The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Autumn leaves color the ground at Sideling Hill Creek Preserve. © Alan Eckert Photography

Open to the Public

Yes

Things To Do

Take a look around and spot some of Sideling Hill Creek's amazing plants and animals. View All

Plan Your Visit

Help us maintain the beauty of this preserve and don't vandalize or steal anything. View All

Get Directions

Why You Should Visit
Originating from the southwestern mountains of Pennsylvania, Sideling Hill Creek tumbles its way down the steep, forested, shale cliffs of western Maryland before it finally spills into the Potomac River.  The preserve has several trails so visitors can explore the variety of species and natural communities that exist at Sideling Hill Creek Preserve.  Admission is free.

Location
Two hour drive from Baltimore and Washington, D.C., past the Sideling Hill Creek Interpretive Center.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Sideling Hill Creek is one of the most pristine streams in Maryland, which helps support the globally-rare harperella population.  In addition, the occurrence of the rare shale barren communities prioritizes this site as a focus for the Maryland/D.C. Chapter's efforts.

What the Conservancy Is Doing Here

• 704 acres purchased or under easement by The Nature Conservancy since 1992
• Annual trail spring cleaning in late April
• Studying and monitoring the shale barren communities
• Leasing hayfields to local farmers to demonstrate compatible agricultural practices
• In 1998, 40 volunteers restored 3 acres of stream buffer with 1,200 native tree saplings
• Preventing sedimentation of stream
• Removing non-native weeds on the shale barren - volunteers welcome!
• Monitoring the stream for sediment, pollutants and excess nutrient runoff

Sideling Hill Creek Audio Tour - New!

Planning a visit to Sideling Hill Creek? Before your trip, download our self-guided audio tour to your handheld device. It's like taking along your own personal naturalist!

During your audio tour, the Conservancy's Donnelle Keech, Allegany Forests project director, takes hikers around the trail to see shale barrens, experience native forest types and forge the stream if you dare!

Step 1: Download the Sideling Hill Creek audio tour map. This map will help identify which audio tracks to play based on your location on the trail, so make sure to take a copy with you on your trip.



Step 2: Download and save each of the following mp3 files to your handheld device. Play the corresponding track when you reach a numbered waypoint along the trail. Listen to them all or pick & choose based on your interests!

1. Trail Head
2. About Sideling Hill Creek
3. Across the Street - Creek Side
4. Sideling Hill Creek Watershed
5. First of Many Hills
6. The Bend
7. Berries
8. Mitnick Memorial Statue
9. Box Turtle
10. Ephemeral Stream
11. Shale
12. Lowland Footbridge over Oxbow
13. End of Loop Trail
14. Yonker Tract Conservation Easement
15. Sideling Hill Creek Ford
16. Feeling Adventurous - Crossing the Creek

(All files are .mp3 and should download automatically once clicked. If you have trouble downloading, right-click each file and then select "Save")

Things To Do

What to See: Plants

• The world's healthiest population of the globally-rare aquatic wildflower, harperella.
• Twelve rare, endemic (occurring only on the shale barrens and nowhere else) plants including the nationally-endangered evening primrose, shale ragwort, and Kate's mountain clover.

What to See: Animals

• Olympian marble butterfly, green floater mussel, tiger beetle
• Wild turkey, hawks, and bobcat.

Plan Your Visit

Get the Most from Your Visit

• Bring plenty of drinking water, sun protection (sunscreen, hat, sunglasses), rain gear, and bug protection. Binoculars, field guides, and a camera may be useful.
• Pets are not allowed on Conservancy preserves or field trips. 
• Smoking is not permitted. 
• Please do not remove any plants, animals, or rocks.
• Wear socks and waterproof shoes. Wearing light colors will help you spot and remove ticks.
• Please help us maintain this unique natural environment by taking home everything that you bring, including biodegradable materials.
• For more information, please contact the Maryland/DC Chapter office at (301) 897-8570.
• Tick and Mosquito Alert: When you get home, plan to drop your clothing directly in the laundry and do a tick check before you shower. Deer ticks, the type that carry lyme disease, are about the size of a pinhead and tend to attach in hair, under ears, underarms, trunk of the body, groin, and backs of the knees. Remove them by gently pulling with tweezers and wipe the skin near the bite with a mild disinfectant. If, within 7-10 days after exposure, you experience a rash (especially an expanding "bull's eye" rash), chills, fever, headache, stiff neck, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes and/or aching joints and muscles, contact your doctor. You can find more information on lyme disease at www.lyme.org or www.aldf.com, or by calling the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at 404-332-4555.

Directions

• From Washington's Capital Beltway (I-495), take I-270 North.  Take I-70 West:
• From Baltimore (I-695), take I-70 West:
• Follow I-70 West from Frederick to Hancock.  Take I-68 West towards Cumberland.  Exit I-68 at High Germany Road.  Turn right at the stop sign.  You'll cross Sideling Hill Creek after just a couple hundred feet (bridge is inconspicuous).  Immediately after crossing the creek, take a sharp right (back-angle) down dirt lane to edge of hay field.  Park in the fenced parking area.  Please do not block access to dirt lane across the field

Discussion

Have you been to this preserve? Are you thinking of visiting? See what others are saying about their experiences and add your comments below.

Add Your Comments

Time for you to join the discussion. Tell us about your experience at this preserve. What plants and animals did you see? When did you go? You can help others plan their visit when you share your thoughts. And thank you for visiting one of our nature preserves!

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