Become a Member

Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.

Already have an account? Sign In

Become a Member

Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.

Already have an account? Sign In

Brands

Baltimore Trails

Baltimore: Sugarloaf Mountain Loop

Climb a lone sentinel rising above the rolling Maryland farmland on this short-and-sweet 5.7-mile loop to a mountain oasis in the sky.

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.

Trail Facts

  • Distance: 9.2

Waypoints

SLM001

Location: 39.2606201171875, -77.396858215332

At W end of lot, head out on green-blazed trail via stone steps built for the late Gordon Strong; family still owns land

SLM002

Location: 39.2623596191406, -77.3933868408203

Sugarloaf Mtn.; (1,282 ft.); Once a Civil War signal station, only the quartzite cliffs remain at the summit of this monadnock, where millennia of erosion has stripped away the surrounding land

SLM003

Location: 39.2629890441894, -77.3924026489258

L @ Y; red-blazed Monadnock Trail descends swiftly through red and white oaks

SLM004

Location: 39.2657089233398, -77.392463684082

R @ T onto blue-blazed Northern Peaks Trail; pause at Bill Lambert Overlook to see Sugarloaf’s ridge

SLM005

Location: 39.2659301757812, -77.3903503417969

L @ T; threatened purple-fringed orchids find refuge under maples

SLM006

Location: 39.2675590515137, -77.3900985717774

R @ Y; remain on Northern Peaks Trail along rolling ridgeline

SLM007

Location: 39.2817802429199, -77.3820266723633

Straight @ 4-way where trail intersects with Saddleback Horse Trail

SLM008

Location: 39.2850112915039, -77.3874130249024

Cairn designates unnamed 1,020-foot summit; head SW

SLM009

Location: 39.2835998535156, -77.3984909057617

White Rocks Overlook: Scan patchwork farms under a blue horizon before 300-foot descent into Bear Branch

SLM010

Location: 39.2749900817871, -77.3989028930664

Zigzag .1 mi. R onto Saddleback Trail, then L back onto Northern Peaks Trail. Fragrant yellow poplars bloom trailside

SLM011

Location: 39.2658004760742, -77.3966217041016

R @ T onto blue-blazed trail; in .5 mi., turn L @ T and return to car

How to Pack for Backcountry Skiing

Get to know the winter safety gear you need in your pack.

Keywords: