Back East: Harper's Ferry Hike

We wanted to do a hike on the Appalachian Trail, but then I ended up choosing a loop above Harper's Ferry instead. It was awesome!

Here's a map of the Maryland Heights hike we did. The green trail was very steep but not too long. The blue trail had tons of Civil War relics, and it was amazing. It had signs all along the way describing what we were seeing. The boys kept saying "Abraham Lincoln walked here" (which he did), and "Abraham Lincoln sat on this rock/tripped over that log/etc." It was pretty funny. The red trail took us to an incredible overlook of Harper's Ferry and the 3 rivers that come together. It was a great hike.

 It was a chilly day, but we warmed up hiking. We found snow at the top!

There are remnants of the exterior stone wall. 

The stone fort  

That's the Potomac river down there, with Maryland on one side (where we were) and Virginia and West Virginia on the other side. The kids were always amazed at how close all the different states were.  

Those dips on either side of them are  where they stored the gun powder for the 100 pound ammunition right next to it. They would shoot and sink boats supplying the town of Harper's Ferry. 

Here's the great overlook at the end of the red trail. It's where the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers come together, with the town of Harper's Ferry tucked in the middle. You can see why this was such a pivotal town for supplies during the Civil War! And why the town gets flooded from time to time. Great picture, Spencer!

And here's a close-up of Harper's Ferry. We didn't have enough time to explore the town, but my family said it has a great cemetery. Maybe next time! What a fun hike!!