ANACOSTIA TRIBUTARY TRAIL
SERIES LETTERBOXES:
COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND
PAINT BRANCH TRAIL
LETTERBOX:
NORTHEAST BRANCH TRAIL
LETTERBOX:
-BIKE IT OR HIKE IT-
Planted:
April 20, 2006
Length: Paint
Branch Trail; 3 ¾ miles
Northeast Branch Trail; 3 miles
Indian Creek Trail; 1 mile
Anacostia River Trail; 1 mile
Northwest Branch Trail; 7 miles
Sligo Creek Trail;
Lake
Artemesia Loop; ?
Cherry Hill
Park
to Paint Branch Letterbox; 2 miles
Cherry Hill
Park
to Northeast Branch Letterbox; 4 ¼ miles
Difficulty:
Easy. Flat, paved trail.
Directions:
To start from Cherry Hill Park;
Take exit 25 off of the I-95/495 Capitol Beltway to Route 1 south
(Baltimore Ave). Take your first right at the traffic light onto
Cherry Hill Road
. Just after you pass by the plazas on your right, look for some tennis courts
also on your right. Use this parking lot to start.
To start from the Acredale Community Park
(Drive-by); Take exit 25 off of the I-95/495
Capitol Beltway to Route 1 south (Baltimore Ave). Look to your right for
Metzerott Road
after about 1 ½ miles. The entrance is just down this road.
To start from the Linson Pool/Wells Ice
Rink parking lot (Drive-by); Take exit
25 off of the I-95/495 Capitol Beltway to Route 1 south (Baltimore Ave).
Turn left onto the
Paint Branch Parkway
after about 2 miles. After a bit over a mile, look right for the parking lot.
The trail crosses over the road just past it.
Use of the Metro to access the trails;
The Metro's "Green Line" has several stops you can use to access the
trails. The West Hyattsville Station gives you immediate access to the Northwest
Branch Trail. The College Park Station gives you access to the
Paint Branch Trail and Northeast Branch Trail via on-road connectors.
The Greenbelt Station gives you access back to the start of the Paint Branch
Trail via on-road connectors. Except for some rush hour time restrictions,
you can take your bike on the Metro to access these trails. I biked from
Cherry Hill
Park
to the West Hyattsville Station, then took the Metro back up to the Greenbelt
Station, where some on-road (sidewalks) connections brought me back to
Cherry Hill
Park
. This is a great loop that requires no back tracking, thus you can ride more of
the trails. For information about taking your bike on the Metro visit; BIKE-METRO
. For other Metro information visit METRO
.
Directions from the
Greenbelt
Metro Station to
Cherry Hill
Park
via an on-road connector; Emerging
from the Greenbelt Metro Station, you pass through the exit gates. Turn right
and head through the tunnel. This will take you below the rail lines to the
western side of the tracks. Follow the paved trail out to
Lackawanna Street
. Follow this street to its end. This is a residential street with low traffic,
but there is a sidewalk for kids on bikes. Take a right, then a short left out
to Rhode Island Ave. Turn right up
Rhode Island Ave
and follow until you come to
Edgewood Road
. Cross over
Rhode Island Ave
at the cross-light and head west up
Edgewood Road
. This is a slight hill. This will bring you out to Route 1 (
Baltimore Ave
). Use the cross-light over Route 1, turn left along Route 1 and then right onto
Cherry Hill Road
. This will bring you to
Cherry Hill
Park
on your right.
The
Anacostia Tributary Trail System is a series of seven different trails
that connect at various intersections along the many tributaries of the
Anacostia
River
, winding through the woods, fields and wetlands of the Anacostia Headwaters.
The trail also passes
Lake
Artemesia
, a man-made lake created by Metro; the
College Park
Airport
and Museum, the world's oldest continually operating airport, where Wilbur
Wright instructed Army officers in the first government airplane; and Adelphi
Mill, built in 1796, reputed to be the oldest and largest mill in the
Washington
metropolitan area.
For more information visit; WASHINGTON
BIKE ASSOC. , BIKE
WASHINGTON or ANACOSTIA
TRIBUTARY TRAILS .
Note; My clues are
somewhat incomplete, as I lost my notes from this trip.
Starting from the
Cherry Hill
Park
parking lot; Go
left around the tennis courts to the paved path. The Paint Branch Trail
(named after the river it follows) starts to your left. Straight just brings you
up to the gazebo and small pond. You wind through the woods and come to a
crossing of
Cherry Hill Road
. USE CAUTION as there is no cross-light. The trail then winds through an area
that was hit by a hurricane or tornado. There are signs that give a detailed
history of the event. After crossing over a couple of bridges, the trail takes
you around the Paint Branch Golf Course,
separated by a fence. You must then cross over
University BLVD
(Route 193) where you then enter Acredale Community Park. You'll
pass by the parking lot to your right where the trail then turns sharply left.
Spot a fenced in “Dog Area” on the right. From the path leading to this Dog
Area, take 80-90 paces (2 steps = 1 pace) south along the paved straight trail.
If you come upon an "Adopt a Trail" sign on your right, you've gone
too far. Look for a partially dead tree that is missing its top at about 30 feet
up on your left just a few paces off the trail. At about chest high is a cavity
in the tree. Lift the top rock to reveal the Paint Branch Trail Letterbox.
I believe this to be about 2 miles from
Cherry
Park
. Continuing south along the trail, you next cross over a couple of bridges next
to dorms for the University of Maryland-College Park. Bear left, right is
a University path. I believe there are trail signs here. Follow the signs
carefully as there are many spur trails. Next you pass through
Paint
Branch
Park
and come out next to the Metro tracks. After passing through a tunnel below the
tracks you'll come to
Lake
Artemesia
and then a 3-way junction.
Note; You have the option of taking the Artemesia Lake Loop Trail around the lake.
Otherwise turn right and
you'll come to another intersection.
Note; Left takes you along the Indian Creek Trail, a spur
trail through
Indian
Creek
Park
up to
Greenbelt Road
(Route 193) of about a mile. This is a scenic ride alongside Indian Creek.
Otherwise, turn right where
you will now be on the Northeast Branch Trail (also named for the river
it follows). You'll cross over the river and pass by the
College Park
Airport
on your right. Also located here is the College Park Aviation Museum. See; COLLEGE
PARK AVIATION MUSEUM . Cross over the
Paint Branch Parkway
where you'll spot the Linson Pool/Wells Ice Rink parking lot to your
right, located in
Anacostia
River
Park
. There will be an exercise course along this part of the trail. Look for a
concrete bridge that the trail crosses with metal railings. After crossing this
bridge and before a bench on the left, go to a path on the right side of the
trail and to the left of the railing. Just off this path to the left will be a
distinctive tree. On its backside in a cavity, behind a brick, you will find the
Northeast Branch Trail Letterbox. I don't believe this is very far from
the Linson parking lot and is about 4 ¼ miles from
Cherry
Park
. Continue south along the trail and at one point you will soon be traveling
atop a flood wall with the river below. You come to another intersection just
below
Rhode Island Ave
(Route 1).
Note; Another spur trail, the Anacostia River Trail, heads
south from here for about a mile to the Colmar Manor Community Park. It
passes by a long pedestrian bridge that crosses over the Anacostia River
to the Bladensburg Historic Waterfront Park. Note; there is a slight hill climb up to the community park.
After checking out this
trail, turn right at the intersection onto the Northwest Branch Trail
heading west. You briefly parallel
Charles L Armentrout Drive
? and then cross
Rhode Island Ave
where the trail now follows along the Northwest Branch River. This
section has several street crossings and enters a more urban area. You cross two
more bridges before coming to another intersection near a third bridge.
Note; Left is an access trail out to
Chillum Road
and right takes you to the West Hyattsville Metro Station. From here you
can take the Metro north up to the Greenbelt Metro Station and then using
an on-road connector, return to the Cherry Hill Park parking lot,
making for a nice loop ride. See directions above for the on-road connector.
Continuing straight takes
you underneath the Metro tracks where the Northwest Branch Trail
continues towards
Chillum
Park
and the Sligo Creek Trail. I hope to return in the future to continue
the trails.
HH
CLICK HERE FOR
ANACOSTIA TRIBUTARY TRAIL MAP
CLICK
HERE FOR GREENBELT METRO STATION MAP
NORTHEAST BRANCH TRAIL LETTERBOX LAST VERIFIED
ON
MAY 13, 2007
PAINT BRANCH TRAIL
LETTERBOX LAST VERIFIED ON
NOVEMBER 5, 2008
TO EMAIL A VERIFICATION
CLICK HERE
BEFORE YOU SET OUT BE
SURE TO READ THE
WAIVER OF RESPONSIBILITY
AND DISCLAIMER
BIKE IT OR HIKE IT
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