From the 2,500-acre Susquehanna State Park to tiny neighborhood green spaces, Harford County is blessed with parks offering a variety of resources and recreational activities.
Forests, waterfalls, rivers, huge rock formations, nature centers, historic sites, sports facilities and trails for hiking, horseback riding and cycling -- Harford County parks offer them all.
State parks
The State of Maryland provides detailed descriptions of its park facilities in Harford County on its Web site, www.dnr.state. md.us. Among the highlights:
Rocks State Park, which covers 855 acres and includes 3.5 miles of hiking trails, picnic areas with playgrounds and shelters, fishing, canoeing, swimming and tubing on Deer Creek and bow hunting. A campfire program is held at 7 p.m. Fridays from Memorial Day to Labor Day at the Rock Ridge Amphitheater.
Its most famous feature is the King and Queen Seat, described by the state Department of Natural Resources as a natural rock outcrop that "soars above Deer Creek at a height of 190 feet" and once served as a ceremonial site for members of the Susquehannock nation. This natural feature is a draw for hikers and experienced rock climbers.
The park is eight miles northwest of Bel Air on Route 24.
Information, 410-557-7994, or visit www.dnr.state.md.us/public lands/central/rocks.html.
In addition to the main park, Rocks State Park includes two other areas.
Falling Branch, 67 acres of undeveloped land five miles north of the main park off Falling Branch Road and home to Kilgore Falls, the state's second-highest vertical drop waterfall. The falls can be reached by a hiking trail.
Hidden Valley Natural Area, another undeveloped parcel that offers hiking trails and fishing along Deer Creek, five miles north of the main park area at Madonna, Telegraph and Carea roads.
Susquehanna State Park, along the Susquehanna River valley, notable for its heavily forested areas and rock outcroppings. The park offers a campground with campsites and cabins, campfire programs, a picnic area with new pavilions, a playground and more than 15 miles of marked and unmarked trails. Other features include trails appropriate for mountain bikers and pets, cross-county skiing, a boat launch, flat-water canoeing, a bow-hunting area and an archery range.
Rock Run Historical Area features the working 200-year-old Rock Run Grist Mill, Jersey Toll House, Archer Mansion and remains of Susquehanna Tidewater Canal. The mill, toll house and mansion are open for tours on weekends, May through September.
Also in the park is the privately operated Steppingstone Museum (410-939-2299, www. steppingstonemuseum.org), with rural artifacts from about 1880 to 1920, a turn-of-the-century furnished farmhouse and a barn, sheds and shops housing displays of tools and implements once used by farm families and skilled rural craftsmen such as the blacksmith, woodwright and wheelwright.
The park is three miles northwest of Havre de Grace, off Route 155.
Information: 410-557-7994, or www.dnr.state.md.us/ publiclands/central/ susquehanna.html.
Gunpowder Falls State Park covers 18,000 acres, mostly in Baltimore County. But most of the primarily undeveloped Sweet Air section of the park ( in Baldwin, with access from Dalton-Bevard Road) is in Harford County and popular with hikers, horseback riders and cyclists.
Also in Harford County is the park's Jerusalem Mill section (2813 Jerusalem Road, Kingsville), which includes the park headquarters, containing a small museum with historic photos of the area. Jerusalem Village is the location of the restored Jerusalem Mill and other structures, including a blacksmith shop and a gun factory where gun stocks were made during the American Revolution.
Events at the village include blacksmithing demonstrations, Colonial living history demonstrations, the annual Colonial Craftsmen Weekend, a concert series and art contests.
From the Jerusalem area, visitors can hike blazed trails along Little Gunpowder Falls, upstream and downstream. One of the trails leads to the nearby Jericho Covered Bridge, which connects Harford and Baltimore counties.
Fishing is popular along the stream, which is stocked with trout in put-and-take fishing areas.
Information, 410-592-2897 or visitwww.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/cen tral/gun powder.html.
Locally run parks
Harford County also is home to more than 75 county, city and town parks, ranging from large regional parks with hundreds of acres to small neighborhood parks of less than an acre.
Some parks are developed, with athletic fields or other sports facilities, picnic areas and pavilions, or piers and boat launches. Others feature historical sites. Still others are partially developed or are undeveloped, suitable for passive recreational activities such as hiking or picnicking.
A list of county and local parks and detailed information about each can be obtained by calling Harford County Department of Parks and Recreation at 410-638-3572, or through the department's web site: www.co.ha. md.us/parks_rec/parks.html. Among the highlights:
Anita C. Leight Estuary Center, a 62-acre park at 700 Otter Point Road, Abingdon, 1/2 -mile south of Pulaski Highway (U.S. 40), which overlooks Otter Point Creek. The park is part of the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (www.otterpointcreek.org). Programs include canoe trips, nature hikes, children's programs, and natural and cultural history programs. 410-612-1688.
Eden Mill Nature Center and Park, 57 acres bordering Deer Creek at 1617 Eden Mill Road, Pylesville, programs for adults and children. Features include a nature center, historic grist mill, hiking trails, canoe launch accessible to the disabled, picnic areas, pavilion, fishing and horseshoe courts. 410-836-3050, www.edenmill.org.
Flying Point Park, 511 Kennard Ave., Edgewood, is a 16-acre waterfront park with picnic areas, pavilions, a playground, fishing pier, boat launches, tennis and volleyball courts and horseshoe pits. 410- 612-1606.
Heavenly Waters Park, a half-mile west of Business U.S. 1 near Harford Mall in Bel Air, is 421 acres of woods, hills and developed areas, including historic Liriodendron mansion, Harford County Equestrian Center athletic fields, a playground, a pond with fishing and part of the Ma & Pa (railroad) Heritage Trail. 410-638-3528.
Lyn Stacie Getz Park, 301 W. Ring Factory Road, Bel Air, is home to a Creative Playground, featuring a pyramid, a mirror maze, the "Great Wall of China," "Big Ben" clock tower, a train and a rocket ship.
Mariner Point Park, 100 Kearney Drive, Joppa, is 38 acres of woods and developed areas that include pavilions, picnic spots, a playground, nature trails and walking paths, fishing piers, a boat launch into the Gunpowder River and volleyball courts. 410-612-1608.
Rockfield Park, a 46-acre park at 501 Churchville Road (Route 22), Bel Air, 1/2 -mile east of Route 24, includes a Creative Playground that has a castle, tree fort, rubber bridge, playhouse maze, a fire pole, a bouncing crab, an obstacle course, sand pit and slides and swings. The park also features nine themed gardens, including the Grove for the Senses, designed for the visually impaired.
Multipurpose ball fields, hiking trails and wetlands education areas are also in the park. The historic Rockfield Manor (410-638-4565, www.rockfield manor.com) is available for meetings and social events. 410- 638-4540.
Swan Harbor Farm, at 401 Oakington Road, Havre de Grace, is a 469-acre park on the bay with farmland, undeveloped woods and wetlands and Maryland Agriculture Center, a historic building and vineyards tended by the Fiore Winery. 410-939-6767.
Tydings Park and Promenade, Commerce Street, Havre de Grace, is home to the Havre de Grace Art Show, Seafood Festival, summer concerts and the Children's Art Festival. The park covers 23 acres along the waterfront, including a promenade running for a half-mile. Facilities include a municipal marina, fishing pier, launching ramp, tennis courts and places for picnickers. 410-939-6724.
Woodbridge Park, Clover Valley Way, 1/10-mile north of Windy Branch Wayoff Mountain Road (Route 152) in Edgewood, has a 1/2 -acre dog park within its 8 acres of wetlands and woods. 410-612-1606.