Soldier's Delight Natural Environment Area is in a part of Baltimore County that few just run across by accident--it's tucked away on back roads in the western part of the county. Tecnically it's in Owings Mills, but it's far from the busy streets and crowded residential areas that I associate with Owings Mills.
What makes this park so unique is that the landscape is unlike anything I've seen in the area. It reminds me more of the great plains--lots of grassland and interesting wildflowers. It's called serpentine barren and owes its existence to the soil in that part of the county that is unlike anywhere else in the state. There are miles of hiking trails, and very few visitors, so if you go you are likely to have lots of peace and quiet.
The only difficulty I've had is that the trails are not always well marked--we got completely lost once and had to just set out overland with our fingers crossed (in the days before I had a GPS). I wouldn't recommend this area for young children, though, as there is little to hold their interest.
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