--- MARYLAND HEIGHTS OVERLOOK CLIFF TRAIL ---

If you are getting in shape to hike the Grand Canyon and want to experience history and one of the best views in Maryland, this is your hike.

The first part is on a military road constructed during the Civil War. The distance is 1.4 miles from the trailhead up to the cliff. (Figure a 2-hour round trip) The picturesque, panoramic view is simply spectacular. You are looking down on the town of Harpers Ferry, where the Shenandoah drains into the Potomac. It is the site of the famous 1859 John Brown Raid, which was a factor in precipitating the Civil War. Trains snake along the shoreline of the Potomac, cross the river, and disappear beneath you. It is like watching model trains.

For Civil War buffs, the view explains the strategic value of the location as the highest ridge above Harpers Ferry and why it was a target for control by both armies. This was the border between two armies. Whoever controlled the Heights, controlled Harpers Ferry. When the Union troops on September 13, 1862 abandoned Maryland Heights, Harpers Ferry fell with the largest surrender of Union troops – 12,500 men. This is the view the Confederate soldiers had when they bombarded the town, and you wonder why the Union troops withdrew.

If time and energy allow, continue to the Stone Fort and the Naval Battery. Experience some of the best preserved Civil War ruins in the country. The earth works, the charcoal hearths, camp grounds, and stone fortifications are strong reminders of our bloodiest war. It is a 6 mile round trip, so figure on 4 hours.

With only limited parking at the Maryland trial head, start in Harpers Ferry. The park entrance is off of US 340. From Harpers Ferry, cross the Potomac over the railroad bridge to the C & O Canal to the first footbridge.

Contact: Harpers Ferry National Historic Park– 304-535-6298, www.nps.gov/hafe