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Trails

Download Trail Map - Trails are open every day from dawn till dusk.

100_0063.JPGFarmstead Loop

Just over a mile long, the Farmstead Loop is a circular path in the center of the Blue Ridge Center property.  Starting at the Demory Wortman House, this scenic trail, once a road through a 19th century farming community, passes by multiple historic structures, Wortman Pond, and provides access to the main campground and other trails.




Western TrailsDSCN0046.JPG

To the east of the Everheart Homeplace beyond Piney Run is the Little Turtle Trail, which connects to the western trails. Walk along the Sweet Run stream, try to keep count the colorful butterflies along Butterfly Alley, follow the powerline up to the Appalachian Trail, hike along the Wood Thrush Trail, or visit the Farmstead site along the Legacy Loop.

The western property borders a parcel of land known as the Fairfax Heirs land, named due to the ownership and interests in the land by the heirs of Ferdinado Fairfax until the late 20th century. From 1813 to 1880 the United States government owned the land, on which they cut forests for timber and manufactured charcoal. Surviving paymaster records in Harpers Ferry note that charcoal was produced and shipped from both the west and eastern sides of the mountain (Loudoun Heights) before and during the Civil War, until the armory was destroyed in 1861. The charred remains of the hearths are still visible today.

DSCN0114.JPGNearly a half mile north of Gordon Pond, near the northwestern tip of the Legacy Loop, lies a long stone wall (photo to the left). During the summer of 2008, archaeologists conducted investigations investigation in which they systematically mapped the site and dug shovel test pits to determine site boundaries and recover an artifact collection. Originally thought to be the remains of a Civil War fort, the results of the investigation suggest that it represents the remains of a farmstead. Over the course of a week, 66 artifacts including glass, mortar, metal, coal, and a variety of pottery dating to the early 19th century were recovered from the shovel tests. No artifacts suggesting military activity were recovered. Numerous rock piles, possibly created to clear land for farming and building construction, stand inside the wall and a few outside the north section of the wall. The Blue Ridge Center plans to investigate further in the future.