Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area · MD
Serpentine Trail
Red-blazed loop through Soldiers Delight's rare serpentine barrens: open grassland and stunted oaks on chromium-rich soil, near an overlook at one of Baltimore County's highest points.
Live · updated
Today
Skip the hiking plan today.
Today's best: hiking
Conditions
Score by activity
Hiking
Skip the hiking plan today.
Trail running
Skip the trail running plan today.
Dog walking
Thunderstorms in today's forecast — dogs panic and trails become dangerous.
Score breakdown
- · 85°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.
- − 80 min of daylight — You need at least 106 min with margin. Bring a headlamp or start tomorrow.
Trail facts
- Distance
- 2.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 219 ft
- Surface
- dirt
- Difficulty
- moderate
Trailhead
Coordinates
39.4077, -76.8504 — MD.
Park
Part of Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area (official site →).
Peak nymphal tick activity — check yourself within 2 hours of leaving the trail.
Nearby Trails
Frequently Asked
How long is Serpentine Trail?
Serpentine Trail is a 2.3-mile route with 219 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 Serpentine Trail?
Serpentine 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 Serpentine Trail, and where do closure alerts come from?
Serpentine Trail is in Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area, 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.