Not a bad place for treking. Has multiple places where you can camp near the river. The only problem you would face is parking spots. Very hard to find one on the weekends. Most of them have signs saying No Parking. County just wants to make money out of parking ticket (fines)

You get an awesome view of the Patapsco River and railroad bridge. The downside is that the parking area to walk to the bridge is very small and gets filled up quickly. Once you cross the bridge you can take a very scenic leisurely walk along the Patapsco River.

Great out door space. Kids really enjoyed riding their bikes and playing with the water. The only complaint I have was that the path for the bike track to cross over to the other side is broken, which meant all the kids had to get off their bikes and walking it over, and they got their feet soaked. Some got hurt trying to get a cross. The council needs get it fix!! Pic attached of daughter trying to cross over.

UPDATE JUNE 5, 2019The New section of the Grist Mill Trail is OPEN and so is ALL the rest down to the Lost Lake Pond. - All the trees in the new section are just babies so you are in total SUN LIGHT. - During the summer be sure to carry plenty of water to drink. - The entire trail is paved in blacktop. - If you are hiking between Ilchester Rd. and the Swinging Bridge be careful crossing the section where the bridge is washing out. - Rocks have been piled up to walk across but this spot can flood during a storm. - Flood signs are posted.

A very good and basic trail for walking, cycling, Its a good 2.5 mile one way trail. Its almost flat hike, with very little elevation. Hence good on kids as well as elderly people . It is well covered, hence good for a hot day as well. The only draw back is the very limited parking on Illchester road. Also the good part is that you can go to other trails from this trail and have better hiking experience. Surely a must do if you are around ellicott city

Absolutely serene! Although a bit crowded around the cascade falls and the river! Really fun up on the tracks!P.S. A lovely couple captured on 7/10/2020

Very fun to walk across and a great view of the river.

Its a beautiful place but theres nowhere to legally park and youll get towed. I had been parking in the same spot to walk the trail for the last 6 or 7 years (minus the time it was undergoing the dam renovations) and my car had never been ticketed or towed. Something certainly changed. Simkins Industries, the people who paid for the dam renovations and bought the mill site, have a contract with Greenwood Towing. They will tow your car from the HoCo line way down into high-crime West Baltimore. It took us over 30 minutes to drive out to the towing lot, which was also full of cars with busted out windows. Not sure why Simkins Industries decided to contract with Greenwood or start towing so aggressively. Was there no tow company closer or within the county limits? And why start towing now? Why build a walking bridge if people cant get to it? There is no bike lane or walking lane to be able to arrive to this place on foot. I guess you could arrive by Uber. Uber is definitely cheaper than getting towed and dealing with exceptionally rude tow truck employees. A confusing place.

Always have a relaxing time walking over this bridge. We walk down and go swimming on nice days.

Nice walk on a beautiful day in a well maintained park.. what couldve been better

Its a beautiful area to walk.

Great place for walking and riding.

Good place to go out and have fun walk and to get out did a YouTube video

Awesome place great fun for everyone so cool when the bridge swings get out and enjoy

Great spot for hiking and the view was great too!

Awesome trail for MTB riding and climbing A++

Stumbled upon this place by pure accident and luck after visiting Ellicott City. Awe inspiring views from the bridge and its incredibly well done after the flooding. Young trees line the sides, incredible views of the ravine, I strongly recommend going after a rain for the sound.Very easy to navigate on a bike, walking or even a wheelchair.

Good Hiking trail and Great Views of Nature

Lots of great hiking and biking.

An oasis of calm on 20 minutes from downtown Baltimore

Up enough stairs and you find some wonderful ruins

Nice! Not as wide as id like but overall nice view and stability.

A very nice hike in the park.

Nice and relaxing for the family

Nice, mostly flat, mostly paved trail from Ilchester to Relay. Much more challenging sections on the other side of the river.

The bridge was great but the path ends soon due to the construction

Newly redone...looks amazing.

10/10 recommend staying on the path unless you want to get lost and find your way back two hours later

Large open trails with miles of beautiful sights.

Held up while I was walking over it, didnt die10/10 would walk again

Nice place to walk & enjoy the nature.

Stand in the middle and bounce, can really get this bridge moving.

Good swim

The view is spectacular

Be careful of leaving belongings in car, car theft is rampant.

Make sure you rock it it is fun

Beautiful area and great history along that Grist Mill Trail! The walking bridge was the location of the original B&O railroad bridge dating back to the 1800s before it was washed away in a flood. The rebuilt the train bridge as a suspension bridge and that too was washed away in a flood. They then relocated the B&O railroad roughly 300 yards North and it now has a beautiful iron truss bridge.

I always love showing people this hike and leading them to st Mary’s chapel ruins.

This is a very nice trail, but it is closed now because they are removing Bloede dam. I am not sure when the trail will be open again.

With the gurgling stream just by you, walking, running or biking is sheer bliss

Cool local legend place to visit, especially at night

Old, sight seeing, hike

Amazing scenery

Beautiful!

Great

Neat bridge!

Very nice park

This bridge has been closed for a construction project since September, and it wont re-open until next Spring.

No parking along Ilchester road. Will ticket and tow.

Yeah decently exciting

Cute little bridge and the trail is nice.