Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area — Attraction in Owings Mills

I would have given them a 5 except some of the trails aren't that well marked (or we stink at map reading) and went way out of our way on one of the 2 trips we have taken there.

It is a fascinating place to hike because the terrain and the flora are unique to the area. Because the soil/rock is different, the plants are different than surrounding areas. Rock is serpentine and this and another nearby area in Maryland was for a long time the largest supplier of chromium in the world.

What grows does not grow well because of the poor soil. American Indians used to do controlled burns of this area and many others. Now various species are growing in and the park is working to expand the grass area to preserve the way it was.

There is also a nice nature center where you can see local reptiles and other displays.

Along one trail is an old mine. It is fenced off so you can look in but...

We cannot wait to go back to Soldiers Delight! Plenty of parking at the visitors center and the restrooms were very clean. The center had nice educational signage on the walls as well.

This morning we hit the 3-ish moderately difficult mile Serpentine Trail and a couple notes: wear water resistant shoes and be prepared for rocks and tree roots. This is not a stroller or accessible trail so keep that in mind, but goodness it is a beautiful trail! The views were gorgeous and if you stopped to listen you'd hear absolutely nothing - it was SO quiet while surrounded by incredible rolling hills.

There are several trails marked and we hope to try the Choate mining trail next. The Serpentine trail was very enjoyable and although muddy/watery most of the way, we'd definitely hit this relatively short but moderate...

TICKS! I've been taking my dog here for about a year now. We loved it. But around the same time, I started finding ticks EVERYWHERE. Today I discovered they are from this place. While we were walking the loop this afternoon, I found a tick on my leg, a tick on my dog's leg, another on his face and already burrowing into his foot. As we were getting into the car, one fell on my arm. At home, I found ANOTHER tick in my dog's foot and felt one crawling on my back under my shirt. It's a beautiful trail, but we won't be back after today. Petting my dog just now, I found another tick in my hand. And I just gave him a bath with tick shampoo. It's extremely overwhelming for me and feels out of my control, I've never encountered so many ticks in my life than I have since...