Appalachian Trail #2 (High Rocks to Pen Mar State Park)

The Appalachian Trail crosses the Potomac River on a 600 foot long bridge and enters Maryland on the C&O Canal towpath. The C&O Canal began operations in the early 1930’s and it was used to by horses to pull barges up the river and transport goods from Georgetown in Washington, D.C. to Harpers Ferry (which was at the edge of the frontier at the time).  Weverton Cliffs sit above the C&O towpath and has excellent views down to the Potomac River. A plaque is set in stone on the cliffs for Congressman Goodloe E. Bryan who lived from 1928-1978 and was a great supporter of the A.T.  Crampton Gap and the Gathland State Park are eight miles north of the cliffs, and it was the site of heavy fighting during the Civil War in 1862. Maryland has more Civil War history than any other state on the A.T., and a stone memorial was erected here to honor newspaper correspondents from the war. 

The Appalachian Trail continues past the small town of Boonsboro and onto the Washington Monument State Park which has picnic tables, restrooms, and a public telephone. The park site surrounds the first Washington Monument that was built in 1827 by the people of Boonsboro.  From here, the A.T. crosses Interstate 70 on a small footbridge then ascends a ridge to the Annapolis Rocks, a cliff with excellent views to Greenbrier Lake to the west. High Rock, near Pen Mar State Park, is another site with spectacular views in the area and it is only a short distance from the Maryland and Pennsylvania Border.  This short 2.2 mile section of The Appalachian Trail descends from High Rocks to Pen Mar State Park, only a short distance from the Maryland and Pennsylvania Border. High Rocks has outstanding views to the west, and I caught an excellent sunset from this overlook in 1994. In 1996, I day-hiked this section while on a business trip, and combined a 1.7 mile road route with a 2.2 mile section of the Appalachian Trail. The loop hike took about an hour and a half.