Overview
Prince George's County's Paint Branch Trail (not to be confused with Montgomery County's Paint Branch Trail farther north) runs for 4 miles between Lake Artemesia and Cherry Hill Road Community Park in the Washington, DC, suburb of College Park.
About the Route
The southern end of the Paint Branch Trail begins at scenic Lake Artemesia, where it can connect directly with the Indian Creek Trail, Lake Artemesia Trail, and Northeast Branch Trail. Heading west, the trail exits the Lake Artemesia Natural Area at its southwest corner, where it travels under Washington Metro railroad tracks and enters a wooded area in Paint Branch Stream Valley Park. A direct connection to the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail can be found here.
After crossing busy US-1/Baltimore Ave (the route briefly splits and has two options, so trail users can travel under the road or cross it), the trail curves north and continues past the eastern edge of the main campus of the University of Maryland. Soon the trail reenters a heavily-wooded landscape, passes under University Boulevard/State Route 193 and skirts the edge of the Paint Branch Golf Course. Continuing north to Cherry Hill Road Community Park where the trail connects to the Little Paint Branch Trail, which continues under the Beltway and north to Little Paint Branch Park.
Connections
The trail is a part of the larger Anacostia Tributary Trail System, which provides miles of off-road paved paths along the various branches of the Anacostia River.
At its northern end on Cherry Hill Road, the trail connects to the Little Paint Branch Trail.
At its southern end, the trail connects to the Indian Creek Trail, Lake Artemesia Trail, and Northeast Branch Trail. Heading west from the lake, the trail connects to the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail in Paint Branch Stream Valley Park.
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