Hike: Sugarloaf Mountain, Dickerson, MD

The narrow, winding roads, surrounded by pleasant countryside on way to Sugarloaf Mountain allow you to forget some of the busy city traffic and prepare yourself for a stress-reducing hike.

Driving into the entrance I was reminded of the story of the gentleman, Gordon Stronghold, who acquired the land that is now Sugarloaf Mountain and how he lived here and eventually turned it into a recreational site. My amusement comes from the fact that he was noted as a cyclist -and found the location while pedaling by. I would like to see his bicycle from 1902.

I parked at the East View parking lot and took the White Trail to the Blue Trail - A total of 5.81 miles of mostly flat and rocky trail. A few strenuous uphills made for some excitement in the basic, winter terrain. Trails were very quiet - both to wildlife and human traffic, although most of the wildlife was seen right by the parking area - a large white-tailed deer and some noisy birds. Because the trails come together in different sections, I was glad to have a printed out copy of the trail with me and referred to it a few times during the hike. Total time for the hike was about 3 hours - including about half hour of stops for sightseeing and resting. I look forward to trying out more trails - like the Yellow and Purple trails - and seeing the mountain in the spring!