Biking on the BWI Trail Loop – Best Biking in Maryland

Sunday was a beautiful spring day. Probably the most perfect day you could ask for when going out for a ride. The trees were bright green from the budding new leaves, it was in the low-mid 60s, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I’ve been researching trails and parks within the Baltimore-Washington corridor for going on Sunday rides and the BWI trail loop stood out to me as one worth trying. It’s a good distance at 10.5-11 miles and I didn’t even know this trail existed until a few weeks ago.

Parking for the BWI trail

Getting there was slightly more complicated because I initially thought that 176 intersected with 195 but I didn’t realize until a little too late so we ended up driving around almost the entire airport before finding the parking lot we were aiming for. We arrived around 12:30 pm and the parking lot was crowded. All the spots were filled and there were at least a 1/2 dozen cars waiting for spots to open up. We 3-point turned out of there and went in search of another place to park.

We drove a less than half a mile down the road towards I-97 before noticing a dirt-patch parking area. This wasn’t a place listed on the websites I had read about but there were no signs prohibiting parking anywhere around the parking lot. It was obvious that at least 2-3 other cars had done the same thing because they had bike racks hanging off the back of the car. Another 1-2 cars were there from people parking to fish in the pond adjacent. So it turned out to be the most convenient alternative parking for the BWI Trail Loop.

Directions and Views of BWI

We started our ride following the trail in the clockwise direction. I was expecting the loop to be more attached and in view of the airport and I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t really at all. You have a few great spots to observe airport goings-on but the rest of the trail is along other roads and through some wooded areas.

You don’t have to worry about riding along the shoulder of any road at all while on the BWI trail loop (except for the 1/2 mile if you parked where we parked). It is fully independent of the highway system unless you count the handful of road crossings which are all equipped with signals to help you cross safely. I was also a little nervous that we might take a wrong turn but there were signs at all intersections. There were 2 types of trail markers: the typical green signpost with a bike image as well as the branded BWI Trail loop sign.

This is on the north side of the loop just after a hill climb. It’s a nice spot to sit, have a rest, eat a snack, and watch some planes.

No joke, this horse farm is just down the hill from that last photo of the sprawling airport.

If you want to do the trail with younger children, I recommend going counter-clockwise leaving the Observation Area. It’s 1.3 miles to I-97 and mostly flat through a wooded area without any road crossings.

There were many people out on the trail on Sunday biking, roller-blading, running, and walking. We even passed some serious looking hikers… It’s a great distance for a bike loop and it didn’t feel like there were too many people on the trail.

One last thing. The BWI trail loop doesn’t have a lot of shade so don’t forget to wear sunscreen.

I thoroughly enjoyed this ride and I’m really looking forward to doing it again. I think it’s going to become a staple in my fitness plans, especially while I’m training for the triathlon.

To recap my triathlon journey, visit my Triathlon page.