Along the Big Gunpowder Falls
Exploring the beauty of Gunpowder Falls State Park
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- Pot Rocks. Observing the summer light while walking along a trail in the central area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- People walk through a tunnel that passes beneath Belair Road just off the parking lot in the central area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- A Tiger swallowtail flies low along a trail in the central area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- Afternoon sunlight brings out vibrant colors of leaves in the forest along a trail in the central area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- This is the Wildlands Trail in the central area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park. The route, in the Sweathouse Area, winds through hardwood forest. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- Mushrooms find places to grow on and around tree roots in the central area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- A splash of color is highlighted just off the path in the central area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- People walk along the Big Gunpowder Trail in the central area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- A spider hangs on an invisible web in the forest in Gunpowder Falls State Park. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- An American toad moves into the shadows. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- A mushroom grows on a fallen tree along a trail in the central area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- A sun rise intensifies the color of trees along the Wildlands Trail in the central area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park. The route, in the Sweathouse Area, winds through hardwood forest. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- A spider web might ordinarily go unnoticed, but morning light catches the eye on Big Gunpowder Trail in the central area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- Afternoon light glints off a spider web in the central area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- The Big Gunpowder Falls mirrors the surrounding trees on a still August morning. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- Morning sunlight illuminates footprints in sandy soil on Wildlands Trail in the central area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park. The route, in the Sweathouse Area, winds through hardwood forest. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- A damselfly rests on a plant in the central area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- Small shells are exposed on the river bank in the central area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- Mushrooms find places to grow on and around tree roots in the central area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
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- A tunnel passes beneath Belair Road just off the parking lot in the central area of the Gunpowder Falls State Park. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)
Photos and text by Kim Hairston
On a recent walk in the central area of Gunpowder Falls State Park, I found beauty everywhere I looked. I would stop to photograph or observe something and another image would quickly catch my eye. I traveled a minuscule portion of the 120 miles of trails and left feeling I should do this more often.
The park is Maryland’s largest state park covering about 18,000 acres along the Big and Little Gunpowder Falls in Baltimore and Harford Counties. It is divided into five areas ranging from the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail in northern Baltimore County to the tidal wetlands of the Hammerman area.
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