Explorer's Guide 50 Hikes in Maryland

This revised, fully updated guide to the best hikes in Maryland reveals dozens of superb trails that weave through its natural areas and are accessible to hikers throughout the metropolitan Baltimore and Washington, D.C. area. You can hike and camp along the Atlantic shoreline of Assateague Island, with wild ponies as your trail companions. Or travel along sections of the C & O Canal Trail, which stretches 184 miles from Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, Maryland. Forty miles of the Appalachian Trail pass through the state, and there are 50 miles of hiking trails in Catoctin Mountain National Park alone. No matter where you are in the state, it's less than a 30-minute drive to one of the hikes in this book. An overview chart provides information on the 50 hikes at a glance, making it easy to choose a hike, which range in length from a 1.2-mile walk to Cunningham Falls to a four-day backpacking trip across Maryland's width. Each hike description includes directions to the trailhead, a topographic map, and a detailed account of the route, with Adkins' entertaining asides on the natural and historical points of interest you'll encounter along the way. Book jacket.