Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area

Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area (NEA) is comprised of 1,900 acres of serpentine barren. The area has over 39 rare, threatened, or endangered plant species as well as rare insects, rocks and minerals. Rare grassland plant species are threatened by invasion of Virginia Pines. Currently, a five year effort of removing 1,000 acres of pines and prescribed burning are underway to return the area to natural serpentine habitat. 

There are seven miles of marked hiking trails. Equestrians and cyclists are prohibited due to the sensitive nature of the area. The visitor center has meeting rooms, a reference library and exhibits on the natural and cultural history of the area. The visitor center is located at 5100 Deer Park Road in Owings Mills, Maryland, 21117. The Visitor Center is open Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (weather permitting). Sunday through Friday, the Visitor Center will be open only when staff is available. Call ahead at 410-922-3044 if you would like to have access to the Visitor Center outside our normal hours.

Soldiers Delight has two areas (at Ward Chapel Road and Deer Park Road) open for bow hunting from November 12, 2011 to January 31, 2012. A valid managed hunt permit is required. In addition, a Patapsco Valley/Soldiers Delight annual bow hunting parking permit is required. This permit is valid at Patapsco Valley State Park, Soldiers Delight NEA and Morgan Run NEA only. For further information, please refer to the hunting guide (see below).

Pet Policy

• Pets are allowed in Soldiers Delight NEA.
• Dogs must be on a leash at all times in the park.

Soldiers Delight Activities E-mail Alerts

Would you like to receive weekly e-mail updates on what is happening in Patapsco Valley State Park, Soldiers Delight and Morgan Run? Sign up to receive the Patapsco Valley News. Park staff send e-mails no more than twice a week highlighting special activities occurring throughout the park. Send your e-mail address to macooper@dnr.state.md.us to be added to our mailing list.

Letterboxing at Soldiers Delight

Letterboxing is a fun activity for individuals and families alike. In short, letterboxing is a lot like a scavenger or treasure hunt. It combines elements of map reading, hiking, creative expression, and puzzle solving.

Take the Soldiers Delight Letterboxing adventure and learn about history, fire, invasion and stories of survival!

Scavenger Hunt

We offer many programs at Solders Delight NEA for children of all ages throughout the year. Many of these programs are run in the Visitor Center at Soldiers Delight. Come and visit us and see if you can complete the Scavenger Hunt located inside the visitor center.

Please call 410-922-3044 in advance to see when the visitor center is accessible.

Features

Environmental education programs & hiking.

An active volunteer organization assists with hike leadership, barren preservation, exhibits, and visitor center assistance. For information, call 410-461-5005.

Trail Guide

The Soldiers Delight NEA Trail Guide, complete with a topographical map of hiking and geological interest, is available for sale at park headquarters.

To purchase copies of the Soldiers Delight NEA Trail Guide with a credit card, please "click" on this link to place your order online. Temporarily out of stock.

To purchase copies of the Soldiers Delight NEA Trail Guide with a check, please contact the state park at 410-461-5005. Quantities are limited.

Soldiers Delight offers an accessible visitor center, parking lot and nature trail. For additional accessible amenities in Maryland State Forests and Parks, visit the Accessibility For All section of this website.