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Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
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8 reviews for Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
Harpers Ferry NHP is not so easy to describe. It is both a beautiful natural area in which the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers meet, and a historic town, in which some of the old buildings contain museums, while other buildings are just the homes of some of the 300 town residents.
The entrance fee is only $6 per car, i.e. quite a bit cheaper than many other national parks. Park your car near the visitors center, then take the shuttle bus down to 'Lower Town.' If you're there at the right time, you can hear a park ranger give a talk about the town's history and about John Brown. Otherwise, walk around, check out the views, check out the John Brown museum, get some ice cream, do some shopping. If you're in a more active frame of mind, there are plenty of trails, all well described in the park brochure.
HFNHP is only an hour's drive from Bethesda, and is definitely worth the trip.
Afterward, grab lunch or dinner at Dish in Charles Town, just down the road.
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Going to National Parks is a past time for me. Some people try to visit all the Baseball Parks, others try to visit every state in the union. Me, I go to parks, and I hit Harpers Ferry a few times a year.
The good:
- Lots of pretty people here, every one looks beautiful. I don't know what the reason is, but pretty people congregate here on weekends.
- Tubers on the the potomac river provide plenty of entertainment
- Great hiking and biking, fun for adults and kids alike
- The historic town has awesome ice cream!
The bad:
- Unless you have a park pass, it's $6 a car. Which you can skip if you drive directly to the historic town and walk to the park.
Good weekend trip, about an hour from DC. Perfect HF weekend, tubing saturday, camping saturday night, hiking sunday, go home happy.
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Harper's Ferry is a cool place to visit: history, hiking, shopping, tubing, wading in the river (Harper's Ferry is located where the Shenandoah River meets the Potomac River). Hike to Maryland Heights for beautiful views of the area, walk through nearby Bolivar - nice homes on tree-lined streets, visit Westwind Potters for great, inexpensive pottery. There's so much to do!!
I have a fond memory of sitting on Jefferson Rock with a friend one eveing, under a full moon. It was beautiful, and made me feel grateful for the peaceful scenery and a great friend!
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Harper's Ferry was a very fun trip we took one year. We spent all day driving there, getting food, etc. Historically it played an important role in the John Brown slave rebellion and the Civil War, because it was the site of a Federal Armory. Contains the Park itself, the B&O Railroad, Saint Peter's Roman Catholic Church and the Appalachian Trail. Plus a wax museum, obelisk & maryland heights lookout. Lots of historical buildings dating from the period. There is hiking and dining and shopping not far by.
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I was in western Virginia for business, and wanted to catch some local flavor, so I drove north to Harpers Ferry.
Harpers Ferry was the site of John Brown's Raid, and was also the scene of some important Civil War battles.
The park itself is a a battlefield site, but the adjacent Old Town is quite charming - 18-19th century buildings, curvy streets, replete with Ye Olde Quaint Shoppes.
It was 6 degrees out, with a wind chill taking it down to minus 10, so I didn't spend much time out of the car, but it's wonderful that our government has taken the time to commemorate a revolutionary act like John Brown's raid.
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One of my favorite places in the DC area. The whole town emanates history. And the hiking is amazing along the bluffs. Superb bicycling on the C&O Canal too.
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Harper's Ferry ended up being a wonderful summer afternoon detour. The national park offers plenty of hiking, including easy access to the C&O trail (the path crosses the river on one of the train bridges), and enough history to keep you busy.
If you are only visiting for an hour or two you can park for free in the 2 hour spots in the lower town next to the train station.
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There is so much to do in Harper's Ferry... the historical stuff, hiking, water stuff, more hiking, and of course, hiking. HF is real important historically, but I've been coming here so long, I tend to move right to messing around in the river. One of the highlights of the summer is wading out in the Shenandoah. Or you can hike up to Maryland Heights (take the unofficial route - go right at the lock keepers house, go across the bridge over the railroad tracks and immediately start scrambling up the rocks. but watch out for snakes). Or you can just hike on the C and O canal trail. Or float down the river with one of the river rafting companies. Great view - from the Hilltop House in upper Harper's Ferry.
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