Maryland trails · Stone Fort Trail (Blue Blaze)
Stone Fort Trail (Blue Blaze)
A 4.7-mile loop in Maryland, with 659 ft of climbing. Reaches Maryland Heights and other summit/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 59% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 1.6. It gives back about 1,113 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Maryland Heights (summit)
- Stone Fort (viewpoint)
Getting there
Towpath, Milepost 60-61 (060.00) access. About 32 min drive (21 mi) from Frederick. 39.32833, -77.73043 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:52 a.m., the sun rises at 7:19 a.m. and sets at 6:33 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:00 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 14 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 4.7-mile route takes roughly 2 h 03 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 9:22 a.m. — 9 h 11 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Stone Fort Trail (Blue Blaze) — 6.3 mi loop, 1,325 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Green Ash — 15.6 mi
- Big Red — 15.9 mi
- Yellow Poplar — 16.0 mi
- Northern Peaks Trail — 18.0 mi