Seneca Creek State Park · MD
Seneca Ridge Trail
Orange-blazed 5.8-mile trail connecting the Clopper Lake area to the Schaeffer Farm trails, running along a wooded ridge with vistas toward Seneca Creek; popular with hikers, trail runners and mountain bikers.
Live · updated
Today
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Today's best: mountain biking
Conditions
Score by activity
Hiking
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Trail running
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Mountain biking
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Score breakdown
- · 84°F air — Within comfort range, outside ideal
- − Thunderstorms — Get off exposed ridges before they arrive
- ✓ Trail: prime — No meaningful rain in the last 48 hours. Trail surface is dry and tacky — prime traction.
- − NWS alert active — Check the alert before heading out
- − 81 min of daylight — You need at least 96 min with margin. Bring a headlamp or start tomorrow.
Trail facts
- Distance
- 5.8 mi
- Elevation gain
- 749 ft
- Surface
- dirt
- Difficulty
- moderate
Trailhead
Coordinates
39.1268, -77.2790 — MD.
Park
Part of Seneca Creek State Park (official site →).
Peak nymphal tick activity — check yourself within 2 hours of leaving the trail.
Frequently Asked
How long is Seneca Ridge Trail?
Seneca Ridge Trail is a 5.8-mile route with 749 feet of elevation gain — moderate — some sustained climbing or technical sections; expect to work for it but no specialized skills required. The trail facts panel on this page lists distance, surface, and access tags as they appear in OpenStreetMap.
What's the trail surface like at Seneca Ridge Trail?
Seneca Ridge Trail is natural dirt singletrack — soft underfoot, holds water, slow to dry after rain. Today's mud rating, derived from recent precipitation and the surface type, is shown in the conditions panel above.
Who manages Seneca Ridge Trail, and where do closure alerts come from?
Seneca Ridge Trail is in Seneca Creek State Park, which is managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Closure and advisory data on this page comes from public MD DNR park-alert pages (best-effort scrape). Always confirm against the park's own page before driving — emergency closures can post faster than scrapers refresh.