Linkwood Wildlife Management Area

Duration: 2-3 hours
Distance: Outer loop is about 5 miles, inner loop is about 3.5 miles
Address: Linkwood, MD 21835 (unnamed road off of Route 50) 
Coordinates: 38.533912, -75.939864
Link to page: https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/publiclands/eastern/linkwood.aspx

Difficulty: Hard

Linkwood Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a short, yet challenging trail. It is free to enter, but there are no amenities. Also, it is not wheelchair-accessible. Several segments of the trail are wet to swampy. Wear your waterproofs! There are also high grasses, uneven paths, and obstacles. The Maryland Wildlife and Heritage Service manages this area.

Part of a much larger forest, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources bought Linkwood to preserve the endangered Delmarva Fox Squirrel. In the summer, it is also home to migratory songbirds such as the scarlet tanager, who travel from South and Central America to Delmarva. The woods are chock full of native trees and plants, like American beech trees, loblolly pine trees, blueberry bushes, mosses, and several species of ferns!

Something to keep in mind when visiting Linkwood is that hunting is permitted in season. Linkwood’s forest also has a large white-tailed deer population. As for the trails, they are maintained but not actively marked. Link to map here.

Dogs are permitted on leashes.