The trail passes through a welcoming forest with a high canopy and very little brush and debris on the floor, almost like walking through a shaded meadow. This is my favorite type of forest, for while it keeps the sun out, it is not so dark and gloomy as to become depressing. Also, the trail is marked with yellow blazes, which are colored paint splotches on the trees that hikers follow like Hansel and Gretel breadcrumbs to keep from getting lost. The trail becomes faint during the second half of the hike, so the blazes are the main way to stay on track.

Yellow blazes mark the route of the Woodlot Nature Trail at Oxon Cove Park in Maryland

At the bottom of the hill is a small, brick building. I have no idea when it was built or what it was used for, but it reminded me of something Hansel and Gretel might come across. There is nothing inside.

Brick building near a creek on the Woodlot Nature Trail at Oxon Cove Park in Maryland

Just behind the building is a bridge that spans a small creek, and this is where the trail continues. Once across, turn right and follow the creek.

Small creek follows along the Woodlot Nature Trail at Oxon Cove Park in Maryland

The trail is flat at this point, but it now becomes a little faint and hard to follow. Not many people hike it, and there can be so many leaves on the ground that it can become obscured. However, in most cases the path is obvious—the wide swathes where no trees are in the way—but be sure to keep an eye out for the yellow blazes. If all else fails, stick to the creek until you come to another bridge that leads back to the other side, the side you were originally on.

Faint path on the second half of the Woodlot Nature Trail in Oxon Cove Park

Once past the second bridge, the trail begins ascending back to the top of the hill. The path remains faint, but whenever I got confused I was always able to spot a tree with a yellow blaze on it. To make matters worse, when I hiked the trail the place looked like a tornado had just come through. Trees were down everywhere. However, these may well be cleared by the time you do the hike.

Yellow blaze among downed trees on the Woodlot Nature Trail at Oxon Cove Park in Maryland

The Woodlot Nature Trail eventually comes out at an open field and dead-ends into a narrow dirt path. Take this to the right and just fifty yards ahead is the dirt road that leads back to the parking lot. Take this to the right as well.

The Woodlot Nature Trail dead ends into a dirt path to leads back to the parking lot at Oxon Hill Farm

Road back to the Oxon Hill Farm parking lot at the end of the Woodlot Nature Trail

Other than getting a little exercise, there’s no reason to hike the Woodlot Nature Trail. It adds no value to a farm visit and amounts to nothing more than a walk in the woods. It took me 45 minutes to hike from the trailhead to the parking lot, but much of this time was spent figuring out how to get around all of the downed trees. If the path is clear, it shouldn’t take much more than a half hour.

Back to the Top