Maryland Heights overlooks the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers at the spot where West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia’s borders meet. Harpers Ferry, a small town that played a big role in American history, lies where the rivers join. Much of the area is part of a national historical park, but the town is also home to shops and restaurants. The trail originates in West Virginia, with all but a small section in neighboring Maryland.
Maps are available for the multiple trails traversing Maryland Heights online and at the National Park Service visitor center in Harpers Ferry. Combined, the trails are 6.5 miles long, and are strenuous and steep in places. Plan on taking up to four hours to make the round trip. The hike is popular, so expect crowds when the weather is nice or the leaves are changing colors. Bring water, as there is no potable water supply on Maryland Heights, and there are no restrooms. There are two small parking lots near the combined trailhead.
Access the Maryland Heights trailheads by walking across the railroad bridge from Harpers Ferry and turning left on the C&O Canal towpath. After about a third of a mile, a footbridge crosses the canal, and the green-blazed combined trailhead is across Harpers Ferry Road. The red-blazed Overlook Cliff Trail, the shorter hike, winds up the bluffs overlooking the Potomac River to an observation point with views of the rivers and Harpers Ferry. The blue-blazed Stone Fort Trail intersects with the Overlook Cliff Trail and loops back to the trail after circling a Civil War era fort.
Interpretive waysides along the trails help hikers understand the area’s importance before and during the Civil War. Union forces took advantage of the ridge’s elevation to build forts and batteries for the defense of Harpers Ferry. Earthworks protected cannons that could fire projectiles into the town or the surrounding heights. Part of the trail follows a military road used for hauling supplies. The remains of a camp attest to the presence of soldiers. An early 19th century charcoal hearth was used to turn wood into charcoal, and locks on the C&O Canal demonstrate how boats were lifted and lowered.
Part of the trail is shared with the Appalachian Trail. The hike also intersects with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath and the Elk Ridge Trail, making it easy to plan a much longer walk. The generally well-maintained and easy to hike C&O Canal towpath stretches 184 miles from Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, Maryland. Harpers Ferry is about 80 miles south of the midpoint of the Appalachian Trail, a 2,185-mile hike from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin in Maine. Maps show the Elk Ridge Trail connecting with the Stone Fort Trail, but the trail is not maintained and crosses private property and so should be avoided.
