Stony Run Trail, Baltimore, MD

Stony Run Trail is a 3-mile, dog-friendly path that runs north-south through Stony Run Park and passes by Loyola, Marymount, and Johns Hopkins Universities in the northeastern part of the city. A pupular getaway for college students, it's also frequented by residents of the 15 neighborhoods that it passes through. 

Polite doggos make up a large proportion of the walkers, and you'll also see joggers and cyclists along this path. While there is one long paved street section, most of Stony Run Trail passes through a shady, forested swath next to the shallow Stony Run Creek, with sections of crushed rock, dirt, grass, and woodchips.

You can begin your hike with your leashed doggo on the northern end of the trail behind the Gilman School, whose students use the path to get to and from classes. Because the property around the school is private, official pup-lic access begins a little to the south at the intersection of Wyndhurst Avenue and Wilmslow Road. From here, you and your fur baby can go north for a ten-minute walk to the school, or south along the longer portion of the trail. 

Ample street parking is available throughout the route, and access to and from the trail is available at several spots along the way. A baseball field and playground at Ridgemede Road at Linkwood Park leads to a pedestrian bridge that looks down on the rocky creek. Oakdale Meadow appears near the end of the pedestrian bridge, where some pet parents let their dogs off-leash though it's not an official off-leash area.

The southern section of the trail is narrower than the northern section, but it remains flat. The path travels beneath an underpass near Wyman Park that reveals colorful urban art, and it continues to a similarly decorated culvert and pass-through, where there are a couple of ball fields. This had been the original end of the trail, but the city has recently extended it through Wyman Park where it meets up with the Wyman Park Trail at Wyman Park Road and 33rd Street. The southern terminus is at Remington Avenue and 33rd Street.

In winter, the trail is great for fur-tastic cross-country skiing with your pooch jogging along by your side.  As always, bring along plenty of water, pick up after your pup, and be respectful of other human and canine strollers. Be sure to bring water to share and clean-up bags for the stroll. Stony Run's quiet slice of nature is paw-rfect for a walk with Fido! 

Does your furry pal need to brush up on their recall or manners? Book an in-home dog training session with Wag! today!