Maryland trails · Perimeter Trail
Perimeter Trail
A 9.3-mile out-and-back in Maryland, with 156 ft of climbing. Reaches Dower House Pond. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 56% of the ascent, between mile 6.2 and mile 9.3. It gives back about 365 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
Getting there
Perimeter Trail access — parking nearby. About 39 min drive (24 mi) from La Plata. 38.78019, -76.80244 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:48 a.m., the sun rises at 7:15 a.m. and sets at 6:30 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:57 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 15 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 2:17 p.m. — 4 h 13 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Agricultural Heritage Trail + Service Road + Perimeter Trail — 1.4 mi loop, 105 ft gain
- Social Trail + Perimeter Trail — 3.0 mi loop, 143 ft gain
- Social Trail + Perimeter Trail — 5.4 mi loop, 94 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Cash Lake Trail — 16.9 mi
- Northwest Branch Trail — 20.3 mi
- Billy Goat Trail, Section A — 27.2 mi
- Rock Creek Trail — 28.9 mi