Activity
Trail running
Higher effort, higher heart rate — runners are more temp-sensitive than hikers and won't run in thunder. Slippery mud is a fall risk.
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Comfort range
- Ideal temp
- 42–65°F
- Comfort temp
- 28–78°F
- Mud sensitivity
- High — wet trails penalize hard
- Wind sensitivity
- Standard
Ranked today
Hawksbill Summit Loop
The tallest peak in Shenandoah (4,051 ft) reached by a short moderate loop. Rocky summit with a viewing platform and a long view of the Massanutten range.
Maryland Heights Overlook
The postcard view of Harpers Ferry from the MD bluff above the Potomac-Shenandoah confluence. Steep, rocky, and crowded on weekends. Trailhead parking is on Sandy Hook Rd shoulder — free, no NPS entrance fee on this side.
Loudoun Heights Loop
The quieter alternative to Maryland Heights — a loop combining the AT with blue-blazed spur trails. Views look south and east toward the Shenandoah and the town of Harpers Ferry rather than the dramatic confluence shot.
C&O Towpath — Great Falls section
Flat crushed-stone towpath along the Potomac. The iconic mid-Atlantic long-run / long-walk / dog-walk trail. Shaded and runnable in any weather. From Great Falls Tavern there is a $20/vehicle entrance fee; access from Old Anglers Inn or Carderock is free.
Wolf Rock & Chimney Rock Loop
The classic Catoctin Mountain Park loop from the visitor center to two quartzite outcrops — Wolf Rock and Chimney Rock. Extending to Thurmont Vista and Blue Ridge Summit makes this a 7.5-mile four-vista day. No fee at NPS Catoctin.
Cascade Falls
Patapsco Valley's marquee short hike — a steady climb alongside a stream to a small but photogenic waterfall. Park at the Hilton Area lot off South Street in Catonsville (the gated developed area on the south side of the river).
Avalon Area MTB Network
The Avalon/Orange Grove singletrack network — Patapsco's best public-land MTB. Loops from 5 to 15+ miles; the Avalon Super Loop is the named ride locals use. Built and maintained by MORE (Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts). The adjacent Rockburn Branch SP, on the Howard County side, has its own connecting MTB trails.
Patapsco Valley — Daniels Area
Upstream gorge of the Patapsco with ruins of the old Daniels mill town. Standard riverside loop to the dam ruins; longer ridgetop connectors add a powerline-cut climb if you want a 4–5 mile day. Quieter than the Avalon area; bike-legal on designated trails only (yield to anglers along the river).
Gunpowder South — Masemore to Falls Road
Out-and-back along the Gunpowder South Trail from Masemore Road to Falls Road — the classic Hereford-area river run. Shaded, rolling, and heavily used by fly anglers (catch-and-return waters); yield on the trail.
Sweet Air Loop
Sweathouse Branch loop in the Sweet Air section of Gunpowder Falls SP — quiet rolling forest, stream crossings, multi-use. The Hereford section's calmer counterpart and one of Baltimore County's most accessible trail-running loops.
Valley Trail (Rock Creek)
The stream-side trail of Rock Creek — shaded, rooty, and runnable. Runs ~5.6 miles one-way from Boundary Bridge in the north down past Pierce Mill toward the National Zoo. Pair with Western Ridge Trail and connectors for an ~11 mile loop.
Western Ridge Trail
Ridge-top counterpart to the Valley Trail. Loop the two via connectors for an ~11 mile DC trail run.
Difficult Run
Stream trail descending from Georgetown Pike (Rt 193) down to the Potomac at Mather Gorge. Less crowded than the main Great Falls overlooks. The Difficult Run trailhead lot on Georgetown Pike is outside the Great Falls Park fee zone — free to access.
Pyrite Mine Loop
Loop through mature Piedmont forest to the ruins of the Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine — concrete foundations, an interpretive sign, and quiet woods. Good rainy-day pick when the river-trail crowds chase shelter.
AT: Washington Monument → Pine Knob
Section of the AT north from Washington Monument SP across the I-70 footbridge to Pine Knob Shelter. Classic rocky Maryland ridgewalk along South Mountain. Washington Monument SP charges a seasonal day-use fee; the AT pull-off on Monument Rd is free.
AT: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Out-and-back from Wolfsville Road to the Ensign Cowall Memorial Shelter. Rocky ridge with views off the west side during leaf-off. One of the quietest sections of the MD AT.
Sugarloaf Mountain Loop
The orange-blazed Mountain Loop Trail — Sugarloaf's standard outer loop hitting East View, the summit, and West View overlooks. The longer Northern Peaks Trail (~5.5 mi, 1,100 ft) extends north to White Rocks. Free access; donations encouraged. Stronghold trust.
Possum Hill Loop
Rolling Piedmont forest loop in the Possum Hill tract — one of White Clay Creek's named multi-use sub-areas, with designated MTB trails and shared hike/run loops.
Twin Valley Trail
Singletrack loop through hardwood ridge-and-stream terrain in the Carpenter Recreation Area of White Clay Creek SP. The Mason-Dixon Trail crosses the park as a longer through-hike option (extends north into PA).
GAP Trail — Cumberland Terminus
Mile zero of the Great Allegheny Passage at Cumberland's Canal Place. Crushed-limestone rail-trail heading west toward Frostburg — gently graded uphill the whole way (the GAP climbs ~1,270 ft from Cumberland to Frostburg, capped at the railroad's 1.75% grade). The C&O Canal towpath ends here too — Cumberland is the GAP/C&O junction.
C&O Canal — Spring Gap to Cumberland
The final 11.5 miles of the C&O Canal towpath into Cumberland — Spring Gap (MP 173) to the western terminus at Canal Place (MP 184.5). Flat, shaded, riverside. Far quieter than the DC-end sections; you'll often have a mile of towpath to yourself.
Evitt's Homesite Trail
Rocky Gap's real climb. Switchbacks up the south flank of Evitts Mountain — about 1,000 ft of gain in 2.5 miles — to the homesite of Evitt, the colonial recluse the mountain is named for. Wooded summit; quieter than the lake loops by a mile of vertical.
Lakeside Loop Trail
The DNR-named Lakeside Loop encircles 243-acre Lake Habeeb through hardwood forest with regular water views. Popular near the beach end; the trail crowd thins after the first half-mile.
Lonacona Loop Trail
The 4.5-mile red-blazed singletrack loop opened at Dans Mountain SP in 2023 — a natural-surface multi-use trail designed for both mountain bikers and hikers. The shorter Dye School Trail (~1 mi, white blazes) connects the fishing pond to the historic Dye School foundation if you want to tack on more miles.
Quantico Cascades
Out-and-back to a small rock cascade on the North Fork Quantico Creek — modest, more riffle than waterfall. The longest and most remote-feeling trail in Prince William Forest.
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