View Full Version : parking and road crossings in MD
lilygrrrl1
09-16-2005, 22:14
any word on parking at wolfsville rd (near smithsburg, md), foxville road (md 77), warner gap road, and/or raven rock hollow, MD 491??
((a friend is looking to park in the evening and walk in after dark)) :dance
how difficult is it to find these road crossings??
how safe or not safe is it leaving a car here??
again thanks everyone for your constant assistance!!!
krinkles
the goat
09-17-2005, 13:45
i don't recall the roads you mentioned, but in Maryland, there is a parking lot near where the AT crosses interstate 70. the road which you would access the parking lot from is US40, ....(the AT crosses right under the bridge for US40 on the northern side of the I70 footbridge crossing. greenbriar state park is close to there as well on US40. About 1/2 mile north on the AT from where the trail goes under US40 is Pine Knob Shelter & its an easy walk to do at night. also, there's a great bar called the "dog patch" a/b .3 (east i think) down US40.
[QUOTE=lilygrrrl1]any word on parking at wolfsville rd (near smithsburg, md), foxville road (md 77), warner gap road, and/or raven rock hollow, MD 491?? ((a friend is looking to park in the evening and walk in after dark)) :dance
how difficult is it to find these road crossings??
how safe or not safe is it leaving a car here??
Answers:
Wolfsville Road has a parking lot right next to the AT.
Raven Rock Hollow has parking at each end of the guard rails on 491.
(I parked here all day this past Sunday. A couple of other cars were parked there as well).
I didn't notice any parking close to the AT on 77.
Which way is the person heading?
If they are going North then I would recommend the parking on 77. This location is about 3 tenths of a mile from the Ens. Cowell Shelter.
There are some rocky sections beyond the shelter going North so I would be careful Hiking at night.
Answers:
Wolfsville Road has a parking lot right next to the AT.
Raven Rock Hollow has parking at each end of the guard rails on 491.
(I parked here all day this past Sunday. A couple of other cars were parked there as well).
I didn't notice any parking close to the AT on 77.
Which way is the person heading?
If they are going North then I would recommend the parking on Wolfsville Road . This location is about 3 tenths of a mile from the Ens. Cowell Shelter.
There are some rocky sections beyond the shelter going North so I would be careful Hiking at night.
luckybudyo
05-14-2011, 22:40
I realize that this is an old post, but any chance of getting an address/coordinates for the ens cowell parking. I'm hiking down from pen mar, and having a friend meet me the next morning at the shelter, but I have no idea where to tell him he should park without him using the gps lol
Country Roads
05-15-2011, 15:56
Parking lot for the AT on Wolfesville Road, do not cross the road to the AT, that would be towards Harpers Ferry; stay on the same side as the parking lot; the AT goes alongside the road a bit. The shelter is probably a 1/4 mile to 1/2 mile from the parking lot. BTW, it is a nice shelter. Have a good hike. This section is very nice with a few surprising climbs, but they are pretty easy. I don't have GPS coordinates, but it should not be hard to find.
entirelynutz
05-15-2011, 20:37
try this website: http://rohland.homedns.org/at/state/state_menu/at_state_menu.aspx?id=2. Not many of the parking areas have safety ratings yet but you'll find good directions. Frequently the google map link will have pictures of the parking area too. If not, the pictures for each Maryland section have pictures of the trail including pictures of the parking areas.
From http://AppalachianTrail.rohland.org (http://appalachiantrail.rohland.org/)
entirelynutz
05-15-2011, 20:42
I should have also mentioned that there are GPS coordinates for some of the parking areas.
AegisIII
05-15-2011, 21:13
Raven Rock Hollow/491 is shoulder parking. The shoulders are wide, traffic is fast but infrequent.
Warner Gap Hollow Rd is gravel. I seem to recall there is a space or two there. I've never driven the road.
Foxville Rd/77 has some pull offs on the south/eastbound side of the road just west and at the AT crossing.
Wolfsville Rd/17 has "two" parking areas. The first is on the northbound/downhill/towards Smithsburg side of the road a a gravel driveway/turnaround; don't block the driveway. The second is on the southbound/uphill/towards Wolfsville side of the road, a pull in area with space for 4-5 cars; it may be slightly rough though. The trail here is reached by a blue blazed side trail off of the turnaround parking area, heading downhill. Supposedly one of the trails on the other side is an old AT routing and reaches the AT a little bit south but I've never tried that.
I've never used any of these for overnight parking; I'd suspect MD77 would be the safest but that is based on nothing more than intuition. The US40 parking area would also certainly work well.
luckybudyo
05-17-2011, 21:06
try this website: http://rohland.homedns.org/at/state/state_menu/at_state_menu.aspx?id=2. Not many of the parking areas have safety ratings yet but you'll find good directions. Frequently the google map link will have pictures of the parking area too. If not, the pictures for each Maryland section have pictures of the trail including pictures of the parking areas.
From http://AppalachianTrail.rohland.org (http://appalachiantrail.rohland.org/)
Awesome Info!!! That's exactly what I've been looking for :banana
luckybudyo
05-20-2011, 20:29
So, where exactly would be the best place to start this hike? Pen Mar park??