What we’re about
The purpose of this group is to give our fellow Maryland bike riders opportunities to:
- explore familiar and new bike trails mostly in MD, and occasionally in DC, VA, DE, PA, NJ and NY.
- socialize and make new friends.
- have fun while exercising.
- travel with a familiar group to participate in day trips and weekend getaways for bikers
- travel with a familiar group to participate in larger bike events such as "Bike Philly"
- volunteer for bike events
- support bike advocate groups such as Bike Maryland and WABA.
Although most participants have been in the over 40+ age range, we welcome bikers of all ages, as well as all skill levels, gender identifications, ethnicities, races, etc.
Most of the events are for casual bicycle riding on scenic trails. We target rail and greenway trails, which are bicycle-friendly trails that tend to parallel old train tracks, canals, and rivers. Since trains did not do well on anything over a 3% grade, these trails are amazingly flat. They go through some beautiful areas and quaint towns, often where food and drink are plentiful.
We avoid streets as much as possible, although some of the trails may include a bike lane or shoulder for a small portion of the ride. Only a small number of routes use roads more than 25% of the time. Any route that is mostly on roads will be titled with "ROAD RIDE " so they can be easily identified.
Although we are mainly interested in "day trips," We also like to schedule at least one overnight each year.
Most rides will have distance options such as 10, 15, 20, etc., that you can choose from. And we'll range between 8 - 15 mph (some of us are slower, some are faster). This will make for a pretty laid-back ride and riders of just about any skill level should be fine. This is not about performance!
Group Fees
At this time there is no event fee or annual group fee. But please consider making a small donation to offset the $300 annual Meetup fee, the $80 annual Ride with GPS fee, and the huge number of hours the organizer's use to research destinations, check for trail construction, parking, writing, answering member questions, etc. in lieu of doing their personal errands.
Volunteer organizers are needed
If you’re in the mood to ride a particular trail and would like to let others join you, let me know and I’ll gladly add your event and put you as the organizer - even if there’s already a bike trip listed the same day. The more the merrier!
What do I need to bring?
Bike details: A proper-fitting bike that has had a maintenance check. Hybrids, mountain bikes, and road bikes (as long as they don't have the ultra-thin tires); the trails tend to be a mixture of asphalt, crushed limestone, and gravel.
Helmet: Required to be worn when seated/riding a bike.
Some other gear that is almost mandatory:
- Water (water bottles or a backpack style hydration system)
- Spare tube: Even if you don't know how to change a flat, someone in the group will be able to do it for you and it's MUCH easier to change a tube than to patch one
- Bike tools (a tire repair and patch kit and spare tube is always a good idea)
- Bike lock (we do stop for food and drink and the bike is not always in view)
- A payment method
- Good attitude (we're fun people!)
Other things to consider:
- Bug spray
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Small first aid kit
- Bike bag to hold everything
- Biking shorts (padded shorts may look strange to the uninitiated, but they sure do the trick)
- In cooler seasons, wear an upper layer that can be removed when you get warmed up.
- Please read our group rules
Please Note
We place limits on the number of riders that can join any single ride. Be aware of this when you join a ride. If you find you won't be able to make the ride, please move yourself from ‘Going’ to ‘Not Going’ ASAP and no later than 24 hours before the event start time to give others the chance to join. If you wait till the day of the event then you’re not giving others the time to take your place. Please don’t RSVP to an event just to add it to your calendar; only RSVP if you truly feel you will make it.
Make sure you get to the Meetup location before start time. Give yourself enough time to get your bike off/out of the car and ready by the start time (at least 15 minutes). Especially in summer, it’s too hot to stand around waiting for late arrivals to get ready. If you’re running late, please message the group on Meetup so we know whether to leave or wait a bit.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- NCR Trail: Start at Southern EndpointNCR Trail Mile 0, Cockeysville, MD
ABOUT THE TRAIL
The NCR Trail (official name is Torrey C. Brown Trail) is nearly 20 miles long in Maryland. It continues into PA for another 20 miles. The trail is 10’ wide with a stone dust surface & it has mile markers along the whole length. It runs along the Gunpowder River & it is shaded. For some nice details, go this webiste: Northern Central Rail Trail (NCRT) – Birders Guide to Maryland and DC (birdersguidemddc.org)SKILL LEVEL
Beginners can enjoy this trail because it is wide and fairly flat compared to other bike trails.DISTANCE OPTIONS
Participants can turn back at any time they wish. These are just suggestions.OPTION A: 14 miles total. Bike up to the Monkton Station. Enjoy a break before biking back.
OPTION B: 22 miles miles total. After stopping at Monkton Station, continue up to Gnome Hill for another break then bike back.
OPTION C: 40 miles total. Same as above but continue north until you get to the PA border (19.9 miles one way).
OPTION D: 43 miles total. Continue for 1.3 miles on the Heritage Rail Trail to the town of New Freedom for a rest stop in town before biking back. There are a couple of food options right off the trail.
OPTION E: Bike up to the endpoint in York, PA (27 miles from the PA border line).
(There is a 16-mile train ride that runs on a limited schedule from New Freedom up to Brillhart Station (just south of York). $30 one-way, 1.5 hours. See Northern Central Railway for more info.PARKING -
Option A: Mile 0
Ashland Road parking lot. There is no street address. Use the red pin in the map to open a navigation app on your mobile phone or type in "245 Ashland Rd Cockeysville, MD." If lot is full and street parking is full, go to option B. (This has never happened to us so far!)Option B: Mile 0.5
Paper Mill parking lot. Take York Road (Route 45) to Cockeysville (Exit 18 off I-83). Turn right (east) on Ashland Road. Bear left onto Paper Mill Road. Go less than ½ mile, crossing the trail to the parking lot on the left
Option C: Mile 2
Phoenix parking lot. Take York Road north of Shawan Road in Hunt Valley (Exit 20 off I-83). Turn right (east) on Phoenix Road. Travel 1.7 miles and look for the parking lot.THE PLAN
Bikers: Plan to arrive at 9:45 AM so you have time to find parking, get your bike, water bottles, your helmet on and check your tires. We'll do roll call and an icebreaker at 10:00 and then depart. If you're arriving late, leave a comment in the event comments and try to catch up with us at Monkton Station. If you parked at B or C, let us know so we stop to pick you up on the way.Social meetup on the trail
- Monkton Train Station: M 7.2 It has restrooms, water, telephones, benches & picnic tables. The restored 1898 station serves as a museum, gift shop, & ranger station.
- Monkton Hotel Cafe, across the parking lot, for cooling down, playing a table-top game, just relaxing, etc. Coffee, tea, bakeries and sandwiches.
At the 11-mile mark there is Gnome Hill, a 10-foot high hill with hundreds of garden gnomes to check out. There was also a water and snack station at Gnome Hill (with a cash collection jar).
Required bike tires: Due to stone dust surface, people recommend hybrid or thicker tires but we've biked it twice with road tires (although they aren't the thinnest). I don't know if E-bikes are allowed at this time.
BIKE RENTALS
A bike rental/repair shop is nearby.BATHROOMS
Restrooms/Portables are at Paper Mill, Phoenix, Glencoe, Monkton (best option), White Hall, Bentley Springs, & Freeland.
WATER
Water is at Sparks, Monkton, & White Hall.Sparks Nature Center at Sparks Rd is open Weekends 10 -3.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Bring: Cash - if you want to use Gnome Hill's outdoor drink/snack shop. Water bottles, snacks, biking gloves, bike bell, bike lock, helmet visor, sunglasses, bike tube, pump, patch, first aid kit, mobile phone with nav app installed (e.g. Google maps, we use RidewithGPS). If you get leg cramps during or after a ride, take electrolytes before and during your ride (or add salt and magnesium to your water). A change of clothes for your ride home or a car seat cover to absorb sweat.
Clothing: Wear biking gloves and durable clothing so that if you do fall, your skin is protected. Avoid wearing all black, all dark grey, all dark brown, or all dark blue, which blends in with pavement, especially while riding through a shady segment. Consider wearing something light to help others notice you.REQUIREMENTS
Participants must wear tightly secured helmets when on their bike.
Be proactive to avoid a fall/crash and minimize injury:
· Keep a distance between yourself and other bikers. If the biker ahead of you suddenly stops, you should be able to avoid hitting them.
· Don’t make stops on the trail. Pull over to the side and use hand gestures to let people know you’re slowing down to make a stop.
· Yelling out “Passing on your left” and/or ringing a bike bell as you approach people ahead of you, so they don’t inadvertently move in your line of travel.
· Slowing down to wait, rather than speeding up when trying to pass people at the same time walkers/bikers are approaching you from the opposite direction.
· Avoid potholes and debris and slow down when approaching bumps
· When approaching road crossings and iffy situations, triple-check before crossing and don’t let yourself be distracted by talking, etc.
· Ensure your helmet is tightly secured so that it won’t move if you hit the ground.MEETUP POLICIES
Participants should understand that biking is an inherently dangerous activity, and an accident could happen at any time. Participation is at your own risk.
An RSVP of “Yes” to an event is your digital signature acknowledging that you have read, understood, and agree with Meetup’s and MD Rail Trail Biking’s policies, esp. section 6 “Release” and section 8.2 ” Limitation of Liability,” found at https://www.meetup.com/terms/
You should not hold the organizers, leaders, and other participants accountable for any injury that occurs during a meetup event. - WB&A Trail: Southern End up to Northern EndpointJafe Cycling, LLC, bowie, MD
Note: This Isn’t the same as the W&A trail.
**The date may change due to weather or other circumstances **
The long-awaited bridge over the Patuxent River was opened May 2025. This will be our first time starting from the southern end and riding up over the bridge.
TRAIL INFO
The Baltimore, Washington & Annapolis Trail was originally a railroad line. It has existed as two unconnected trails, until the bridge over the Patuxent is completed. Artifacts & history can be found all along this trail. It passes through these towns: Lanham, Glenn Dale, Bowie, Piney Orchard, and Odenton.
The trail is split into the NE portion in Anne Arundel County (5.7 miles long) and the SW portion in Prince George's County (6.1 miles long) making it a total of about 12 miles long one way, but once complete, it will be about 13 miles total.Map of the North trail: WB&A Trail - Anne Arundel County Trails | The Friends of AACo Trails (friendsofaatrails.org)
Trail video: WB&A Trail by Thelsh Experience
THE PLAN
Arrive 15 minutes early. Meet us at Jafe Cycling.
**OPTION A: **
Bike up to the bridge and back. Distance Is about 6 miles to the bridge.OPTION B: **
Bike up past the bridge towards the northern trailhead. Turn around anytime you feel you’ve had enough. The distance to the bridge Is about 12 miles.Expect some elevation gain going up and then overall elevation loss on the way back.
We estimate that it will take 1.5 hours going up (we'll stop for water breaks and to read historical markers, etc. and 1.25 hours to return. Participants are welcome to turn around at an earlier time, or go faster or slower than the organizers.Speed limit is 12 mph.
Option to have lunch together on the trail or at an end point.BATHROOMS
There are no bathrooms on the trail.
There’s a McDonald’s at the start and retail options off of the northern end.
WHAT TO DO & BRING
All participants must wear a helmet while riding.
All participants should stay on the right and pass on the left whenever possible.Saying "passing on your left" and using a bell to warn walkers /bikers as you approach from behind is good practice (to avoid people moving out in front of you as you attempt to pass them).
**Suggestions: **Water bottles, snack, bike chain, bike bell, bike gloves, sunglasses, sunscreen, spare tire, change of clothes or items for wiping down before you get back into your car afterwards.
I will have first aid items (acetaminophen, antibacterial cream, bandaids, gauze, alcohol) in my backpack.
Participation is at your own risk.
- B & A Trail: Glen Burnie down to AnnapolisSawmill Creek Park, Glen Burnie, MD
**Check back to see if the date or start time has changed. This ride will be postponed (possibly replaced with another ride) if the chance of rain is above 49%, or wind speed or wind gusts are above 15 mph (per Accuweather) **
Train or Bus Options - ?
PARKING
Park in Sawmill Creek Park. Plan to arrive by 9:15 so you have time to ready your bike and gear by 9:30.MEETUP SPOT
Meet near (or in) the pavilion, which is adjacent to a paved connector trail, at 9:15-9:30. After check-in, we’ll do an ice-breaker question. We’ll bike north easterly on the connector trail for about a minute Then we'll turn right onto the B&A trail. If you’re running late, post your ETA in the event comment section.BIKE ROUTE SUMMARY
This route starts in Glen Burnie and goes south towards mile 0 in Annapolis. The organizers will stop approximately every 2 miles to regroup for a couple of minutes. Faster riders are welcome to go ahead, and we can meet up at the Earleigh Ranger Station for a social break and then again at Big Bean Café (pictured at the top) and mile 0.
SKILL LEVEL: All skill levels can enjoy this trail. It is mostly flat and well paved.
DISTANCE OPTIONS
Participants can choose to return at any point. These are just suggestions:
OPTION A: Bike ~3.5 miles south through the Planet Walk sculptures and then return.
OPTION B: Bike ~6.5 miles south to the Earleigh Ranger Station (~mile marker 7) and then return.
OPTION C: Bike ~8.5 miles south to the Big Bean Café and then return.
OPTION D: Bike the full 13.5 miles to the southern trail head and then return. (The organizers plan to do this option).
OPTION E: Add on the BWI Loop trail. This adds another 10.5 miles.
BATHROOMS
Bathrooms are located at local retail establishments near the trail and at the Earleigh Ranger Station at mile marker 7.0, where we'll be stopping to regroup and socialize.
BIKE RENTALS
BWI Bike Rental
Pedal Pushers Bike Shop
BIKE REPAIR
Trail Werks CycleryFOOD & DRINKS
There’s a lot of food spots along the trail- just 1-2 blocks away. Big Bean cafe at mile marker 10 has an extensive drink menu, snacks, and good reviews from bikers. I plan on stopping there for a break.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Bring: Water bottles, snacks, biking gloves, bike bell, bike lock, helmet visor, sunglasses, bike tube, pump, patch, first aid kit, mobile phone with nav app installed (e.g. Google maps, we use RidewithGPS). If you get leg cramps during or after a ride, take electrolytes before and during your ride (or add salt and magnesium to your water). A change of clothes for your ride home or a car seat cover to absorb sweat.
Clothing: Wear biking gloves and durable clothing so that if you do fall, your skin is protected. Avoid wearing all black, all grey, all dark brown, or all dark blue, which blends in with pavement, especially while riding through a shady segment. Consider wearing something lighter to help others notice you.
REQUIREMENTS
Participants must wear tightly secured helmets when on their bike.
Be proactive to avoid a fall/crash and minimize injury:
· Keep a distance between yourself and other bikers. If the biker ahead of you suddenly stops, you should be able to avoid hitting them.
· Don’t make stops on the trail. Pull over to the side and use hand gestures to let people know you’re slowing down to make a stop.
· Yelling out “Passing on your left” and/or ringing a bike bell as you approach people ahead of you, so they don’t inadvertently move in your line of travel.
· Slowing down to wait, rather than speeding up when trying to pass people at the same time walkers/bikers are approaching you from the opposite direction.
· Avoid potholes and debris and slow down when approaching bumps
· When approaching road crossings and iffy situations, triple-check before crossing and don’t let yourself be distracted by talking, etc.
· Ensure your helmet is tightly secured so that it won’t move if you hit the ground.
MEETUP POLICIES
Participants should understand that biking is an inherently dangerous activity, and an accident could happen at any time. Participation is at your own risk.
An RSVP of “Yes” to an event is your digital signature acknowledging that you have read, understood, and agree with Meetup’s and MD Rail Trail Biking’s policies, esp. section 6 “Release” and section 8.2 ” Limitation of Liability,” found at https://www.meetup.com/terms/
