Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Location
Baltimore County
Endpoints
Cockeysville, Maryland, to New Freedom, Pennsylvania
Mileage
22
Roughness Index
1
Surface
Crushed stone
The Northern Central Railroad Trail, completed in 1984, is one of the best hiking and
biking trails in the Mid-Atlantic region. It allows for more than 20 miles of smooth,
flat travel on the crushed stone surface, punctuated by a number of access points and
an abundance of trees that provide refreshing shade on hot summer days. The trail
begins in Cockeysville, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore, and ends just over the state
line in New Freedom, Pennsylvania, where the Mason-Dixon Line divides the south-
ern Atlantic states from the Northeastern states.
The history of the rail-trail dates back to 1832, when the Northern Central Rail-
road carried passengers, people vacationing at Bentley Springs, and freight between
Baltimore and York or Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The railroad ran for about 140 years,
