The Piscataway Indian Tribe made this section of Southern Maryland its winter camping ground because of the mild climate and abundance of game. Legend says there is an Indian Burial ground in Cedarville State Forest, but to date it has not been found. The headwaters of the Zekiah Swamp are located in Cedarville. The swamp extends Southward through Charles County for 20 miles, emptying into the Wicomico River. The Swamp is one mile wide, and serves as a haven for wildlife. The surrounding land is mostly agricultural fields. In colonial times and there after efforts were made to drain the swamp for cultivation. Drainage ditches are still evident. To this day, the swamp remains wooded bottom land. In 1930, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Forest, Park and Wildlife Service purchased 2,631 acres of land for a forest demonstration area. Later 879 more acres were added to bring the total to 3,510 acres. Cedarville was the postal address for the area, hence the name given to the State Forest. In 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps, under the direction of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, developed roads and trails for fire protection and future access for the development of the area.
Great views and well mapped out. Not always wide enough for 2 people to walk side by side.
An ok trail but not much for scenery.
love this trail and the trail is actually 7 miles not 6 miles
We biked the Heritage Trail Blue Blazes. I am an advanced bicyclist and my fiancé is a beginner. He followed me and we had few issues! Leaves made it a bit slippery. Felt like longer than 3.5 miles. Wouldn't recommend for children on bicycles.
There are a few trails on this marked area! The two I saw were the Plantation Trail Brown Blazes and the Swamp Trail Green Blazes. The former is 2.5 miles and the latter is 2 miles. I hiked the Brown Blazes today. It was a nice, quiet trail. They seem well kept. It's a bit hilly, I felt my ears pop at the top!
My only small complaint is that the trail isn't well marked at 2 or 3 junctions. I have a good sense of direction, so it was no problem to figure out where to go. Someone less experienced could also use w compass or googlemaps/alltrails to figure out where they need to go. I will be back!
I went here with a friend and our two dogs. The trail itself is very nice. Just under 7 miles and fairly well marked. When we went it was after some major rains, but none of the trail was flooded. However, I will not be going back. The amount of horse poop on the trail used by both hikers and bikers was like nothing I've ever seen. Horses are also allowed on the trail. You couldn't enjoy the scenery because your eyes had to constantly be on the trail to avoid the giant mounds of horse poop. The dogs were not as good at avoiding it. To put the cherry on the cake, at the entrance to the trail there is a big sign and poop bags about cleaning up your dogs poop. It's almost comical thinking about how concerned the state park folks are about my dogs tiny poop when there are literally buckets of horse poop every 20ft.
The trails are great but remember to wear bug guard and do tick checks. On the orange trail the wetlands area floods over onto the trail. This trail is great for biking, walking and jogging strollers. 7 miles on the orange trail but there is a blue and white trail I haven't explored yet.
The trails here remind me of being in an enchanted forest. Incredibly breath-taking. I would recommend having a partner for safety - this trail is very under utilized and not very well maintained. But if you are searching for a experience that will take you back a 100 years - this is the place. Flat ground very little inclines