While I wasn't excited to move to Maryland when we made the jump in 2014, I've since come to love a number of aspects of living here. One of those things is a growing appreciation for the beauty of this part of the country. Minnesota can be charming near its scenic and ever present lakes, or the Mississippi/Minnesota/St. Croix rivers, but mostly it's boring flat farm country. Maryland on the other hand has constantly rolling hills and mountains through the inland part of the state (north and west of DC) and a ton of water too (the Pacific Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac/Susquehanna rivers). We like hiking to enjoy the outdoors in and immediately around Frederick county and that's the focus with this post.
Catoctin Mountain, a long ridge running through Maryland and Virginia, provides many of the best spots to check out. It's on the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, part of the greater Appalachian range stretching the entire east coast. Along this ridge are a number of public areas including the federal Catoctin Mountain Park, Cunningham Falls state park and Gambrill state park. There's actually a 26+ mile trail that connects all three, something too ambitious for us.
Catoctin Mountain Park is north of Frederick, near the border with Pennsylvania. Operated by the National Park Service, it has the longest (near 5 mile) and toughest loop we've done around here. Following the yellow blaze on the map above, you can see Cunningham Falls before a challenging uphill jaunt to the ridge-top with some great views. It's then lengthy downslope back to the visitors center. Though the parking lot is small, there's plenty of space on the road just outside if needed. This park is home to Camp David, the Presidential retreat, a location unsurprisingly not shown on park maps. A large section of the park can be closed to the public on short notice if POTUS decides to visit.
Cunningham Falls State Park is adjacent to Catoctin Mountain Park, just to the south. Named for the falls at its north end, there are some short hikes here (in addition to the big Catoctin Trail) but it's more about camping and recreation. We checked it out for the first time a week ago doing the short half mile stroll to the falls, a perfect length for our son.
Gambrill State Park is closer to Frederick proper, and is a smaller and less popular park than the others. Again a mix of camping and hiking, we've only done the short red marked trail near the base, which is an easy trip through the woods without any real views. What I like about Gambrill is the overlook just up the mountain road, sporting tremendous sights of the valley west of the ridge. We should go back and explore further.
Catoctin isn't the only option in the county for interesting treks. South of Frederick, almost in Montgomery county, is Sugarloaf Mountain. Privately owned, they close the gate when it gets busy on weekends and there's rarely anywhere to park at the bottom. Our last two weekend visit attempts have been frustrating busts, though this isn't a problem during the week. What I like about Sugarloaf are the parking lots partially up the mountain, leaving only a short traverse to the peak. We've also done the White Trail in the past.
Even though it's barely outside Frederick county I'm including Maryland Heights, my favorite hike in the area. Harper's Ferry, an important site prior to and during the Civil War, is located at the juncture of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers and three states: Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. The historic town rests on a narrow chuck of land jutting into the rivers and the heights is a tall cliff that towers over it. By parking either in town, more National Park Service land, or in a tiny lot at the trailhead, you can climb up and gaze down on the sights below. It's a spectacular spot and a good workout due to elevation gain but it's not all that far in distance (~3mi round trip) if you stick to the Overlook Cliff Trail.
These places are all within 30 minutes or so of our house. That's an absolute perk of living where we do.
Before I go, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the Appalachian Trail, which runs through Harpers Ferry and along the border of Washington and Frederick counties (South Mountain) in Maryland. We haven't done any of it ourselves but you obviously don't need to do the entire 2200 mile journey to travel some of the trail. According to the Maryland DNR, a couple nearby access points include Gathland State Park near Burkittsville and an Appalachian Trail parking lot along Route 40 for those more adventurous than we.
And now I can say, for today, adieu.
Comments