{"id":36939,"date":"2018-08-03T07:00:55","date_gmt":"2018-08-03T14:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=36939"},"modified":"2018-08-06T13:09:39","modified_gmt":"2018-08-06T20:09:39","slug":"potomac-heritage-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/potomac-heritage-trail","title":{"rendered":"Potomac Heritage Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"cb-itemprop\" itemprop=\"reviewBody\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following a waterway that shaped our young nation\u2019s history by serving as a westbound highway for goods from eastern settlements, the Potomac Heritage Trail travels for 1,100 miles through the tidal Potomac and upper Youghiogheny River basins. Discover history and scenic beauty by following the trail by foot or boat.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Distance<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 1,100 miles<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>States<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Virginia, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Pennsylvania<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Year Established<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 1983<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Best Times of Year to Visit: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spring and fall<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_36942\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36942\" class=\"size-article_body wp-image-36942\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Potomac-Heritage-Trail-A07.jpg?resize=1024%2C614\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"614\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-36942\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lock 27 along the canal section of the Potomac Heritage Trail. Photo courtesy of Bart Smith.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><b>Notable Spots Along Trail<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/grfa\/learn\/nature\/falls.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Great Falls of the Potomac<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> offer views of steep, jagged rocks and forceful falls. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/grfa\/learn\/historyculture\/canal.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Patowmack Canal <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">features the ruins of historic locks on this canal that George Washington hoped would connect the east with the Ohio River Valley.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/hafe\/index.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Harpers Ferry National Historical Park<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> contains the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, known as The Point, which offers views of three states: Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Fun F<\/b><b>acts, According to the National Park Service<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The high<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">est point on the trail is the Big Savage Tunnel, Maryland, at 3,924 feet.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Within the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/pohe\/learn\/historyculture\/potomac-underground-railroad.htm\">Underground Railroad network<\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Potomac River provided a corridor to freedom in the North for people escaping slavery, as many features of the river were hidden from view.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_36943\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36943\" class=\"size-article_body wp-image-36943\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Potomac-Heritage-Trail-A2.jpg?resize=1024%2C614\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"614\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-36943\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Spring morning along the canal near Spring Gap, Maryland. Photo courtesy of Bart Smith.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><b>Trail Uses<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Hiking and boating along the entire trail; limited cycling and equestrian use.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Administering Agency: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/pohe\/index.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">National Park Service<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Nonprofit Partner: <\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.potomactrail.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Potomac Heritage Trail Association<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Permitting Information:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> No permits needed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>REI Stewardship: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The co-op has invested more than $157,000 in the Potomac Heritage Trail since 2003.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Read More: <\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/learn\/expert-advice\/thru-hiking-goal-training.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to Train for Thru-Hiking<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/beginner-backpacking-gear\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Everything You Need for Your First Backpacking Trip<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/the-best-backpacking-packs-of-2018\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Best Backpacking Packs of 2018<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/national-scenic-trails\">Learn more<\/a>\u00a0about all of our national scenic trails.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Following a waterway that shaped our young nation\u2019s history by serving as a westbound highway for goods from eastern settlements, the Potomac Heritage Trail travels for 1,100 miles through the tidal Potomac and upper Youghiogheny River basins. Discover history and scenic beauty by following the trail by foot or boat. Distance: 1,100 miles States: Virginia, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":36941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[387],"tags":[1591,1528,656,1542],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-36939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hike","tag-national-scenic-trails","tag-northeast","tag-public-lands","tag-south"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/hike\/potomac-heritage-trail","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Potomac Heritage Trail","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/potomac-heritage-trail","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/potomac-heritage-trail"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Potomac-Heritage-Trail-A11.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Potomac-Heritage-Trail-A11.jpg?fit=1500%2C900"},"articleSection":"Hike","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aer Parris-Hoshour"}],"creator":["Aer Parris-Hoshour"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["national scenic trails","northeast","public lands","south"],"dateCreated":"2018-08-03T14:00:55Z","datePublished":"2018-08-03T14:00:55Z","dateModified":"2018-08-06T20:09:39Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Potomac Heritage Trail\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/hike\\\/potomac-heritage-trail\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/hike\\\/potomac-heritage-trail\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/Potomac-Heritage-Trail-A11.jpg?resize=150%2C150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/Potomac-Heritage-Trail-A11.jpg?fit=1500%2C900\"},\"articleSection\":\"Hike\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Aer Parris-Hoshour\"}],\"creator\":[\"Aer Parris-Hoshour\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Uncommon Path \\u2013 An REI Co-op Publication\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"national scenic trails\",\"northeast\",\"public lands\",\"south\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2018-08-03T14:00:55Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-08-03T14:00:55Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-08-06T20:09:39Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/rei.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Potomac-Heritage-Trail-A11.jpg?fit=1500%2C900","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36939"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36939\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37219,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36939\/revisions\/37219"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36941"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36939"},{"taxonomy":"internal-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-tag?post=36939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}