Mallows Bay County Park
Elena Gilroy, Mallows Bay Operations Manager, Charles County Recreation, Parks and Tourism, gives an introduction of what you can experience while exploring the Beaver Trail within Mallows Bay Park in Nanjemoy, Maryland. Credit: National Marine Sanctuary Foundation/NOAA.
Length: 0.5 miles
Difficulty: Moderate/difficult
Along this trail, hikers will walk along the slopes of the Beaver Pond, where evidence of beaver activity can be seen. Under the shade of tall beech trees, unique plants grow. Hotspots highlight these plants, such as native orchids and mosses. Past the Beaver Pond, the trail changes into a secondary succession forest – a landscape dominated by young, skinny trees that hints at the former use of the land for farming.
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Welcome to the Beaver Trail! Once you're in the virtual trail: Click or tap on the screen to navigate along...
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In addition to the pawpaw, another native tree with edible fruit at Mallows Bay is the common persimmon. The fruit...
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Right off the trail stands a large American beech tree. Its leaves turn golden in the fall and stay on...
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Under the shade of a large beech tree, you may find small, woodland orchids called crane-fly orchids. In the early...
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Fan clubmoss, also known as ground cedar or crowsfoot, is a plant that lives on the forest floor. It is...
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In the pond, you can see an active beaver dam. Piles of sticks and mud slow the flow of water...
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As you walk along this trail, you will notice that most of the trees are young with very few mature...