Broadneck Peninsula Trail to Sandy Point Beach (3 short road segments)

**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) **

The long-awaited trail, which was started in 2012, has been developed in phases, with all but one section open and operational. The entire trail is expected to be officially open by end of 2025.

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

PARKING ADDRESS
Severna Park & Ride lot
2 Jones Station Rd
Arnold, MD 21012
Additional Parking:
Rite Aid across the street. 7-eleven diagonally across from the lot.

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: Not recommended for beginners or those with unfit legs; the first four miles have rolling hills. Link to RideWithGPS map:

PACE: It’s up to you. HOWEVER, the event organizers have fit legs (avg. 10-18 mph). And some of us like to do a cardio workout at some point. We'll be making stops at a couple of road crossings/traffic lights on the trail which is how we'll regroup along the way. Since paved trails can sometimes be crowded, we don’t have expectations of being able to go very fast.
· 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
This paved trail spans almost 9 miles one way. It is a mix of mostly sidewalks and paved hiker/biker trail, but there are three short road segments (that I recall). The northern end (where we will start from) is designed to connect to the B&A Trail (we can see the junction with Jones Station Rd entry point off to the side). The majority of the trail is generally located on the right of way of College Parkway. When completed, it will have multiple spurs that connect key points of interest along the College Parkway corridor and the surrounding area.

The first four miles south have rolling hills. After that, it is fairly flat. There is one .20 mile segment where we most likely need to ride on the road shoulder because the trail segment wasn’t completed yet when we last checked in August. There are several street crossings, and we need to change sides of College Pkwy once or twice to use the sidewalk/trail. Otherwise, you can use the road.

TRAIL SUMMARY
We will start off using the sidewalk then a neighborhood street to connect to College Pkwy. Then we take the trail all the way to Sandy Point State Park. We will bike over to the east side beach, which is the quieter side of the park, for a water/bathroom/social break. It has picnic tables and shade as well as beach access. Next, we’ll slowly ride about a mile around the river's edge towards the south side beach area (where the concession stand and rental building is) for another regroup stop.

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. That was nice until we had to dismount and walk two segments due to too much loose gravel. We found six persimmon trees fruiting (Aug 31) in the Youth Camp field. Then we took another dirt & gravel trail to the east side beach.)
The Anne Arundel County map: [Park-Trail-Greenway-Map_Broadneck-Trail.pdf](https://broadneck.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Park-Trail-Greenway-Map_Broadneck-Trail.pdf)
DISTANCE OPTIONS
These are just suggestions. Participants can choose to return at any time.

OPTION A: Bike until you feel you’ve had enough.

OPTION B: Express ride! Bike the full length of 9 miles and then return without staying for a break (approximately 45 minutes each way).

OPTION C: Bike the full length of 9 miles in about 45-55 minutes. Stay for about two 10-minute breaks at the beaches before returning (approximately 2-hour total trip). *The organizers plan to do this option.

OPTION D: After finishing option C with the group, add more miles by biking on the B&A trail once you get back to the parking lot. Someone may also be interested in joining you.

BATHROOMS
Earleigh Heights Ranger Station (you’ll need to bike up north on the B&A trail).
Southern end: Sandy Point Beach.
No bathrooms on the trail yet.
SANDY POINT STATE PARK
Day-use ​Admission Fee: May 1- September 30 - Weekends and holidays: $5/person, Weekdays: $4/person AND October 1 - April 30 - $3 per vehicle. Bik
ers enter for free.
BIKE RENTALS
TrailWerks Cyclery, Millersville (on the trail)
BIKE REPAIR SHOP or TRAIL POSTS
There is a bike repair shop at mile.
There was a bike repair post on the trail at mile.

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.