Bike Broadneck Peninsula Trail to Sandy Point Beach 40+

**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 WeatherBug) **

TRAIN OR BUS STOPS
The parking lot is a main bus stop hub. No train stations are nearby.

PARKING ADDRESS
Severna Park & Ride lot (aka Severna Farmers Market)
2 Jones Station Rd
Arnold, MD 21012

MEETUP SPOT
Meet us in the parking lot in a shady spot. We’ll do an icebreaker question after check-in and then start the ride.

SKILL LEVEL: This trail is medium difficult only because the first 4.5 miles have about seven rolling hills which can be tiring for participants who haven’t biked recently or done squats at the gym in the past two weeks or so. The rest of the trip down is fairly flat. And the same difficulty for the last 4.5 miles back. Anyway, it’s OK to dismount and walk a couple of segments if you run out of steam now and then!

To get an idea of the route and elevation changes, view this official RideWithGPS map. Note: We will be doing a deviation of this route which will be posted in the comments.
Official route April 2026 Broadneck Peninsula Trail from B&A Trail to Sandy Pt State Park · Ride with GPS

PACE: It’s up to you, but note that paved trails have a speed limit of 15 mph. We make stops at tricky points on the trail and /or to regroup every 2-4 miles. Since paved trails can sometimes be crowded, we don’t have expectations of being able to go very fast. We often break up into groups based on participant’s speed.

· If you prefer a faster pace than the lead riders, you can make stops to wait for them to catch up.
· If you’re not sure what your avg. speed is, be prepared to use a nav app to ride solo in case you don’t catch up to us at our stops.

BIKE: Any kind of bike frame and tires. Ensure it is the correct frame size for your height so you can get maximum output. Participants are responsible for ensuring their bike tires, brakes, and chain are in good condition, and they have a spare inner tube on hand. Organizers can try to help but aren't responsible for everyone's bike conditions.

TRAIL DETAILS
The long-awaited trail, which was started in 2012, was finally finished in June of 2026. This will be the first time we get to bike it without using a road shoulder due to a creek crossing not being built yet.
This paved trail spans approximately 9 miles one way. It is a mix of suburban sidewalks, paved hiker/biker trail, newly landscaped trail segments, and beach trails. The northern end (where we will start) is designed to connect to the B&A Trail (at the junction with Jones Station Rd). The majority of the trail is generally located on the right of way of College Parkway, so unfortunately, there will be some reminders that we’re not on a journey far away from city life.

The first four and a half miles have rolling hills. There are several street crossings, and we need to change sides of College Pkwy once or twice to use the sidewalk/trail.

Extra info: This trail is part of the American Discovery Trail, which extends from Point Reyes, California, to Cape Henlopen, Delaware. Additionally, the trail is also part of the East Coast Greenway, a national route that runs from Maine to Florida.

BIKE ROUTE SUMMARY

Anyone who brings a small portable speaker with mellow, beachy music will be the MVP!

1. We will start from the Severna Park ‘Park & Ride’ lot and use the sidewalk and a neighborhood street.
2. Then we’ll follow the trail south and take a detour to the much quieter NE side beach at Sandy Point State Park, which has pavilions and bathrooms for a beach-side social break. If it’s not reserved, we’ll use the pavilion area for a group social break. If you ate an early breaky or skipped it, you may want to bring something to snack on at this point. (If you want to know where to find a trove of native persimmon trees, let us know!)

• We’ll meet at or near the pavilions to hydrate and cool down. We can do some “Hydration cheers” where we all raise our water bottles for a goofy group toast such as “To the Bay!”
• Be prepared for a group photo with the Bay behind us.

3. Next, we’ll slowly ride about a mile towards the SW side beach area (where the concession stand and rental building is) for another regroup stop and option to get an ice-pop to enjoy on the beach. Note: This area may be too crowded to get a decent spot for us to rest our bikes nearby and sit on the beach to enjoy the views. We’ll see how it goes.

• POI: Sandy Point Shoal lighthouse - built in 1883 and features a 37-foot Empire-style, eight-sided red brick tower with a white roof and black lantern, which houses a 4th order Fresnel lens.
• POI: Sandy Point Mansion, sometimes called “Sandy Point Farmhouse,”” Tryall” or “Scotland,” is the park’s last vestige of its agricultural past.

4. Next, we’ll head towards the park pond and marina for more scenic views.
5. Last, we’ll connect to the trail for the return ride.

We rate this trail 7/10 because it’s a mostly straight trail, so it’s hard to get lost, it’s got some nice green landscaped areas, and it’s got a great destination point. But it had no bathrooms on the way to the beach, and it had some traffic noise due to closer than usual distance to a road most of the way.

(There is the option to take a gravel path into the park which goes through a shady forest.)

DISTANCE OPTIONS
These are just suggestions. Participants can choose to return at any time.

OPTION A: The “Ride Your Heart Out Cruise”
Pedal until your legs, your mood, or the universe says “that’s enough.” No rules, no pressure — just pure trail freedom.
OPTION B: The Express Zoom
A swift out‑and‑back: ride the full 9 miles down, skip the break, and zip right back. About 45 minutes each way. It’s basically the speed‑run version of the trail.
OPTION C: The Beach-Side Social Hour
Cruise the full 9 miles in about an hour, then hang out for two beach‑side breaks before rolling back. Total trip around 3 hours. This is the option the organizers are doing — join the party.
OPTION D: The Bonus Round
Finish Option C with the group, then keep the adventure going with extra miles on the B&A Trail. You might even pick up a fellow mileage‑lover to join you.

BATHROOMS
Earleigh Heights Ranger Station (you’ll need to bike up north on the B&A trail).
NE side beach and SW side beach area of Sandy Point Beach.
No bathrooms on the trail unless you go to a store.

BIKE RENTALS and REPAIR
Pedal Pushers Bike Shop (near Big Bean Café mile 5) 546 B&A Blvd, Arnold, MD
Bike Doctor 953 Ritchie Hwy, Arnold, MD, 410-544-3532

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY
NA

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 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/
Question: What is that white brick building next to the trail? The following is an excerpt from a story about the area written by Sharon Tegler.
The 108-year-old Baltimore Annapolis Railroad Powerhouse building near the northern boundary of Arnold is now home to Ann Arundell Historical Society’s Shop at Jones Station.
The Baltimore Annapolis Railroad Powerhouse sits at the corner of Jones Station Road and B&A Boulevard next to the B&A Trail. Erected in 1907 as a midpoint electrical substation between Baltimore and Annapolis, it channeled 22,000 volts of current through three 300-kilowatt transformers to lower it to 6,600 volts and feed it directly to overhead lines. In 1933, the former powerhouse became an icehouse for Miss Etta’s Store & Rustic Inn and later for the Wagon Wheels restaurant. Briefly the building housed the historic society’s headquarters before moving to the Benson Hammond House.