Holly Hill Trail
There is more to hiking at ACLT than following a trail. Hikers, perhaps unknowingly, also trek through the natural and cultural history of Maryland and Calvert County. The Holly Hill Trail is the crown jewel of the ACLT’s trail network. Built in 2020 and opened in December 2021, the HHT features all that the ACLT has to offer hikers. The trail meanders for almost two miles through a mixed mostly hardwood forest, highlighted by Beech, Oak, Tulip Poplar, and Hickory. Occasionally, a Sweetgum, Dogwood, or Aspen will appear, as well as scattered Mountain Laurel and Spicebush. Of course, the trail’s namesake American Holly is everywhere along the trail. While not as many as other ACLT trails, there are a good number of old trees and even a quiet pine tree ridge. The trail tread wends through the middle of a farm field and passes open meadows. Wildlife includes the usual suspects. I have seen White-Tailed Deer, Wild Turkey, and of course, countless squirrels and songbirds. Among others, I have heard Carolina Wrens, Northern Cardinals, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. The HHT provides a reasonable workout with a few ups and downs, a couple of bridged stream crossings, watershed ravines and backwoods hollows. Maryland and Calvert County history abound along the HHT with the remnants of past inhabitants, including archaeological evidence of indigenous peoples, the historic Holly Hill Farm, and relics from more modern eras.
The best approach to the Holly Hill Trail is through the meadow at the Double Oak Farm northside trailhead. This access waypoint is actually marked as H3 on the ACLT trail map. The starting H1 waypoint is across Double Oak Road at an intersection with the Prince Frederick to Bay (PF2B) Trail. Combined with an approach along the Griffin Meadow Trail and a portion of the PF2B Trail (which also overlaps the Parker Creek Road Trail), the hike can be made into an almost four mile loop with the HHT as the centerpiece. The HHT has unique plastic triangular green blazes painted with a Christmas-style holly motif nailed to trees. The section through the pine ridge has since been painted with additional traditional green blazes, which has been helpful because the track through the pine flat was difficult to follow in the winter months when foot traffic is lower.
The history of colonial Holly Hill dates back to the original land patents issued by Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, in the mid-1600s as part of the Maryland colony. Holly Hill Trail is named for the Holly Hill estate, formed from several of these colonial-era land patents. From this period, well into the late 1800s, Holly Hill belonged to the Dare family, who used the land to raise tobacco as the main cash crop (ACLT History). Farms in southern Maryland historically raised tobacco well into the early 20th Century, producing a significant portion of all tobacco in the United States. Interestingly, historical speculation suggests that most of the African Americans at Holly Hill during this period were Free Blacks due to the Quaker affiliation of the Dare family (ACLT History). In the early 20th Century, the Turner family obtained the Holly Hill property from the related Dare family. The Turners grew tobacco and corn on the land until farming gradually subsided as a major activity in the area. ACLT obtained Holly Hill in 2017 as part of its ongoing efforts to preserve land around the Parkers Creek watershed. You can read the entire history, with primary source references, on the ACLT’s website: Parkers Creek Heritage Trail.
The trail has its own unique character each season of the year. My preferred season to hike HHT is winter, especially because the American Holly is my favorite tree. The Holly stays green all year, with its red berries lingering into winter. You can see exactly how many of these trees are in this part of the forest when all the other trees have lost their leaves. Unfortunately, I have only managed to be on the trail with some frost and a light dusting of snow. However, the HHT is sure to be a winter holiday wonderland with a good accumulation of snow! Add the scent of pine on the ridge, the occasional Ivy vine, and some evergreen Partridge Berry with its red berries, and the HHT makes for a grand holiday hike during the Christmas season. If you hike in December, you may also have the chance to buy a holiday wreath, hand-made from fresh greens collected from the surrounding forests, at the ACLT’s annual sale.
In spring, the ACLT trails are prolific with wildflowers and the HHT is no exception. April brings the usual Wild Blue Violets and Virginia Springbeauties. Dogwood blossoms, Mountain Laurel buds, and Paw Paw blooms also make their appearance in the trees in spring. Summer hiking usually means the Green Tunnel. So, I believe summer is the best time to explore the Holly Hill Farm. Just before you exit the woods, the remnants of an old wood fence line the edge of the trail. Here the HHT shoots directly across a large farm field, usually planted with sorghum or corn. You are likely to find summer wildflowers, like Blue Mistflowers, Morning Glories, Jimsonweed, and Purple Coneflower, in the field along the trail. At the southwestern edge of the field, stands the restored Holly Hill Log Barn. Probably built in the mid-1800s, the barn is partially made from American Chestnut wood and was used at various times for drying tobacco, storing corn, and housing livestock. (ACLT History) Around the barn are historical interpretive panels, including some describing the indigenous people who inhabited the Parkers Creek watershed for thousands of years. Further along the HHT, as it enters the woods at the western edge of the field, is where I have seen Wild Turkey in June.
In Autumn, the hardwood trees along the HHT are covered with colorful leaves, with the yellows of Oak, Beech, and Spicebush being dominant. For many, that would be enough for an awesome hike along a golden leaf carpeted trail. But the HHT always offers more. The Paw Paws near the Holly Hill Farm will now have ripe fruit. Purple flowers of Field Thistle and Blue Mistflowers linger in the Holly Hill Farm field. Just west of the Holly Hill Farm, the HHT crosses a bridge over an old stream bed, known locally as “Tina’s Creek”, a couple miles inland from the Bay. The soft earth along the stream bank offers the chance to see a few shells and shell impressions, exposed by erosion. This could be the site of an old shell midden. (ACLT is only a few miles inland from the Chesapeake Bay and there are other trails where you can even get a glimpse of the Bay, especially in late autumn after most of the leaves have fallen. ACLT is also several miles north of Calvert Cliffs, a popular beach location for fossil hunting.) Under the bridge, there are a lot of old glass shards, remnants of past modern inhabitants. Much of the glass has markings, suggesting late 19th Century and early 20th Century manufacturing. This is also a good spot for rockhounds to examine the various colors of natural quartz and other stones.
I have hiked the Holly Hill Trail several times since February 2022. There is always something interesting to see along the trail, be it flora, fauna, or relics of the past. My favorite relic is the rusted frame of an old straight-line six cylinder truck. Located just west of where the HHT crosses Double Oak road, I cannot help but stop each time I pass and wonder about the truck’s exact model and history, although very likely 1930s vintage. I highly recommend you add this trail to your “must do list” for Maryland hiking. You never know what you might discover yourself on this fabulous day hike.
