Top Backpacking Trails in Maryland

Backpacking in Maryland follows a narrow strip of mountains in the west and a barrier island in the east. This site’s trips start on South Mountain, where the Appalachian Trail runs about 41 miles along a wooded ridge from Pen Mar to Harpers Ferry, and on nearby Catoctin Mountain, where two reservable Adirondack shelters make a short overnight. Farther west, the Green Ridge loop pairs a forest trail with dozens of stream fords and the flat C&O Canal towpath, the towpath alone runs from Little Orleans through the Paw Paw Tunnel, and the Big Savage Hiking Trail follows a rocky, dry ridge in Garrett County. On the coast, Assateague Island’s backcountry is a beach walk in soft sand to designated sites.

Rules vary by managing agency. The AT and C&O Canal limit camping to designated shelters and sites, first come, first served; the state forests use registration or backpack permits; Assateague requires an in-person permit; and Catoctin’s shelters must be reserved.

Seasons cut both ways. The NPS warns of heavy biting insects at Assateague’s bayside sites from April through October, while C&O Canal wells are usually shut off from mid-November. Fall and winter overlap with hunting, and Assateague’s backcountry closes on set hunt dates. Trip reports cited on the AT pages warn about falling trees at shelters and cliff edges at Annapolis Rocks. Treat or carry all water.