Prince George's County's Paint Branch Trail (not to be confused with Montgomery County's Paint Branch Trail farther north) runs for 3.5 miles between Lake Artemesia and Cherry Hill Neighborhood Park in the Washington, DC, suburb of College Park. 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.
The Paint Branch Trail begins in the south at scenic Lake Artemesia, where you can connect directly with the Indian Creek Trail, Lake Artemesia Trail, and Northeast Branch Trail. 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. A direct connection to the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail can be found here.
After crossing busy US 1 (trail users must travel south along the sidewalk for a short distance before rejoining the off-road route), the trail 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. The final section of the trail extends north to Cherry Hill Neighborhood Park.
A proposed extension of the Paint Branch Trail under Interstate 495 north to Beltsville's Community Center on Sellman Road has entered the design phase; when complete, the Paint Branch Trail will connect directly with the existing Little Paint Branch Trail in Beltsville, creating a continuous 10-mile trail.
Please use this form to notify us of any changes or updates that we need to make to the trail information on TrailLink for this trail. RTC staff will review your submission and contact you if there is any need for further clarification.
