Maryland trails · Big Red
Big Red
A 4.5-mile loop in Maryland, with 532 ft of climbing. Reaches Short Hill and other lake/summit destinations. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 68% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 1.5. It gives back about 602 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Short Hill (summit)
- Greenbriar Lake (lake)
Getting there
Big Red access. 39.54444, -77.62401 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:09 a.m., the sun rises at 6:37 a.m. and sets at 7:43 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:11 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 06 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 4.5-mile route takes roughly 1 h 55 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 8:32 a.m. — 11 h 11 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Snelling Fire + Social Trail + Big Red — 1.8 mi loop, 241 ft gain
- Big Red + Rock Oak Fire + Social Trail — 2.0 mi loop, 344 ft gain
- Snelling Fire + Social Trail + Big Red — 3.3 mi loop, 543 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Wayne's Trail — 7.6 mi
- Yellow Poplar — 8.6 mi
- Green Ash — 8.9 mi
- Catoctin Trail — 9.9 mi