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Today we decided to make the one mile trip from our airbnb to Calvert Cliffs State Park in Lusby, Maryland.  The park is best known for the cliffs which were noted by John Smith in his 17th century journal, however it definitely has more to offer.  Though we did not take advantage of most of the amenities in the front of the park, there is a spectacular playground and a lots of picnic space including grills as well as toilets.  Most visitors to this park are here to make the 1.8 mile walk to the beach and/or the cliffs.  Unfortunately due to landslides, the area under the cliffs, famous for fossils and shark teeth,  has been closed for about a year.  Since we have easy access to a larger, less crowded beach we were here for the trails.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The park features 12 miles of hiking trails over five different trails.  Walking on a combination of trails we completed an approximately three mile hike (which is a new record for the four of us).  Thanks to the abundance of tree cover the temperature was not that hot even though it was already a hot summer day in the sun.  I was worried that the trails would have lots of bugs this close to marsh land, but there were not many bugs at all.  None of us had any trouble with footing (9 years old to adult) which ranged from wide sandy trails, to more narrow worn dirt paths through the woods.  Along the way we saw a lot of spectacular spider webs, a very large hawk and some interesting flora.  We started on the Red Trail and ended our hike on the Yellow Trail, part of which is a meadow.  Though the temperature was a lot hotter in the meadow, it was completely full of dragonflies and various types of butterflies.  At one point we had to stop walking for a moment because the butterflies were so think I thought we would step on them!  We also enjoyed the wildflowers that were growing sporadically throughout the meadow.  For us this was the perfect hike.  No one was so worn out that they started to fade, but everyone had worked up quite a sweat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trails really vary depending on which trail you choose and where you are on that trail.  We hiked on sand, dirt, grass, a service road, and a cinder path.  None of the walking was difficult, although the parking area is uphill from all of the trails so be aware that the return trip to your car will be uphill.  None of us wore our hiking shoes (two of us wore vans and two wore running shoes) and the walking was still easy.  I 100% would recommend the shorts I wore though (Disclaimer: These shorts were a gift from the manufacturer).  I received a pair of hiking shorts from KÜHL before this trip and I was excited to wear them for this hike.  I had worn them previously for our trip to St. Mary’s City  and was really impressed with how the material performed on a sunny, 90° day in July. Today was no different.   Though designed for hiking I found them the perfect short for both the beach and for walking/hiking on hot summer days.  Even on the hottest, sweatiest days, the material of these shorts is so light that you don’t feel too hot and regardless of how sweaty I got the material did not get damp.  As you can see in the picture to left, I could have benefitted from a similar shirt as well!  The variety of pockets kept my camera, phone, and two different masks dry even though I was covered in sweat.  They were also perfect for exploring the waterfront.  I wore these while wading in the waves on my walks along the beach this week and the shorts were dry moments after getting wet.  I wish I had these on our last visit to Ireland and look forward to taking a pair of similar full length pants for our next visit.

We really loved this state park and look forward to a return visit.  I would definitely recommend starting your hike in the morning if you will be visiting in the spring or summer.  I can only imagine how beautiful the woods will look as the the leaves change color in the autumn.   A nice morning hike followed by a picnic would make a nice day trip from the Washington, D.C. or Annapolis, MD area.  For a map of the trails, I would recommend looking here.

 

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