Harpers Ferry West Virginia and Maryland Appalachian Trail Section Hike

West Virginia has only four miles on the Appalachian Trail and Maryland is some of the flattest miles on the entire AT, but that doesn’t mean they should be skipped! In 2023 we section hiked 1,225 miles of the Appalachian Trail, the longest footpath in the world, and spent 13 weeks day hiking, working, and van camping on the Appalachian Trail as we moved up the trail slowly from Georgia to Maine. In this series we cover each section we hiked and in this article we cover the area of the AT from Harpers Ferry West Virginia through the state of Maryland.

IF HEADING NOBO (NORTHBOUND) ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL THE VIRGINIA/WEST VIRGINIA STATE LINE IS MARKED AS MILE 1008.7 OF THE 2023 AT DISTANCE AND THE MARYLAND/PENNSYLVANIA STATE LINE IS AT MILE 1067.3. THIS 58.6 MILE STRETCH IS WHAT WE COVERED IN THREE DAYS AND YOU WILL GAIN 9,500 FEET OF ASCENT AND HAVE 9,400 FEET IN DESCENT.

Harpers Ferry and Maryland Appalachian Trail Section Hike Need to Know’s:

1. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy HQ’s is located in Harpers Ferry and definitely worth a blue blaze stop, whether you are a thru, section, or day hiker!

2. If you are interested in photographing the white blazes of the AT Harpers Ferry has some of the most interesting ones.

3. Maryland’s first miles heading NOBO are amongst the easiest miles of the trail but the state definitely gets more difficult as it goes along.

4. The first Washington Monument is now a state park in Maryland that you hike through.

5. Maryland doesn’t have very many trail town options but the shelters are available and you are close to many different options for lodging in bigger towns/smaller cities that are very close by. We camped at River Riders in West Virginia.

Read our full AT Section Hike Guide on WV/MD here: https://www.hashtag59.com/hashtag-59-...