Best Hikes in the Baltimore-Washington Area

These are the best difficult-rated hikes in the Baltimore-Washington area. For the best hiking you cannot beat the northern Blue Ridge Mountains in the United States Mid-Atlantic area. The hikes close to Baltimore and Washington are found in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

1. I'll start with the absolute best hike: Old Rag Mountain. This hike is in Shenandoah National Park and is just over an hour's drive from the nation's capitol. In fact, it is super close to Dulles Airport, which makes it a convenient hike if you want to add on a day to your business trip to DC.

Old Rag Mountain is a prominent peak in the central section of Shenandoah National Park. Head west from the city on Interstate 66, then follow signs for Route 211 West toward Luray. The trailhead is just south of Sperryville, a great little town with the incredible Copper Fox whiskey distillery and an innovative brewery called Pen Druid.

View from Old Rag Mountain

The unique feature of Old Rag is its bald summit. This is a major rarity among Mid-Atlantic hikes, which have wonderful overlooks but do not often feature 360-degree views like Old Rag Mountain. It's an eight-mile loop hike with significant elevation change, and it gets super crowded, so arrive early and be ready to do some scrambling as you make your way to the top.

2. Sugarloaf Mountain in the Maryland Piedmont is another of the region's best hikes. Sugarloaf is a monadnock type of mountain, meaning it is a stand-alone mountain, not linked to other mountains in a range. Still, this monadnock, with two prominent summits, feels like a small range in itself.

This means the views from this hike are pretty stunning as you make your way up to experience the incredible pastoral views. Do the five-mile loop and enjoy both the north and south summits and experience plenty of elevation change.

View from Sugarloaf Mountain

3. Big Schloss and Tibbett Knob are actually two separate out-and-back summit hikes that each start at the same point - Wolf Gap Campground. While either of the summits is sufficiently worth the two-hour drive from the DC-area, doing them both in the same day or split among two days will ensure you are not left with any degree of FOMO. 

Big Schloss is a great warm-up, as it is two miles out and two mile back, with only the first mile of the hike featuring a steep ascent. The views from this one are incredible. The rock formation itself is fun to climb on, and it is multi-tiered, which means you may be able to find yourself a private nook where you can lay out and catch some rays or just enjoy a quiet picnic lunch with a view.

Tibbett Knob is significantly more difficult that Big Schloss, though it is only about a mile longer. This is because the trail is a much more intense grade that only gets more strenuous as you reach the top. In fact, most people are crawling for the last portion as the trail gets incredibly steep and boulder strewn.

4. Catoctin Mountain in Maryland is a great place to hike if you want to experience multiple views. You can create your own loop among as many as five great summits - and there is even an incredible waterfall hike where you can cool off at the end. 

Cat Rock, Hog Rock, and Wolf Rock are among the best overlooks. With lots of ups and downs, this hike has plenty of elevation change. Then cool off at the base of Cunningham Falls before heading home.

5. South Mountain is just north of the Mason-Dixon line in South Central Pennsylvania, and it is home to several shorter hikes that can be done in succession to make for a great day or weekend getaway. Chimney Rock, Pole Steeple, and Sunset Rocks are three of the major hikes you will find here.

While South Mountain is the smallest of the Blue Ridge Mountain Range, it is no less beautiful. These rolling hills rise up out of a rural pastoral landscape that makes hikers feel they are experiencing a simpler time. 

Enjoy these best difficult-rated hikes in the Baltimore-Washington area. The northern Blue Ridge Mountains in the United States Mid-Atlantic area have unique features you will find nowhere else but here.

Hiking DC's Rock Creek Park - Southern Bluffs and Rapids Section

by Brian Schwarz

Rock Creek Park is a swath of preserved parkland located in Northwest Washington, DC. Managed by the National Park Service with hiking trails maintained by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, Rock Creek Park is a haven for urban hikers. Still, despite being well within the urban core of the nation's capital, Rock Creek's trails offer hikers a surprising amount of solitude.

This hike in the rocky southern section of Rock Creek Park begins at historic Pierce Mill. From the Pierce Mill parking area, take the green-blazed Western Ridge Trail north along the Rock Creek flood plain. Carefully cross Broad Branch Road and continue to follow the green blazes up a steep hill to cross Glover Road, soon after which you will reach Equitation Field. 

View from Rapids Bridge of Rock Creek, along the Fall Zone

Keep going on the Western Ridge Trail until you reach the signed Picnic Area 17. Here, cross Glover Road and find unmarked horse trail, identified on the PATC Map N Rock Creek Park map as CT7. Cross trail 7 joins CT6 after you traverse Ross Road at the picturesque Ross Road Bridge. Soon you will reach the flood plain once again. Turn left when you see Rock Creek and walk to Rapids Bridge, where you will cross the bridge to enjoy one of the most scenic views along Rock Creek. This is the Fall Zone, where the Piedmont physiographic province yields to the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

After enjoying views of the boulder-strewn waters, continue across the bridge, and then cross Beach Drive to join the blue-blazed Valley Trail. Turn Right. Stay on the Valley Trail as you pass by Boulder Bridge, where president Theodore Roosevelt once lost a precious gold ring that was never recovered, and climb to the precipice known as Pulpit Rock, a great place to rest and refuel.

Continue on the Valley Trail and soon you will cross Blagden Avenue, then later Park Road and Beach Drive once again. As you once again reach the banks of Rock Creek, turn left, to the end of the Valley Trail at Bluff Bridge.

Cross Bluff Bridge and turn right to join the Western Ridge Trail, at the base of a hill topped by Klingle Mansion, which houses Rock Creek Park Headquarters. Several yards on, you must choose the strenuous or moderate route to continue on the Western Ridge Trail.

The strenuous route is more scenic but requires some light bouldering (grabbing onto boulders to navigate obstacles in the trail). Along the moderate route you will find a spur trail that leads to Klingle Mansion. Just beyond the point where these two routes converge is your starting point at Pierce Mill.

Trailhead: Find the Pierce Mill parking area along Park Road, just west and across Rock Creek from Beach Drive. This hike is also accessible via the Metro Red Line. From Vann Ness - UDC Station walk south on Connecticut Avenue to Tilden Street and walk east. Also, You may take H2, H3, or H4 Metrobus to the corner of Klingle Avenue NW and Park Road NW, then walk north on Park Road to Pierce Mill. Each of these public transit routes add approximately one mile, round trip.
Distance: Approximately 3.5 miles round trip
Elevation Gain/Loss: Approximately 400 feet, spread out between several hills
Map: A free map is available from the National Parks Service here. However, for a more enriching experience hiking Rock Creek Park, I recommend purchasing Map N: Trails in the Rock Creek Park Area, from the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, available for purchase here.
Hiking Time: 1.5 to two hours round trip, depending on your personal speed and how often you take breaks to enjoy the views.
Best Times to Hike: This hike can be done year round.
Difficulty: Easy

For more information on this hike or other hikes discussed in the blog HikeyHikey, feel free to leave a comment below. Also, check out my other blogs Man of Merit and MyFitLife2Day and HikingMegalopolis. Or contact me via my splash page at about.me/brian.schwarz