Blue Ridge Center, VA and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, WV

ABOUT THE PARKS:
Blue Ridge Center (trails are closed at times during hunting season - check the calendar on their web site to see if any hunting is taking place)
Loudoun Heights Hike - National Park Service
Harpers Ferry - National Park Service

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 39.293730, -77.725144

I parked at the first parking area not knowing ...

...  there is parking a little farther along the gravel road right at the trailhead.

TRAIL MAPS:
Blue Ridge Center Trail Map - Blue Ridge Center

Loudoun Heights Trail Map from npmaps.com

Note about the Loudoun Heights map:  The blue trail from the orange trail to the Appalachian Trail was blocked off with branches.  At this time it does still exist and is passable and blazed.  There were no signs stating the trail is closed.

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HIKE DISTANCE: 13.5 miles

THE HIKE:
I was looking for a back way into Harpers Ferry to avoid crowds, traffic and parking issues and I found it through the Blue Ridge Center.

Continuing on the gravel road from where I parked, past the second parking are to...

... the trailhead on the right.

We signed the register and left a donation in lieu of paying the $15 parking fee in Harpers Ferry.

Passing Wortman Pond on the left.

We took the red-blazed Farmstead Loop to the right.

At the intersection we had to turn around to read the sign ...

... so from facing the sign, left to Mountain View Vista (coming off the Farmstead Loop that would have been a right.)

A short white-blazed trail leads to ...

Mountain View Vista

Continuing on the red-blazed Farmstead Trail to a right on the blue-blazed Piney Run Spur.

Piney Run was almost completely dry.

On the Little Turtle Trail ...

... then the pink-blazed Arnold Trail.

Then the orange-blazed Wood Thrush Trail.

The Wood Thrush Trail leads to Butterfly Alley in the power cut.

Here we turned right ...

... up the power cut, leaving Blue Ridge Center property to the Appalachian Trail at the top.

There is always a gravel path sometimes open ...

... sometimes covered by small pine tree branches which are soft and easy enough to get through.  This day it was 70 degrees, low humidity and breezy.  I would not recommend the uphill slog through the power cut on a hotter or more humid day in full sunlight.

At the top and right on the Appalachian Trail.

Back in the shade.

We encountered a small blow down ...

... and did a little trail  maintenance.

Sometimes the trail is very rocky ...

... other times pretty smooth.

Leaving Virginia and entering West Virginia.

A short distance later, into Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.

The trail seems to remain more smooth now after being mostly rocky up to this point.

At this sign where the AT turns left, we turned right on orange.

Orange ends and we turned left on blue.  Blue should go right also, which I wanted as our return route.  But it was blocked by branches.  Since there was no trail closed sign, I decided we would give it a shot on our way back.

For now, up and onward on blue.

Looking at Maryland Heights in Maryland.

Blue descends to ...

The Loudoun Heights Overlook where the Shenandoah River comes in from the left and the Potomac River on the right.

Zoom in to Harpers Ferry.

We had passed several people coming back from the overlook on our way out but surprisingly we had the whole place to ourselves.

Retracing on the blue trail.

Here is where the orange trail starts to the right and the blue trail goes straight but is blocked by branches.

Others had apparently breached the branches off to the side so we went on through.

Totally confused as to why this trail would be blocked off since it's still a clear, blazed trail and a much easier route back to the AT.

The blue trail runs into the AT but this was not the AT we had been on previously.  Upon consulting the Gaia app, I could see where this was an old route of the AT and we had been on the newer reroute running parallel.

A 10 step bushwhack to the right brought us to the reroute of the AT where we had been previously.  The old AT was becoming very rocky so it was better over on the new side.

Now retracing on the AT.

Back at the power cut.

Heading down with some power cut views ahead of us.

We passed by the  Wood Thrush Trail where we had come out from earlier and kept straight through Butterfly Alley.

Pretending to be a butterfly.

We turned left on the purple-blazed Sweet Run Loop at the second bridge.

A little bit of water in Sweet Run.

A right on the pink-blazed Arnold Trail.

Crossing to the other side of the gate and looking back ...

... to the trail signs on the left ...

... and conflicting signs on the right.

Continuing on what is now the pink-blazed Arnold Lane.

A left on the white-blazed Old Bridge Trail heading towards HQ.

Right on the red-blazed Farmstead Loop.

Goats grazing in the distance.

At the trailhead ...

... and left on the gravel road uphill to where we parked.

It was a 1 hour drive to the motel in Winchester, VA.  We always stay at Motel 6 because they always allow dogs and there is never an extra charge.

Adult beverage time for me ...

... and bedtime for Brodie, although I was not far behind.

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