Garrett’s Pass

Garrett’s Pass:

A Special Trail Project

The Howard County side of the Avalon Area is the most visited section of Patapsco Valley State Park. Ridge Trail, Valley View, Cascade Falls, Morning Choice, and of course the Bloede Trail and Extension – these trail mainstays are legendary in the trail community and host hundreds of thousands of trail users each year.

In 2018, when a new sustainable trail that would bypass the popular Cascade Falls trail, connecting the top of the ridge near Landing Road, and reaching all the way to the swinging bridge over the Patapsco River – we knew this was going to be a very special project. The trail was going to be high visibility, high elevation, incredibly scenic, and be positioned in the heart of the busiest area of the park.

Garrett’s Pass is named for Garrett Bonin – he loved the outdoors and especially
Patapsco Valley State Park.

“When Garrett was 13 years old and would wait for “the old men” to come home from work to go riding with them. At first, he struggled to keep up, but within a couple months he was running circles around the veterans and showed great promise as an up and coming young racer. Garrett loved all things outdoors and welcomed everyone to be involved. Garrett’s Pass embodies his spirit and passion.”
-Mick Lynn

Garrett’s Pass was the first all-new trail built in the Avalon area in years. The project set new records for volunteer hours and highlights the talent and experience of very good trail designers – the trail alignment flows through dramatic stream valleys, it rises high above the river and it’s a fantastic trip in either direction!

Garrett’s Pass was opened to rave reviews and quickly became one of the most popular trails in the park.

Garrett’s Pass required heavy duty retaining walls and rock armoring.

Garrett’s Pass was opened just as the Patapsco Valley’s High School cycling leagues exploded in popularity – Garrett’s remains a favorite of our young Patapsco stewards.

Check out Garrett’s Pass on MTBProject