With Richmond VA as my home base, I’ve made countless trips out west to the Blue Ridge for hiking. So much though, that I would often get bored of visiting the same places. But then one fall, me and my buddy drove outside of our normal two-hour drive radius and did a wonderful 10-mile hike near Harper’s Ferry. I was hooked and have been back many times. If you’re on the east coast, specifically DC, MD, VA or even North Carolina here are some of the best hikes in Harpers Ferry so you can check out this beautiful area as well!
Maryland Heights Hike
A relatively short hike with a spectacular view of Harpers Ferry, the Maryland Heights Hike is a must-do when in town. At a little over 5 miles and not overly challenging, it’s also a really popular hike. So don’t expect to be soaking up the views by yourself.
‘Hiking’ Through The Town Itself
Although this isn’t quite a trail or dirt path, it’s still worthy of my list.
Starting at the bottom of Harpers Ferry and then walking up its huge hill while exploring all the little shops is a workout in itself.
Stop at The Rabbit Hole restaurant for lunch and sit on their patio for a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains.
After lunch, stop in and shop at The Vintage Lady for some local art and antiques.
Then you might as well go back down using The Potomac Staircase to grab ice cream at Creamy Creations. After ice cream you either backtrack up the staircase to venture further into the city. Or hang around down at the bottom of Harpers Ferry to jump onto the Appalachian Trail south to see Jefferson Rock so you can hike off your meal/ice cream.
Jefferson Rock Hike
You can do this right before you hike up the city hill or return after lunch halfway up the hill as previously mentioned.
This is a short but intense hike with a few nice sites along the way. Once you reach the top of the steps, you’ll catch a nice view of the rivers, then an old historic church, then the ruins of an even older church.
Then cap off the hike with some sweet views at Jefferson Rock.
Appalachian Trail South
Continue past Jefferson Rock for however long your heart desires because you’ll be on Appalachian Trail south.
Hike a mile out, 2 miles, 10 miles out. Whatever you want. It doesn’t end until Springer Mountain down in Georgia.
There is a cool bridge, called the Shenandoah River Bridge about 1.5 miles out. You can hike that, then turn around to continue your visit to the town.
Or…
Appalachian Trail North
Or go the other direction and hike the Appalachian Trail going north back through the lower part of Harpers Ferry and hike across the river via the Winchester and Potomac Railroad Bridge.
Once across the bridge you’ll be hiking along the Potomac River and seeing the power of the White Horse Rapids. This section is quite beautiful, leading you along the C&O Canal before eventually going up into the mountains.
Which leads directly into the next little mini-section below.
Harpers Ferry To Weverton Cliff Hike
Once you start going away from the river, the climbs start. But the view from Weverton Cliff is well worth it! Hiking Upward lists the total mileage (Harpers Ferry to Weverton Cliff) at about 9 miles. So it’s a pretty solid hike in itself.
Cool Weekend Harpers Ferry Trip
If you really want a cool weekend trip with some solid milage, about 20 miles total. You can do the hike that started it all for me. My love for the little historic Harpers Ferry.
Park at Gathland State Park in their parking lot on Arnoldstown Road. Hop on the Appalachian Trail from the parking lot and hike about 10 miles into Harpers Ferry, stay at the in-town Quality Inn or any other of the many B&Bs or hostels.
Then hike back the next day, or whenever you’re ready. I’ve hiked this a few times, as an out and back.
On that first trip, I stayed at the now-closed Teahorse Hostel, which was quite an experience. Sleeping spaces were broken up into male and female, and there was a good amount of people staying the night.
I got to drink tequila at a nearby bar with a few Texans staying the night. Then we met some locals and got a tour of the town. We ended up in the wax museum and got to catch a concert in a basement nearby. It may or may not have happened in that order.
Plus we got an unofficial tour of the ghost/haunted side of Harper’s Ferry. It was pretty creepy. It would definitely be worth checking a legit one.
That was an amazing experience.