Southern Maryland Active Recreation and Transport Alliance
SMARTA is a new alliance to support people-powered, climate friendly outdoor recreation and transportation in Southern MD
Biking and Hiking Routes and Trails
Southern Maryland is full of great places to ride, and we're working to build more! For Example, see the list below of ride routes used by Solomons Island Cycling:
Who We Are
Our mission is to:
· Educate local and state officials on the needs of alternative transportation users (hikers, bikers, and paddlers) and the benefits of green tourism.
· Unite a community of hikers, bikers, and paddlers – both experienced and new – that is passionate about making people-powered recreation and transportation safe and accessible in Southern Maryland.
SMARTA's Recommendations for the Statewide 2050 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan
1. Sidewalks maintenance responsibility: Sidewalks alongside state highways in Southern MD are in poor repair. The State Highway Administration (SHA) requires sidewalk repairs to be the responsibility of the local jurisdiction or county. We understand that projects have been canceled because counties refuse to assume future cost liability of maintaining new sidewalks. This responsibility needs to shift to SHA since these sidewalks are all on State property.
Founding Organizations and Volunteers
Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust, Leonardtown MD
American Chestnut Land Trust, Prince Frederick MD
Patuxent Adventure Center, Solomons and Leonardtown MD
Solomons Island Cycling, Solomons MD
Cycling Without Age, St. Mary's County MD (FB Link)
David M. Jenkins, Charles County, Chair of Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland's Bicycle Pedestrian Infrastructure Advisory Committee
Southern MD Mountain Biking
SMMB has a regular schedule of rides in Southern MD, often at St. Mary's Lake. There are also great trails in Southern Prince George's County at Rosaryville SP, Cosca Regional Park, and Patuxent River Park, and in Charles Co. at Cedarville State Forest. SMART is interested in working for more localized mountain bike access points, particularly under our power line rights of way.
MORE Maryland Trails Guide
Mountain Bike Project Southern MD
Who We Are
American Chestnut Land Trust Hiking Trails
The American Chestnut Land Trust maintains 22 miles of free hiking trails that are open year-round from dawn to dusk every day
Preserving Southern MD's Wide "Amish" Road Shoulders
Many of Southern Maryland's roads, particularly in St. Mary's County, have wide shoulders, originally to help preserve access for horse-drawn buggies. However, in some places this extra shoulder space has been converted to right-hand turn lanes and acceleration/deceleration lanes for subdivisions, or pushed aside to make room for left-turn pockets. This loss of shoulder space reduces safe access for bike riders, hikers, and buggies alike. We should instead preserve and expand our unique "Amish" shoulders on Southern Maryland roads.
Southern MD Rail Trails
Plans should be accelerated to extend the Three Notch Trail westward to Charles County and further southward into the more populated areas of St. Mary's. We also need to design and build a spur to Leonardtown. In the longer run, the CSX rail line from Bowie to Upper Marlboro and extending into Charles County is now rarely used, since our power plants no longer use coal. We propose to convert the Prince George's County sector into a rail trail, and the Charles County sector into a combination rail trail and light rail commuter line toward Washington DC.
Hello
Connecting the East Coast Greenway
The Greenbelt East Trail would be a first for Prince George's County: a fully protected, on-road two-way shared use trail, which would connect the WB&A trail system toward Anne Arundel County and Baltimore with the Anacostia River Trail System toward DC and Northern Virginia. It would also provide a safe bike/walk rout
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Better yet, see us outdoors and active!
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