Maryland trails · Yellow Poplar
Yellow Poplar
A 5.7-mile out-and-back in Maryland, with 296 ft of climbing. Reaches North Frederick Viewpoint. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the middle third — 55% of the ascent, between mile 1.9 and mile 3.8. It gives back about 564 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- North Frederick Viewpoint (viewpoint)
Getting there
Yellow Poplar access — parking nearby. About 17 min drive (8 mi) from Frederick. 39.47075, -77.49361 · 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 11.5-mile round trip takes roughly 4 h 32 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 11:51 a.m. — 6 h 42 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Green Ash + Catoctin Trail + Yellow Poplar — 3.4 mi loop, 636 ft gain
- Yellow Poplar + Social Trail + Catoctin Trail — 4.8 mi loop, 983 ft gain
- Yellow Poplar + Catoctin Trail + Green Ash — 3.4 mi loop, 642 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Green Ash — 0.6 mi
- Wayne's Trail — 3.9 mi
- Bobs Hill — 8.6 mi
- Big Red — 8.6 mi