Mondays April 6- Oct. 26 8:30am-10:30am & Thursdays April 9 - Oct. 29 8:30am-10:30am Ages 18+. Do you enjoy gardening, but don’t have the space or a deer-proof fence? Join like-minded green thumbs (and beginner brown thumbs) to grow your own vegetables, herbs and flowers and tend to our shared garden plots. We’ll provide the
Tuesdays, September 15 to October 20 at 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM Polliwogs! - Ages 2 to 5, with an Adult. Discovering nature is a lifelong journey. In this class, you and your little one will explore the natural world through hands-on activities, nature play, stories and crafts. Non-mobile siblings only, parent/guardian must be an
Wednesdays, September 2 to November 25 at 9:30 to 10:30 AM Autumn Senior Stroll – Ages 55+. Walking in nature provides benefits to both the mind and body. Enjoy a relaxing stroll with one of our Naturalists along some of Cromwell Valley’s less strenuous trails. Meet at Sherwood House. FREE! REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Wednesdays, September 16 to October 21 at 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM Polliwogs! - Ages 2 to 5, with an Adult. Discovering nature is a lifelong journey. In this class, you and your little one will explore the natural world through hands-on activities, nature play, stories and crafts. Non-mobile siblings only, parent/guardian must be an
Friday, September 18 at 10:00am-11:00am Trails with Tots 5+ w/Adult - Join the naturalists this fall on the 1st and 3rd Friday, September-November, from 10:00am-11:00am, and enjoy the benefits of being active outdoors with your little ones! FREE! REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Sat, Sept. 19, 9am-11am Drop in Gardening! – Ages 13+, with an Adult. Join us for a morning in the garden. We provide direction, gloves, tools, and water. You bring a hat, sunscreen and a little energy. Drop-in program. FREE!
Saturday, September 19 at 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM Farmer Kids: From Garden to Table – Ages 5-12 with an adult. Monthly gardening series where kids plant, harvest, cook, and eat! At each session, we’ll learn what can be planted at that time of year and the proper way to plant it. Then we’ll harvest
Sunday, September 20 at 10:00 to 11:00am Trail Runners – Ages 16+. Want to get active with a group of like-minded people? Join a naturalist on a leisurely 1.5 mile run through the park. We’ll start and end the run with some group stretches! FREE! REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Volunteer Training (New and Returning) Wednesday, September 23 to Friday, September 25 at 10:00 AM-2:00 PM Ages 18+. Join us for volunteer training! Participants will meet at a different park sites and learn about a variety of natural, historical and interpretive topics and discover the ways to volunteer at the site from the BCRP Park
Friday, September 25 at 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM The Full Corn Moon Hike – Ages 8+. Learn how Indigenous people propagated the corn plant to what it is today. Find out why they call it one of the “Three Sisters”. Join us for a campfire corn boil, popcorn over an open flame, and corn
Saturday, September 26 at 1:00 PM-3:00 PM Autumn Leaf Lab – Ages 10+. Explore the park to collect and compare leaves while learning how to identify trees by their shape, margins, and veins. We’ll also talk about why leaves change color in the fall. Participants will create a simple leaf journal page or rubbing to
Sunday, September 27 at 10:00 AM-1:00 PM Let's Hawk Watch – Ages 14+. Train to become a Hawk Watch volunteer! Be involved in participatory science and learn how to identify raptors in flight. Witness the joy of viewing hundreds (if not thousands) of Broad-winged Hawks along with eagles, hawks, falcons and vultures, as they migrate
Friday, October 2 at 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM Trails with Tots – Ages 5+ with an adult. Join the naturalists this fall on the 1st and 3rd Friday, September-November, from 10:00am-11:00am, and enjoy the benefits of being active outdoors with your little ones! FREE! REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Saturday, October 3 at 1:00PM- 3:00PM Primitive Technology: Bull Roarers – Ages 18+. Join us in the Primitive Technology Lab to create a sounding device used by indigenous peoples around the world to commune with and invoke the spirits. Please bring a sturdy carving knife; NO serrated blades! $6.00/person REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Sunday, October 4 at 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM A Murder of Crows and an Unkindness of Ravens – Ages 14+. Why are these curious, social, caring and intelligent birds often linked to the afterlife? Join a naturalist as we walk and share some stories, poems and symbolism associated with these birds. $3.00/person REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Monday, October 5 at 8:00 AM-10:00 AM First Monday Bird Walks – Ages 14+. This spring join a Park Naturalist on Monday for an early morning bird walk. Bring binoculars if you have them, and please dress for the weather with wearing sturdy shoes. We will be meeting at the “CVP Bird Hikes Meet Here
Saturday, October 10 at 10:00 AM-4:00 PM The Fall Harvest Festival Featuring Arts in the Park – All Ages (minors must be accompanied by adult). Baltimore County Dept. of Recreation and Parks is partnering with the Cromwell Valley Park Council and Towson Arts Collective to bring you an outdoor celebration of migrating raptors, live birds
Sunday, October 11 at 9:00 AM-11:00 AM The Less-Walked Path—Ages 8+. Learn to navigate Cromwell Valley Park through its lesser-known interconnected back trails! $3.00/person REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Join us for some guided hiking in Cromwell Valley Park. This advanced level hike will take us around the entire park, including the meadows, pine grove, river bank and the hills of the CVP outback. Refreshments will be served afterwards. Meeting place: We’ll begin from the Sherwood side. Cromwell Valley Park has two entrances. Please
Cromwell Valley Park Office
(Sherwood House)
2002 Cromwell Bridge Rd
Parkville, MD 21234
GPS: 39.415, -76.552
Phone: 410-887-2503
TDD: 410-887-5319
Willow Grove Nature Education Center
2175 Cromwell Bridge Rd
Parkville, MD 21234
GPS: 39.417, -76.548
Please remember that the Park itself is open only during daylight hours, sunrise to sunset.
In case of inclement weather, the Nature Center and activities follow Baltimore County Pubic Schools. Check the BCPS Website for the latest information on closing. If closing early, all evening activities at the Park are cancelled.
On Saturdays and Sundays when the office is closed, you may call the Nature Education Center.
Note: The addresses (2002 and 2175) are really for Post Office use. If used on a GPS, they may take you to a strange place in the park, or leave you on the main road. Use the GPS coordinates instead.
The Cromwell Valley Park Council (CVPC) is a volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to the stewardship of Cromwell Valley Park as a public space for passive recreation and School Programs. The CVPC works in cooperation with the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks and other entities to maintain, preserve and protect the natural environment and historic structures in the Park.
The Cromwell Valley Park Council is not an official site for Baltimore County Government.