Harpers Ferry

September 29, 2017

The only reason I went to Harpers Ferry was because a guy at Pinchot told me about it.  It wasn't on my list of things I really want to see and I didn't notice it while perusing the National Parks page but I am really glad I went.  It's a mix of lovely scenery, historic buildings and lots of hiking trails.  You can park at the Park office and take a bus down to avoid the limited parking in the steep, old town.

I think this is the Potomac but I guess it could have been the Shenandoah

Hikers are about halfway there, whichever side they started from.

Railroad trestle has collapsed

Downtown street

Dissolving stairs

Downtown from the other direction

The old church from three different viewpoints.

The map shows a trail going back up to the parking area with some ruins along the way.  The rivers have flooded several times and everything near the banks is foundation only

This was a cotton mill that used the power of the river to run the plant. It's on Virginius Island (no longer an island, really, in the Shenandoah River.

Along the Shenandoah

Pond on the way back to the visitor center.

The path back to the visitor center is slightly sloping until you get to the very end, then it's really uphill.  Guess I should have done the hike down and the bus back up.  Got to learn to plan better.

All around a very cool place and with many more hiking trails than I took the time to explore.

I'm meeting my dad in DC in a few days so I'll mosey along, taking short hops between towns.