Visitor's Guide to Howard County - 2016

19 / 112

Rail-Trail’s Historic Bridges
Lovely fall foliage awaits along
this 20-mile rail-trail that follows
a former Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad line along the Patuxent
River. Beginning at Savage Park,
the rail trail, under a canopy of
red maple leaves, crosses 10
bridges including the Guilford
Pratt Truss Bridge and ends at
Lake Elkhorn in Columbia, a
great spot for picnicking. Don’t
miss the 1869 wrought and cast
iron Bollman Truss Railroad
Bridge at Historic Savage Mill,
the last remaining example of the
Baltimore engineering design used
all over the U.S. and Europe.
Brighton Dam Azalea Garden
at Triadelphia Reservoir
An 800-acre lake, perfect for
hiking, picnicking, fishing and
boating, is located on the Patuxent
River, in both Howard and
Montgomery counties, near the
town of Brookeville. The reservoir
is home to a stunning five-acre
woodland garden with more
than 20,000 azaleas that bloom
each May, delighting visitors.
Daffodil Days at Whipps
Cemetery Gardens
One of Ellicott Mills’ earliest
cemeteries, circa 1855, has
been restored and is full of
local history and native plants.
Local master gardeners
have worked hard to create
a variety of beautiful settings
interspersed with pathways and
benches. Whipps Cemetery
and nearby Old Ellicott City
are especially beautiful in
early spring when thousands
of varieties of daffodils bloom
throughout the gardens.
Blossoms of Hope’s
1,700 Cherry Trees
Catch a spectacular display
of pink each April, when more
than 1,700 Kwanzan cherry
trees blossom throughout
Howard County. Take a
camera and picnic basket
and visit 19 different groves
of Blossoms of Hope cherry
trees at county libraries, local
parks, golf courses, historic
sites and other attractions.
LEAF PEEPING & PETAL PEEPING
PHOTOS BY KENNETH LOSURDO, JR.
Bollman Truss Bridge
Brighton Dam Azalea Garden
Patuxent River
19