Friday, October 1, 2021

Appalachian Trail, MD - Gathland State Park to Potomac River and Weverton Cliffs

ABOUT THE PARKS: 
Appalachian Trail in Maryland - Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Gathland State Park - Maryland Department of Natural Resources
South Mountain State Park - Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Appalachian Trail - Maryland Department of Natural Resources
C&O Canal National Historical Park - National Park Service

DIRECTIONS: 
GPS Coordinates 39.40613, -77.63921
One of two parking lots at Gathland State Park.

TRAIL MAPS: 

HIKE DISTANCE: 15.4 miles

THE HIKE: 
In early October 2019 I had done a similar 2-day hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia and Dolly Sods in West Virginia.  I really enjoyed that trip so it was almost a last minute decision to do something similar again.  This year it was a section of Appalachian Trail in Maryland, overnighting in a motel in Winchester, Virginia then North Fork Mountain in West Virginia the second day.
Ruins and historical buildings in Gathland State Park.
From the parking lot the Appalachian Trail crosses Gapland Road ...
... follows the park road a short distance ...
... then turns left just before a second parking lot.
I had read that this is one of the easiest sections of the Appalachian Trail and it is - mostly smooth woods road all along the ridge of South Mountain.
Caveney Wilderness Memorial
There is a wall of rocks along the actual ridge on the left.
Turning left to check out the shelter.  We'd be using that bench for a break on the way back.
It's one of the swankiest shelters I have seen.
Back to the AT heading south.
I had grabbed someone's track off of Gaia where it showed them taking a trail down to a road.  I figured this would be a nice alternative rather than a straight out and back on the AT.
Green is the track I loaded to my phone leaving the AT.
It starts out as a faint path (so it is being used somewhat)
then opens up into a clear woods road that descends fairly gently down the mountain.
At the bottom the gated woods road ends at Weverton Road where we turned left.
There is nothing posted so it looks like this is all park land.
There is a country store just after turning on Weverton Road where you can grab a soda or a beer!
It's not a bad road walk at all and there is some nice scenery.
Oh no!  Well, it did not say the road was closed, just blocked off to traffic so I decided to forge ahead.  I really did not want to turn back the way I came.  I could have also turned right here then left on busy Route 67 but that did not sound very appealing.
For the longest time there was no road work.  Turns out it would be way at the other end of the 1.4 mile road walk.

And there is it.  Would they let us pass?  I spoke to the woman in the truck and she said it was fine, to just keep to the left of the trucks since they were working on the right.
Well, that looked easy enough until we got past this truck.  There was another truck right in front of it closer to the side of the road and a truck to the right that one with no space in between which sent us into sticker bushes.  The men working there were so nice and offered to stop and move a truck so we could get by but I told them that was OK, they didn't need to do that.  It wasn't the first time I had been through sticker bushes and we were almost through it anyway.  I actually made it through without any bloodshed.
Shortly after these ruins we turned right on Weverton Cliffs Road ...
... then left into the park and ride lot which is where people park to get to Weverton Cliffs.  I wanted to scout it out as a potential parking spot for a future hike.
At the far end of the lot several side trails lead right to the Appalachian Trail where we turned right to head down to the Potomac River.
Going under Route 340.
The trail comes out on a road where there is parking along the side - another parking alternative.
The AT crosses railroad tracks and just our luck we had to wait for a train, the LONGEST train ever.  We waiting at least 20 minutes.
Finally able to cross over.
Straight ahead ...
... the AT turns right following the C&O Canal Towpath.  Don't you just love how someone left their trash right under he "Trash Free Park" sign?  I would have packed it out but I still had too far to hike.
C&O Canal Towpath
Just after crossing over Israel Creek ...
... there is an unmarked trail on the left.
It's a well-defined footpath that leads to ...
... nice views of the Potomac River.
I don't know that I have even seen an old growth tree this huge before.
A right on to the C&O Canal Towpath then left to retrace back to the park and drive lot.

At the park and ride lot we stayed on the AT ...
... crossing the road to continue up to Weverton Cliffs.
The trail switchbacks up steeply at times.
At the top, right on the blue-blazed trail to Weverton Cliffs.
At the cliffs, I parked Brodie off to the side and ventured out myself first.  You have to go out on the jagged rocks to get to views.
To the right is Harpers Ferry.
Two eagles were circling.
The Potomac River from Weverton Cliffs.

Another couple was there so I retrieved Brodie and we took pictures for one another.  At first Brodie tried to climb into my lap.
That's more like it.
Leaving Weverton Cliffs on the blue trail ...
... to continue north on the AT.
About a mile or so out from Weverton Cliffs it's actually pretty rocky but smooths out again nearing the point where I had left the AT earlier in the hike.
Retracing on smoother trail all the way back to Gathland State Park.

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