Maryland trails · Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail
Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail
A 140.5-mile section of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail in Maryland, with 1,971 ft of climbing. The full trail runs about 710 miles. Reaches Little Pool and other lake/pass/spring/summit destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 75% of the ascent, between mile 93.7 and mile 140.5.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Little Pool (lake)
- Potomac River Reservoir (lake)
- The Narrows (pass)
- Blue Spring (spring)
- Big Pool (lake)
- Big Blue Spring (spring)
- Ferry Hill (summit)
Heads up
Getting there
Railroad Lift Bridge access — parking nearby. About 11 min drive (7 mi) from Hagerstown. 39.59949, -77.82670 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:53 a.m., the sun rises at 7:20 a.m. and sets at 6:33 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:01 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 14 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 140.5-mile route works out to roughly 53 h 02 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Towpath, Milepost 133-134 (133.00) + Towpath, Milepost 132-133 (132.00) + Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail — 3.9 mi loop, 108 ft gain
- Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail + Towpath, Milepost 108-109 (108.00) + Towpath, Milepost 107-108 (107.00) — 4.0 mi loop, 197 ft gain
- Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail + Towpath, Milepost 174-175 (174.00) — 2.0 mi loop, 40 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Big Red — 11.4 mi
- Tuscarora Trail — 13.8 mi
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 18.9 mi
- Wayne's Trail — 19.0 mi