Hot on the Trail!
Is it hot enough for you? Sunny days on the serpentine barrens raise the temperature of the trail well beyond that of the air. Hiking at Soldiers Delight NEA is not recommended during periods of extreme heat. Heat related illness and dehydration can and have occurred. Pets without protected paws risk serious burns requiring evacuation on sensitive, protected ground.
In July, the air temperature might be 100ºF, but the surface of the trail can be far hotter, as you see in this photo of an infrared thermometer showing the surface temperature of our Serpentine Trail at 135ºF. This is because solid serpentine bedrock lies just beneath a shallow surface of soil. Please recreate responsibly in this rare ecosystem and visit on cooler, cloudy days or early in the morning after sunrise. Make certain your pets are kept on a very short leash and that their paws are protected. Be sure you and your pets are well-hydrated at all times!
Fireworks Danger!
There has been an alarming amount of fireworks debris found at the Soldiers Delight Overlook in recent days. We implore you not to set off fireworks anywhere near Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area. Not only do the spent explosives introduce foreign elements to our sensitive habitat, but an uncontrolled wildfire would be devastating to our fragile ecosystem, and terrifying and dangerous for adjacent homeowners. Please, please, no fireworks in or near Soldiers Delight NEA!
Introducing... Chromite Man!
Come see what's new at the Soldiers Delight Visitor Center and take your picture with Chromite Man!
Chromite is Officially Declared Maryland's State Mineral!
June 1, 2025 is a memorable day for Soldiers Delight Conservation, Inc. and also for the Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area that we so valiantly strive to protect and conserve! Chromite, first discovered in Maryland and mined at the Choate chromium mine at Soldiers Delight NEA in the 1800s, becomes the official Maryland state mineral effective TODAY!!
Soldiers Delight Featured on WYPR Episode!
We were so delighted to have Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area featured on WYPR's Fresh Air program May 9, 2025. Please check it out!
Soldiers Delight Conservation's Year-end Wrap-up
Want to know what Soldiers Delight Conservation, Inc. (SDCI) accomplished this year in service of conserving Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area for generations to come and educating the public about this unique and diverse habitat? Here's our year-end wrap-up!
Look What We Found!
Our SDCI webmaster recently discovered this gem of a program featuring our founder, Jean Worthley, as she walks through the Soldiers Delight habitat filming an episode in the summer of 1978 for Maryland Public Television's Outdoors Maryland series. The video has been graciously provided for our use by Maryland Public Television and the University of Maryland's Maryland Public Television records, 0087-MMC, Special Collections and University Archives. Watch the video here, and remember, everything is there for your viewing pleasure, but nothing can ever be picked, harvested or removed from Soldiers Delight.
