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  1. #1
    Registered User Grunt's Avatar
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    Default Harper's Ferry Parking

    Going to leave my vehicle in HF for two weeks... there looks like a good looking parking lot just across the 340 bridge right on the AT.... is this a good place to leave a vehicle. When I reach HF... I'll retrieve supplies from my vehicle and keep heading north. OR, should I park my vehicle down at the Historic Park?

  2. #2

    Default One great overnight parking option in Harpers Ferry

    Hey Grunt,

    There is only one place that has designated overnight parking in Harpers Ferry, but it's a really great place,
    with several hundred spaces. It's probably the most secure lot along the entire A.T., as you have to pass an entrance station staffed by a ranger to get in, and rangers also staff the visitor center there.


    It's at the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (HFNHP) visitor center on Shoreline Drive, known locally as Cavalier Heights. You can park a car there for up to 2 weeks by paying the park's entrance fee ($10) and filling out a registration form.


    Here are the details:

    HFNHP visitor center is located at 171 Shoreline Drive, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425--it's on the south side of Rte 340. The lot is open 9-5 seven days a week.

    If you need to park after hours, call (304) 535-6298 to find out if you can make advance arrangements.

    The lot is 1 mile south of the closest point of the A.T., at the junction of Shenandoah St. and the US 340 bridge over the Shenandoah River. It's a very pleasant walk via a trail through the woods past a creek that has a lovely waterfall in spring, and then a walk along Shoreline Drive, where you pass a wetland area. You pass underneath the A.T. where it crosses above you on the US 340 highway bridge, and then take a sharp left uphill on Shenandoah Street to pick up the A.T.

    If you continue by road north to the next crossing of the A.T. through the historic district, you'll walk 1 perfectly flat mile on Shenandoah Street, passing a historic canal. If you take the A.T. northbound, you'll pass the side trail to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), pass just below the incredibly beautiful Harper Cemetery, then Jefferson Rock, and a short section with a bunch of historic buildings too numerous mention, all with a view of the famous "Gap."

    Alternatively, you can take the shuttle bus
    from the visitor center that runs every 15-20 minutes. It will drop you 2 miles north of the big parking lot, a block from where the A.T. pass through the heart of the historic lower town, where John Brown's Fort, the park information center, book store, museums, shops, restaurants, and the Point at the Confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac River are all within a few blocks of each other.

    All the other lots in Harpers Ferry are for day use only. All of the closest lots have self-serve fee boxes; the more far-flung lots on the battlefields further from town will be getting them sometime this year. For others reading this thread, parking meters were added along Washington Street (the main drag) in December. Currently they are $2/hour from 8am - 6pm. You can either use a Parkmobile app or call a toll free number. The plan is to reduce the fees in the spaces west of ATC to $1.00 soon.


    This ATC map of Harpers Ferry shows the layout of the town pretty well. There is a pig P for parking at the lot behind ATC, but given the parking crunch these days, we are starting to have to limit parking to 2 hours when the weather is nice (and even 1 hour on the most popular days). On the map there's also a P for parking at Bolivar Heights, which has a great view right from the parking lot, but that only has a handful of spaces.

    The map is a little out of date for services; the Canal House has been replaced by Bisou Bistro, it doesn't show the Guide Shack Cafe (an awesome, hiker-friendly coffee shop) just west of the Post Office (or the small bakery next door), and Harpers Ferry Chiropractic has moved in with another business 1 block east up Panama St.

    Also, the shuttle bus drop-off isn't shown; it's located across from the restrooms in Lower Town.

    For more information about services in town, visit www.historicharpersferry.com; for more information about Harpers Ferry National Historical park and a series of excellent maps (not topographic), visit www.nps.gove/hafe.

    I hope this helps, and I hope you'll stop by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy visitor center when you're in town! We're open 7 days a week from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

    Laurie P.

  3. #3
    Registered User Grunt's Avatar
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    Default

    Thanks Laurie... appreciate the information and see you soon to have my picture taken!!!! By the way... what is that other parking lot just across the bridge??? happy trails, john (grunt)

  4. #4

    Default

    You're welcome, Grunt!

    I think you're talking about the lot (not marked on the map above) in the triangle formed by Shenandoah Street, Shoreline Drive, and the US340 bridge (entrance on Shenandoah Street), but that's also for day use only.

    It's a very popular spot that fills up by mid-day on nice weekend days.

  5. #5
    Registered User C2's Avatar
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    Default

    Laurie P provided a wealth of information above. Thank you. I'm planning a section hike from Pearisburg VA to Harpers Ferry in September. Any suggestions where someone could park a vehicle in Harpers Ferry for more than 2 weeks?

    Thanks.

  6. #6

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by C2 View Post
    ... I'm planning a section hike from Pearisburg VA to Harpers Ferry in September. Any suggestions where someone could park a vehicle in Harpers Ferry for more than 2 weeks?

    Thanks.
    I know of no location in the Harpers Ferry area that definitely allows vehicles to be parked continuously long term (other than 2 weeks at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park's main lot). If someone is available to drive your car out of the park and back in, it's possible you might be able reapply for successive 2 weeks periods. If you can identify someone to do this (possibly someone on the A.T. shuttle service provider list at www.appalachiantrail.org/transportation), you could confirm if this privilege could be extended by calling the park's Cavalier Heights visitor center at (304) 535-6298.

    Shuttlers on our list might also know of some areas nearby. Space is extremely limited in Harpers Ferry, as the town is on a hill between two rivers, and ringed by a national historical park in the 3 states that come together here.

    Some hikers have paid to leave their vehicles at storage facilities in Charles Town, West Virginia, 5-7 miles west. I don't know how expensive that is. Some motels in the area with large parking lots might allows guests to leave cars for an extended period. The Jefferson County CVB might also have some suggestions for businesses that offer this service.

    If you discover any other options, please re-post here and let me know as well. Good luck!

  7. #7
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    Default

    Contact Teahorse Hostel. I left my car there for 8 days last week. It was $20 for the week, yours may be more, depending. I took it there rather than the historic park lot, reasoning that there may be less chance of a break in or vandalism. I did no research to base that decision, just an assumption.
    [email protected] or [email protected] Place is up near the ATC.

  8. #8

    Default

    Teahorse Hostel (in Bolivar, just 0.5 west of ATC) is certainly worth a try. Both the Teahorse Hostel and Harpers Ferry Hostel (in Knoxville, Maryland, 4 miles from Harpers Ferry by car, 5 on foot, including a 1-mile roadwalk) often can offer multi-day parking. However, they usually can only offer it for a limited period as their parking is limited. You can usually only leave a vehicle until they have a night of fully-booked lodging. Some times during the year, they might be able to offer a spot for a fee for several weeks, but during busier times, it might only be for a few days at a time.

  9. #9

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by C2 View Post
    Laurie P provided a wealth of information above. Thank you. I'm planning a section hike from Pearisburg VA to Harpers Ferry in September. Any suggestions where someone could park a vehicle in Harpers Ferry for more than 2 weeks?
    Thanks.
    If you leave a car in Harpers Ferry, how are you getting to Pearisburg? Two cars?

    It might be easier to park at Pearisburg and shuttle back to there from Harpers Ferry. There is no direct public transportation to Pearisburg, but you could get to Blacksburg by bus (via Washington DC) and get a shuttle over to Pearisburg.

    Or forget the car altogether and take Amtrak home, which passes through Harpers Ferry. The only issue is how to get to Pearisburg, but you have to figure that out in any event.
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  10. #10
    Registered User ldsailor's Avatar
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by C2 View Post
    I'm planning a section hike from Pearisburg VA to Harpers Ferry in September. Any suggestions where someone could park a vehicle in Harpers Ferry for more than 2 weeks?
    Ditto on the Teahorse Hostel. I asked them at the end of June if I could park there and they quoted me $20 per week and there was no limit mentioned. The Teahorse is on Washington St. about 1/2 mile from the AT. I stayed at the Teahorse in June and the area is pretty quiet; although I can't vouch for security of the area. The parking lot is in back of the hostel and mostly hidden from the street.
    Trail Name - Slapshot
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  11. #11
    Registered User C2's Avatar
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    Default

    Thanks all for the info and suggestions.

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