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Driving Tours

Northeast Maryland Driving Tour
From the south traveling north on I-95 (north of Baltimore City), or from the north traveling south on I-95 (south of Wilmington, Delaware)---follow signs to Exit 74, RT152 (Mountain Road). From the top of the I-95 exit ramp at Mountain Road, northbound travelers turn left, southbound travelers turn right. Proceed north on Mountain Road for 2.2 miles to Jerusalem Road and turn left. Continue on Jerusalem Road .6 mile to the stop sign, then proceed another .4 mile to Jericho Road and turn left. JERICHO BRIDGE is just ahead .2 mile. PARKING: Limited at the bridge. Advise parking at the Jerusalem Mill parking lot just past the intersection of Jerusalem and Jericho Roads. Walk 1/4 mile down to the bridge. PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Excellent, but requires taking a short hike down to Little Gunpowder Falls. Side photos are limited from Jericho Road.
Turn around and go back to Jerusalem Road, make a right back to Mountain Road and another right to get back to I-95. At the intersection of I-95 and Mountain Road, take I-95 North and continue for 25 miles to Exit 100, Route 272. Stay left at the end of the exit ramp and turn left on to RT272 North. Travel 1.4 miles to GILPIN'S FALLS BRIDGE on your right (bypassed). PARKING: Ample parking on the shoulder of Route 272. PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Excellent. Close up pictures and distant shots from all angles.
Continue on RT272 for 1.6 miles to Dr. Miller Road and turn right. Stay on Dr. Miller Road for 2.1 miles until it ends at RT273 (Telegraph Road) (unmarked) and turn right. Travel 5.2 miles to Entrance 3 Road at Fair Hill Natural Resources Area and make a right. (This road is the 3rd entrance road on the right .6 mile past the intersection of RT273 and RT213.) Go only about 80 yards to a stop sign at Ranger Skinner Road and turn left. Take Ranger Skinner Road .1 mile to a dead end at Training Center Road and turn left. Take Ranger Skinner Road .5 mile to Tawes Drive, turn right and travel 1.2 miles to FOXCATCHER FARMS BRIDGE. Bridge is closed to motor traffic. Only pedestrians, horses and cyclists allowed through bridge. PARKING: Plentiful. There is a parking area near the bridge. Portable toilet is available. PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Excellent. MEMO: Bridge is equipped with Handicapped Access ramp for a close-up side view for Handicapped Visitors.
For travelers heading back to Baltimore/Washington: Reverse your directions to get back to I-95 South. Tawes Drive, left on Training Center Road, right on Ranger Skinner Road, right on Entrance 3 Road, left on RT273, left on Dr. Miller Road, left on RT272 to I-95 South.
For travelers heading north to Wilmington and Philadelphia you can follow the route detailed above but take I-95 North, not South. An alternate route would be to return to RT273 as directed above but make a right on RT273 instead of a left. Continue on RT273 for 3.9 miles to the Delaware State line where RT273 (Telegraph Road) becomes Nottingham Road. Stay on Nottingham Road for another 1.8 miles, bear right on to RT896 South and follow the signs to I-95 North.

Frederick County Driving Tour
From the intersection of US RT15 and Old Frederick Road (between mile markers 19 and 20 on US RT15), go east on Old Frederick Road for 1.6 miles to Utica Road and make a left to UTICA MILLS BRIDGE. Travel through the bridge to a small parking area on your right. PARKING: Limited. There is a small area on the west side of the bridge for one or two cars. PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Limited. Private property borders the bridge on all sides.
Turn around and go back through the bridge to Old Frederick Road. Make a left on Old Frederick Road and go 4 miles to a stop sign. This is RT550. Bear left onto RT550 but travel only .4 mile to a fork in the road where you will see a sign pointing to the right for Loys Station Park. Make a right at this sign which puts you back on Old Frederick Road. Travel for 2 miles to LOYS STATION BRIDGE. PARKING: Plenty. Bridge is located in a small park providing picnic tables, cookout grilles and a portable toilet. Pets are allowed if kept on a leash. This is an ideal area to plan a picnic lunch during you tour of the Frederick County Bridges. PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Excellent. Close up pictures and distant shots from all angles.
Travel through Loys Station Bridge .3 mile to a stop sign. This is RT77, Rocky Ridge Road (unmarked). Make a left onto RT77. Stay on RT77 for 1.6 miles into the little town of Graceham and make a right onto Graceham Road, a small side street. You will quickly come to some railroad tracks where you will bear left immediately after crossing the tracks and proceed to a stop sign at Apple Church Road. Total distance from Graceham Road to Apple Church Road is 1.3 miles. Go straight ahead onto Apple Church Road .2 mile to the first stop sign at Roddy Road and turn right. Follow Roddy Road .8 mile to RODDY ROAD BRIDGE Travel through the bridge to park near the intersection of Roddy Road and Roddy Creek Road. PARKING: Ample. There is a vacant lot area on the east side of the bridge. PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Fair. Bridge is at an intersection, making road signs a necessity.
To get back to RT15, take Roddy Creek Road (not Roddy Road) for .5 mile. Turn left for RT15 South to Frederick and right for RT15 North to Pennsylvania.

Maryland Covered Bridges
Email me: mdcoveredbridges@comcast.net