Sweethouse Branch Wildlands, established in 1995 within Gunpowder Falls State Park, is a state-designated wildlands area that retains its wilderness character and protects 800 acres of pristine watershed along the Big Gunpowder Falls. Such wildlands have unique ecological, geological, or scenic resources and may provide a home for rare plant and animal species. No mechanical vehicles, including bicycles, are permitted. The area provides an ideal environment for small-mouth bass, catfish, eel, carp, and brown trout, and it has abundant wildflowers, including Virginia bluebell, mullein, hepatica, and anemone, plus 14 kinds of fern. Virginia pine dominates the ridge line, with chestnut oak, scarlet oak, black oak, and hickory on the descent into the valley. Tulip, poplar, beech, white and red oak, red and sugar maple, and black walnut thrive in the lower valley, while sycamore, sweet gum, box elder, willow, and alder grow along the river bank.