A new hiking guide to the many superb trails and recreation areas, accessible to hikers throughout the Washington, DC area. Maryland is one of the most densely populated states in the Union, yet miles of hiking trails weave throughout its natural areas. Assateague Island contains a 26-mile trail along the Atlantic shoreline with backcountry campsites. The C&O Canal Trail stretches 184 miles from Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, Maryland, and 40 miles of the Appalachian Trail pass through the state. The 29-mile Catoctin Trail links three state parks, while Catoctin Mountain National Park alone has 50 miles of hiking trails. And an abundance of state and regional parks and forests offer additional pathways, making it possible to be less than a 30-minute drive from a hike no matter where you are in the state. Hikes are concentrated around one of the most densely populated regions of the US, and range from a 1.2-mile ramble in Swallow Falls State Park to a 4-day backpacking trip across Maryland's width. An overview chart at the beginning of the book provides information on the 50 hikes at a glance. Each hike description includes directions to the trailhead, a detailed account of the route, a map, and entertaining asides on natural and historical points of interest. 50 black and white photographs, 51 maps.

Maryland offers an abundance of natural and cultural riches, so make this guidebook your compass to it all. Limitless exploration and entertainment opportunities await travelers and residents alike, and this thoroughly revised edition of Explorer’s Guide Maryland is the perfect companion for every excursion. The best restaurants, places to stay, and activities for every budget and interest are laid out in an easy-to-navigate guide as useful on the bookshelf as it is in the glove compartment. Descriptions and listings cover the whole state, including the quiet Eastern Shore; picturesque, historic Annapolis; the heart of downtown Baltimore; the many historical sites dotting the southern region; and the scenic northwestern mountains.

Lace up your boots, grab this guide, and explore the great outdoors! For this new edition, Adkins has retraced every path and accounted for any changes tothe trails, making “the most essential hiking guide to Maryland” even better. Mountain treks or beach walks, remote western waterfalls or hidden trails, you’ll find hikes for all skills and abilities.

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.

Veteran trailblazer and outdoor activist Tom Thwaites, the author of two other Explorer's Guide 50 Hikes guides to Pennsylvania, has completely revised and updated this guide to the central portion of Penn's Woods. A wonderful area of wild country and wildlife, this region offers a vast network of maintained trail systems, yet is nevertheless lightly traveled. The author has added 11 new hikes to reflect changing trail conditions, and has re-hiked and checked each of the remaining hikes for this fourth edition. Each hike includes a topographical map, information on mileage, rise, and difficulty, and narrative on sights you'll see along the way.

From strolling the gentle dunes of Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware to hunting for fossils at Calvert Cliffs in Maryland to curiously ogling the knobby knees of the bald cypress trees in the freshwater swamps at First Landing State Park in Virginia, there's a lot to love about the easy-going coastal trails in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. This book covers 50 hikes in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia with hike sections divided by state. Readers will meet wild ponies on the Island Nature Trail in Chincoteague, Virginia and hike to the 35-foot-tall Turkey Point Lighthouse that dates back to 1833 at Elk Neck State Park in Maryland for inspiring views across the Chesapeake Bay from atop a 100-foot-bluff. Hikes will highlight birding and wildlife viewing hotspots, local history and heritage, and bucket-list outdoor gems.