Hike Maryland Heights Trails Harpers Ferry WV, Lunch & Winery visit - 10 Miles

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Start Time - 10:30 AM at Harpers Ferry NPS Visitors Center in front of bus stop and bathroom area.

Where to Meet: We'll meet at Rockville Metro Station South Parking Lot, carpool and drive to Harpers Ferry National Historic Park located one mile west of Harpers Ferry on US-340. Ample parking is available and entrance fee includes free shuttle transport to and from the historical part of town. However, crew will hike down to lower town and back but, shuttle bus is an option if we become exhausted.

Parking - Parking is free at metro stops during weekend. Plenty of parking available at Harpers Ferry National Historic Park.

Trail History - The start of this hike is at the visitor center. You may attempt a shorter hike of 7.3 miles by riding the visitor center bus to Harpers Ferry lower town. This hike is strenuous. President Abraham Lincoln backed out from reaching the summit once the trail became steep. Be prepared to hike up steep trails. Other than that, have fun! The Confederate Advance Brigadier General John G. Walker commanded one wing of Jackson's three-pronged advance. Crossing the Potomac River at Noland's Ferry near Point of Rocks, Maryland, Walker advanced across the northern Virginia countryside to the eastern slope of Loudoun Heights. Colonel Miles had neglected to post any men or artillery on these heights, considering them to be well within the range of Federal gunners on nearby Maryland Heights. Walker, facing no Union opposition, moved a battery of artillery up onto Loudoun Heights and, on September 14, exchanged the first artillery fire with Union guns at Harpers Ferry. Major General Lafayette McLaws commanded the second wing of the Confederate advance. McLaws understood the topography around Harpers Ferry well. At 1,448 feet, Maryland Heights was the highest ridge overlooking Harpers Ferry. "So long as Maryland Heights was occupied by the enemy," he wrote, "Harper's Ferry could never be occupied by us. If we gained possession of the heights, the town was no longer tenable to them." McLaws ordered two infantry brigades to advance south along the crest of Elk Ridge – the northern extension of Maryland Heights. On September 13, these Confederates drove 4,600 Union defenders off the mountain despite "a most obstinate and determined resistance." One day later, McLaws opened fire on Harpers Ferry with four guns.

Trail Tips - Make sure to bring a trail map with you. Trail maps are free and located at the Visitor Center. Bring plenty of fluids and snacks. The Maryland Heights Overlook is a great spot to have lunch.

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Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP) is considered one of the best walking parks in America. The views are sublime, the history compelling, the restored town a work of historical art. The variety of trails coupled with nationally significant history and the scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Potomac and Shenandoah river valleys adds up to a unique hiking experience. Harpers Ferry NHP encompasses almost 4,000 acres in West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia, and several units of the national park system intersect here. As the mid-point of the 2,178-mile Appalachian National Scenic Trail (AT), Harpers Ferry is home to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), the headquarters for the AT. Visitors can also walk along the 184.5-mile-long towpath of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park by crossing the footbridge over the Potomac River. The Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail overlays the C&O Canal and continues north all the way to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Harpers Ferry NHP has about 20 miles of hiking trails. The trails vary from easy, riverside strolls to four-mile hikes across Civil War battlefields to eight-mile adventures to the tops of mountains. This web page provides the trail information needed to plan the perfect hike: location, length and intensity (easy, moderate, difficult); highlights (views, wildlife, historical significance); hiking time (based on one mile hiked per 30 minutes).

For a comprehensive guide to the trails in Harpers Ferry NHP, purchase A Walker's Guide to Harpers Ferry by David T. Gilbert from the non-profit Harpers Ferry Historical Association Bookshop online atwww.harpersferryhistory.org (http://www.harpersferryhistory.org/), at the Bookshop in Lower Town, or at the Visitor Center. This book provides site-specific information about all aspects of Harpers Ferry NHP trails and history, along with historic and modern-day photographs.

Harpers Ferry NHP cares for natural and historical resources saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage. Help us keep these resources intact for all generations. Please stay on the trail and off fragile earthworks and historic stone walls. Keep your dogs on leash and clean up after them. Bicycles, vehicles and horses can damage trails and historical resources and so are not allowed on any park trail. Thank you for your cooperation.

Trail Maps

Trails Overview Map from Visitor Center (http://www.nps.gov/hafe/planyourvisit/upload/TrailsOverview-VChere-2011.pdf)

Visitor Center to Lower Town Map (http://www.nps.gov/hafe/planyourvisit/upload/VC-LT2011-2.pdf)
Moderate due to one steep section, 1.6 miles one-way, 45 minutes.
This scenic trail offers an alternative to the shuttle bus to or from the Lower Town area, which is especially useful for dog-walkers. The trail starts at the tree line south of the Visitor Center, at the back of the main parking lot. Hikers travel down a steep ravine with 97 stone steps, passing by intermittent waterfalls. At the base of the ravine, the trail crosses Shoreline Drive: Be careful! Cars and buses use this road. Keep dogs and children off the pavement. The trail parallels the road, passing by healthy wetlands, where hikers may see herons, Wood Ducks, Canada geese, turtles and occasionally a beaver or muskrat. Passing the River Access parking lot, the trail merges with Shenandoah Street, bordering the Hall and Virginius islands trail systems. Hikers will see the ruins of the Shenandoah Pulp Mill and a remnant of the Shenandoah Canal.

Maryland Heights Map (http://www.nps.gov/hafe/planyourvisit/upload/Md-Hts2011-2.pdf)
Difficult (steep and rocky in places), 4.5 or 6.5 miles round trip, 3 to 4 hours. Wayside exhibits. The Maryland Heights Trail offers hikers the opportunity to see many aspects of Harpers Ferry NHP on one walk: spectacular scenery, geology, Civil War and transportation history. From the Information Center in Lower Town turn right to merge with the Appalachian Trail at the dead end of Shenandoah Street. Cross the footbridge over the Potomac River. Turn left (upstream) on the C&O Canal Towpath. The trail stays on the towpath for 0.3 miles, and then crosses a footbridge over the canal bed to Harpers Ferry Road. Be careful! Watch for traffic. Directly across the road is the Maryland Heights trailhead. The first bend on this green-blazed trail offers a nice view of the Potomac. Go straight at the first intersection to a see the 1862 Naval Battery, then return to the green-blazed trail and turn right. At the next two intersections stay straight on the red-blazed Overlook Cliff Trail. About 0.3 miles turn right for a narrow, rocky descent 0.5 miles to the cliffs overlooking Harpers Ferry. Backtrack to the first intersection with the blue-blazed Stone Fort Trail. Hike one mile uphill past Civil War artillery batteries and through boulders to the Civil War Stone Fort. The trail curves out of the Stone Fort past breastworks and descends steeply over one mile back to the green-blazed trail. Turn right and backtrack to the C&O Canal Towpath.

What to Bring: Bottles of water, hiking shoes, trail snacks, and other desired hiking gear depending on personal needs. Take plenty of pictures. Pay attention to weather.

Disclaimer: As usual this is a kid-free zone. All participants assume total risk for their personal and property safety. Robert's textable cell number is 202-578-8390.

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