The trail runs 11.7 miles from Lanham within
Prince George's County to Odenton Road in Odenton, within
Anne Arundel County and over the Patuxent River on a bridge built in 2025.
Lanham to MD 193 The trail begins next to
MD 450 near
Lanham, just to the north of that route's intersection with
MD 704. Closely paralleled by a
BG&E 33kV distribution line, the trail runs due northeast, crossing the
Folly Branch, before encountering a major BG&E electrical substation. Here, the 33kV line enters the substation and is replaced by a much larger BG&E transmission line; the line runs parallel to the trail all the way to
Bowie. Past the substation, the trail shares the WB&A's right-of-way with the power line and a local street, named Railroad Avenue. Just past Walnut Ave., the road is also known as Electric Avenue. At milepost 1, the trail passes to the north of the
Glenn Dale Hospital, a defunct hospital now closed and scheduled for demolition. Near the hospital site, the trail is served by ample parking near its crossing of
MD 953 Glenn Dale Road, the original route of
MD 193. Beyond the crossing (at which trail users must stop before crossing), the trail diverts away from the WB&A alignment to run along Old Pond Drive; after running parallel for a short distance, the trail turns to the north for a very short distance before rejoining the WB&A alignment. Both trail and road share the alignment for a short distance before the latter meets Bell Station Road at a T-junction; beyond here, the trail runs alone through a suburban neighborhood, crossing beneath the dual carriageway of MD 193 via a short tunnel.
MD 193 to Bowie Past MD 193, the trail runs through various suburban neighborhoods, screened by undeveloped land. At milepost 2, the trail crosses the
Horsepen Branch near its headwaters. Near milepost 2.5, the trail crosses Hillmeade Road via a truss bridge; access to the road is via Daisy Lane. Beyond Hillmeade Road, the trail right-of-way is abutted by suburban development, with the BG&E power line a constant companion. Continuing northeast, the trail meets a pair of driveways just to the north of milepost 3 before once sharing the right-of-way with a local street, Mockingbird Lane. Beyond the start of the street, the trail quickly crosses several neighborhood streets on the level at milepost 3.5 before flying over High Bridge Road and a
CSX railway line via a pair of truss bridges. Beyond the second truss bridge, the trail runs past the back of a number of houses before serving as a driveway once again. Near the point where the first driveway merges with the trail (close to milepost 4), the BG&E transmission line quickly descends to ground level and turns due north, following two more transmission lines north to BG&E's Jericho Park substation. Just beyond the transmission line cut, another BG&E 33kV distribution line appears; this one is partially out-of-use and parallels the trail all the way to
Odenton. The trail itself passes to the northwest of the
Bowie Golf and Country Club before meeting several other driveways and Normal School Road, a former alignment of
MD 197; interspersed with these junctions are two more crossings of the Horsepen Branch. Eventually, the trail itself crosses MD 197 via yet another truss bridge, the longest bridge on the entire trail. Access to the trail from MD 197 is provided via a driveway; after crossing the bridge, the trail meets it immediately beyond the driveway's intersection with MD 197, and a STOP sign is posted for the protection of trail users. The trail and the driveway run east-northeast, passing just to the south of a local shooting range; the driveway ends at the gates of the range, while the trail continues onward. Protected by a low sound barrier, this portion of the trail is again screened from nearby neighborhoods by undeveloped land. Near milepost 5.5, the trail crosses the Horsepen Branch again before passing beneath Race Track Road at milepost 5.5 via another tunnel, similar in design to the tunnel under MD 193. Beyond here, the trail curves upward and terminates at another parking lot.
Bowie to the Patuxent River At the far end of the parking lot, a gate protects an access road to the Horsepen water pumping station; a gap in the gate permits access for
WSSC, BG&E and
M-NCPPC purposes; the latter covers users of the WB&A Trail. At the far end of the access road, the trail resumes, turning north and then northeast again before detouring from the ROW along the Patuxent River on what was once called "the WB&A Spur Trail"; the trail passes through
Patuxent River Park and the
Fran Uhler Natural Area before crossing the river on a bridge. From Horsepen, the old main trail continues northeast for an eighth of a mile, crossing a tributary of the Horsepen Branch just west of its junction with the Patuxent, before terminating at a turnaround near the Prince George's County bank of the
Patuxent River. At the site of the turnaround, the former abutments and supports of the WB&A's railway bridge can be seen, and on the far side of the river (on the Anne Arundel County side), the WB&A railroad's formation can be seen continuing northeast alongside the BG&E distribution line. A wooden sign, facing to the north, can also be seen from the turnaround near the riverbank.
Patuxent River to Bragers Road The trail resumes on the Anne Arundel County side of the Patuxent River. The trail follow a longer winding path through the Two River Open Space. The trail climbs a steep hill from the banks of the Patuxent River before crossing Conway Road. It then turns east and parallels Conway Road as it passes through The Villages at Two Rivers before turning again north again and rejoining the old WB&A Railroad right-of-way on Bragers Road.
Bragers Road to Piney Orchard The trail continues northeast on Bragers Road, a local street serving houses alongside the northern side of the trail. Other than the houses, this portion of the trail passes through undeveloped land, consisting mainly of forest and wetlands. The trail and the roadway share the right-of-way all the way to Patuxent Road, where the roadway ends. Continuing across Patuxent Road (where trail users must also give way to road users), the trail continues through more wetlands and forest before crossing the
Little Patuxent River via a newly constructed truss bridge. Past this truss bridge, the trail runs to the south of the Piney Orchard Nature Preserve before crossing another watercourse via another truss bridge. Beyond the second bridge, the trail meets a side trail that enters the preserve and eventually enters
Piney Orchard proper at its crossing of Strawberry Lake Way.
Piney Orchard to Odenton Beyond Strawberry Lake Way, the BG&E 33kV distribution line is in active use again; several transformers can be seen to the side of the trail, next to an artificial drainage pond. Past the pond, the trail runs through the heart of Piney Orchard, although it continues to be screened by a buffer of undeveloped land. The trail meets several side trails, providing access to the individual neighborhoods of Piney Orchard and Chapel Grove, before reaching another grade crossing at Waugh Chapel Road. Here, there is no direct crossing of the roadway, and trail users must turn south and use the sidewalk next to the road before crossing over and backtracking to the trail. Beyond Waugh Chapel Road, the trail enters Odenton and passes beneath Old Waugh Chapel Road via a third tunnel before continuing through more suburban neighborhoods. More side trails are encountered as the trail runs north-northeast, crossing June Drive on the level. Beyond June Drive, the trail soon meets Piney Orchard Parkway and runs alongside it before terminating at Odenton Road, near its intersection with Piney Orchard Parkway. At the terminus, trail users can either continue north along a sidewalk or turn east and follow a Shared Use Path / Multi-User Path along Odenton Road to its terminus with
MD 175. The trail will ultimately connect with the
South Shore Trail at its terminus in Odenton. Recently, new signage advertising a bike route to
Odenton station on the
Northeast Corridor has appeared at the northern terminus. ==History==