Maryland trails · Perimeter Trail

Perimeter Trail

A 9.3-mile out-and-back in Maryland, with 155 ft of climbing. Reaches Dower House Pond. Managed by the state.

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Length

9.3 mi

Elevation gain

155 ft

Difficulty

Hard

Max grade

11%

Steepest mile

+91 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

0.2 mi

Shape

out-and-back

Managed by

State

Elevation profile

The climbing leans toward the final third: 50% of the ascent falls between mile 6.5 and mile 9.7. It gives back about 412 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Dower House Pond (lake)

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Getting there

Perimeter Trail access — parking nearby. 38.78019, -76.80244 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:07 a.m., the sun rises at 6:35 a.m. and sets at 7:39 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:06 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 04 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 18.6-mile round trip takes roughly 7 h 02 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 1:37 p.m. — 6 h 02 min before sunset.

Loop options

Social Trail + Perimeter Trail — 3.0 mi loop, 143 ft gain
Social Trail + Perimeter Trail — 5.4 mi loop, 94 ft gain
Service Road + Perimeter Trail + Social Trail — 6.1 mi loop, 726 ft gain

Nearby trails

Northwest Branch Trail — 20.3 mi
Billy Goat Trail, Section A — 27.2 mi