Two New Hiking Trails:

The volunteers and staff at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge are pleased to announce the opening of two new hiking trails on the Refuge property. Both trails will officially open on National Public Lands Day, which is September 30, 2006. The trails were developed with the help of grants from the National Park Service's Chesapeake Bay Gateways Program and the Waterfowl Festival. Once all work is complete on the trails, they will both be outfitted with informational kiosks and interpretive signs.

The Key Wallace Hiking Trail and Demonstration Forest is at the intersection of Key Wallace Drive and Egypt Road, near the entrance to the Wildlife Drive. The Tubman Road Trail is located off Hip Roof Road south of the Visitor Center.

The Key Wallace Trail was named after the Drive, which was named for Cornelius "Key" Wallace, who was the fourth manager of the Refuge. He served with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from 1942 to 1968, and he was instrumental in attracting more migratory waterfowl to the Refuge. The Tubman Road Trail was named after a road near the trail -- this is in the same region where Harriet Tubman was born. Tubman was born in Dorchester County and later became a "conductor" of the Underground Railroad, which helped many slaves escape to freedom during the Civil War era.

 

Key Wallace Trail

The new Key Wallace Hiking Trail and Demonstration Forest provides visitors with a chance to observe forest management techniques, as well as wildlife and birds.

Over one-third of Blackwater Refuge is forest, and this property includes some of the largest mature tracts on the Delmarva Peninsula. Much of the forest management at the Refuge is directed at increasing habitat for forest-interior dwelling birds and the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel. Protected forests at the Refuge are a vital haven for local wildlife as more land around Blackwater Refuge is given over to human development.

The Key Wallace Trail is approximately 2.7 miles long and takes about two hours to hike. The trail is divided into two sections marked as yellow and blue. The yellow section is 1.4 miles long and the blue section is 1.3 miles long. Note that during hunting season, one or both sections of the trail may be closed for safety reasons.

Read our Key Wallace Trail brochure (840KB PDF file) for more information about what is visible on the trail. You can also stop in at the Blackwater Refuge Visitor Center to obtain a free printed version of this brochure.

 

Tubman Road Trail

The new Tubman Road Trail is a 1.7-mile-long trail that uses new paths and existing access roads as it takes visitors through mixed pine and hardwood forests, sloughs and marshes, and reforested fields. The trail also includes an area that is still recovering from a tornado that blew through several years ago.

The Tubman Road Trail takes a minimum of 45 minutes to an hour to complete. Yellow trail markers and arrows will help keep you on the path. Note that during hunting season, the trail may be closed for safety reasons.

At this time, the Tubman Road Trail brochure is still in production, but as soon as it is available, we'll publish it on the website.

Much thanks to all our volunteers and staff members who worked long and hard on the trails, the signage, and the hiking brochures. We hope our visitors enjoy this new opportunity to access more of the beauty and wildlife at Blackwater Refuge.