ReckonTrails Open the map

Maryland trails · Northern Peaks Trail

Northern Peaks Trail

A 3.2-mile out-and-back in Maryland, with 314 ft of climbing. Reaches White Rocks.

Open in the interactive map →

Length
3.2 mi
Elevation gain
314 ft
Difficulty
Moderate
Max grade
22%
Steepest mile
+314 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
1.3 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Surface
Dirt
Bikes
no
Horses
no

Elevation profile

512 – 1,019 ft123

The climbing leans toward the first third: 54% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 1.1. It gives back about 528 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Northern Peaks Trail

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Heads up

Terrain graded T2 (SAC scale).

Getting there

Northern Peaks Trail junction. About 27 min drive (16 mi) from Frederick. 39.28282, -77.39832 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:51 a.m., the sun rises at 7:18 a.m. and sets at 6:32 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:59 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 14 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 6.5-mile round trip takes roughly 2 h 43 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 10:01 a.m. — 8 h 31 min before sunset.

Loop options

Nearby trails