Part Two of a Series
Having now walked an entire 2.3 miles over the course of four days on behalf of the News Review and the good residents of Greenbelt, I did the next obvious thing I could: I signed up for a (virtual) half marathon for June 16. Obviously, I am totally ready to walk that. Still, there were parts of Greenbelt that remained unexplored and I guessed the extra conditioning wouldn’t hurt, so off I continued.
The Forest Preserve
I always enjoy walking in the Forest Preserve, which runs between the center of Greenbelt and the USDA farmlands, with access points off of Ridge Road, Laurel Hill, Plateau Place, Northway extended, Hamilton Place (and probably more). Out in the Forest Preserve I can once again imagine I am particularly hardy, the sort of person who might be asked to write an essay about walks, for example, a person who might build a lean-to by hand and befriend a bear, over-winter on a diet of dried mushrooms and acorns. There are numerous pathways cutting through the woods and plenty of opportunities to clamber over fallen trees and muddy streams. At the right time of year there are tadpoles to be found, deer prints to follow and blueberries to scavenge. And at the end of the afore-mentioned Northway extended, you will find several interesting things: ballfields, an astronomical observatory and a mountain made entirely of mulch.
Greenbelt Park
My friend Josh told me that the Perimeter Trail at Greenbelt Park is an easy five miles and I, tubby yet ambitious, thought that sounded perfect. The main entrance of the park is blocked to cars due to construction, so you can either park on Walker Drive and walk in or park on the back side of Westchester Park Drive and find an entrance path. There are shorter walks in Greenbelt Park but Dan and I, lulled into complacency by the word easy, went for the Perimeter Trail. After about three-and-a-half miles I started wondering where the medivac helicopter would land. By mile four I was sobbing slightly and Dan had stopped talking to me. In conclusion, easy is relative, but if you’re modestly fit and don’t mind a few hills and rocks, it’s a fun way to be out in the woods, looking for snakes and birds and bears. (Disclaimer: There are no bears in Greenbelt Park. Trust me. I’ve looked.)
Indian Springs
And speaking of Walker Drive, my daughter, Findley, and I decided to head up there and see what there is to see at Indian Springs, which you can get to by going to the lowest parking lot at 7833 Walker Drive and looking for the picnic tables. If you head left at the picnic tables, you come up to the Walker Cemetery, one of the three historic cemeteries in Greenbelt. This one holds a DAR monument surrounded by a perimeter fence, and I decided to walk on the outside of the fence to see if I could find any walking pathways or other delights. I could not. Two out of 10, do not recommend. Back at the picnic tables, Findley and I took the lower path, which went on for about 50 feet and brought us to a dead end – a muddy patch of water before a short concrete wall and the road. Not much to walk here, but if you’re interested in DAR monuments, there’s one to see.
Mandan Road Field
Lastly, Findley and I headed out to the field at Mandan Road. Soccer field, baseball field, basketball court, treed pathways – this spot has it all for a post-Covid-19 friend hang-out, a pick-up game of soccer or a nice walk around the field with a buddy. There weren’t any obvious ways to extend the walk into unexplored wilderness, but for those of you not yet familiar with it, it’s a wide-open space worthy of a visit.
If there are walks in Greenbelt that I have missed, let us know by writing to editor@greenbeltnewsreview.com. My knees and I would love to explore more of what Greenbelt has to offer.
