Gilpin's Falls

If you’ve ever been to North East, Maryland there is a good chance that you have driven past this place without realizing. Traveling slightly north of Cecil College will take you to a very old covered bridge over a creek. That bridge is the starting point of the journey into Gilpin’s Falls.

Gilpin’s Falls is a unique location in the United States. The Falls are created by the North East Creek making a 106 foot drop in about 2,000 feet. It is also home to one of the six covered bridges in Maryland. The boulders found here are made of meta-rhyolite and igneous rock. There is also crystalized volcanic material present in the area. Add in the ruins of a former mill site and you have a recipe for a truly special location perfect for exploring.

 

The Falls are named after Samuel Gilpin, who bought the land in 1735 and used the power of the Falls for his saw and corn mills. After Samuel died in 1767, the mill property remained in operation by his family until the 1860s. In 1895, a gentleman named William Warburton bought the area surrounding the Falls and converted part of the site into a power plant. William sold the area to the Conowingo Power Company in 1926 and they proceeded to shut down the plant and mills in 1930. There has been no real change to the property since then, however, the mills are no longer there. The retaining ponds and the race courses at the bottom of the Falls are the only surviving parts of the former mills. If you look around that area you will find structural foundations to barns, stone walls, and a spring house. At the top of the Falls, there is another retaining pond and a race that empties into a large pipe.

Every square inch of this place is fascinating and thrilling. I feel like every time I go, I manage to find something new to marvel at or take photos of. I have been 3 times and honestly, I have just barely scratched the surface here. My last visit in September was the hardest one. I wanted to grab long exposure shots so that meant hauling a large bulky tripod over the boulders and setting up on some rocks just barely big enough for the tripod. About halfway down the Falls I discovered a downed tree. After climbing over the tree and setting up for shots of the water and creek, I realized the tree was home to a nest of hornets that were very curious as to why I was in their space. They buzzed around me until I left and were making their presence known but none of them were interested in attacking me.

You can access Gilpin’s Falls several ways. The main entrance is up by the covered bridge on Maryland Route 272 or you can hike down the nature trails located behind Cecil College. I prefer doing the first one as it more fun. To do that route you will need to park in the gravel lot that runs parallel to the shoulder of the road and walk around the pond on the south side. Make a couple of steps onto the retaining wall and from there you can either climb down the boulders to get to the bottom or you can continue to the race and take the pipeline down. There is also an unpaved path next to the pipe that you could take but that way isn’t as fun. If you decide to go the way behind Cecil College, then you just have to locate the trailhead behind the baseball field and head down. Eventually you will reach the North East Creek and from there you go upstream to reach the old mill sites.

This is not a place for children due to the fast-moving water and sharp drops. Please only climb down the boulders if you have proper hiking equipment on and are experienced. Due to the sharp descent of the water, it tends to get dark there early, so I suggest getting there around noon. That way you have plenty of time to explore in the sunlight. It’s not necessary to go with a companion but I do recommend taking someone along to share the experience with.

Concrete City

If you are looking for a cool place to explore and are willing to do a bit of hiking (about a quarter mile) then Concrete City should be on your bucket-list.

This town, now abandoned, was an early example of international style architecture in the United States. It was built in 1911 as housing for high-level employees of several railroad companies, who used the town as a colliery. Each building was divided into a duplex meant to house two families. In the early 1920’s the towns issues became clear; instead of fixing them, they left the town abandoned in 1924, only 13 years after construction. There were several reasons why the companies decided to leave. One minor one was because a boy drowned in the wading pool. The major one was that the property owners refused to install an expensive but necessary sewage system. They decided to try and blow it up however, that wouldn’t work. After an attempt involving 100 sticks of dynamite failed to make a significant impact on one of the houses, the decision was made to leave the city to its own demise.

 

Now the location is known as a hotspot for artists and explorers to create and feel at home in a place that used to be home to many. It is also used for law enforcement training exercises and the occasional paintball or airsoft match.

My experience showing up here was a bit rough. I didn’t bring boots so I had to puddle hop in mesh running shoes. I do not recommend doing that at all, definitely wear boots as there is a lot of mud and a decent amount of broken glass. There is a nice walk through the woods on a gravel road for a quarter mile and then you end up on the ridge overlooking the many houses. Be careful going down the ridge because it is quite steep and is mostly loose dirt. I went with my good friend Ukiah and we explored a couple of the houses but nowhere near all of them due to time constraints. For the most part each house is in good shape and is perfectly fine to be in, just watch out for the broken glass in some parts.

I suggest that if you go to the Concrete City that you bring a friend along. You should go early in the morning so you can avoid other people who are trying to check out the site as well. Aim for going right after it rains. The best time to go is probably late fall through early spring before mosquitoes get a chance to show up.