The Watkins Mill Lake, State Park and Woolen Mill Historical Site are the trifecta of excellence.

Watkins Mill Lake
A 4 mile paved trail around a 100 acre lake. We met families, single hikers on the trail. There are a few hills on the path, but not horribly challenging or steep. Go early as the path gets crowded around 10 and after. The lake as a small but had a nice beach for swimming. Many people fished during the day at the lake. There were also some kayaks on the water as the water is very smooth. We also saw bird watchers and heard many varieties when we were biking around the late.

Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site, a National Historic Landmark
Adjacent to the Watkins Mill State Park is the National Historic Landmark. The museum shows history throughout the years for the surrounding property and people. It has a great collection of artifacts on display. The museum also shows samples of wool in different processes. Take the tour and see the inside of the Watkins house and other areas such as the Mill itself. There are even sheep kept on the premise. The museum has people reenacting washing, cooking, hosting, and playing yard games the day we were there. Lunch smelled pretty good cooking in the summer kitchen!

Camping at Watkins Mill State Park
The campgrounds were well-maintained. The camp host greeted us upon arrival as he drove around on his golf cart rounds. He was friendly and diligent. The grounds had two major bathrooms at either end of the campgrounds. The were older, but clean and very usable. As with most State Parks, bring your own hand soap or sanitizer. The bike ride to there wasn’t bad as the hills weren’t horrible. We biked, walked and drove the car to them as needed. The campground is right next to the lake, within biking distance.

Will we go again? Yes. This time, we’d bring the kayaks and fishing gear.