Maryland State Exercise - Walking

The health benefits of walking or hiking include improved cardiovascular fitness, reduced risk of developing high blood pressure, and prevention of heart attacks, colon and breast cancer, and osteoporosis. Physical activity also elevates mood and reduces anxiety. The U.S. Surgeon General recommends that all Americans walk at least 30 minutes per day, five days a week.

Walker with seven dogs, Patterson Park, Baltimore, Maryland, March 2019. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.



Walkers at Carroll Creek Park, Frederick, Maryland, August 2018. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.



Many Marylanders belong to clubs which sponsor walking events throughout the year. The Maryland Volkssport Association, for example, conducts events which are noncompetitive and family-friendly.

People strolling at Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland, October 2008. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.



The successor to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Walk is the annual Across the Bay 10K, which started in November 2014. The sixth largest 10K in the United States, it next will be held in November 2019.