After the Footbridge: Finding the Trail in Maryland

The Appalachian Trail runs through mountains and valleys in the eastern United States. At Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, hikers heading toward the trail's northern end cross the Potomac River into Maryland. But they do not turn north immediately after the crossing. A map and two trail photographs can help explain their route.

A guide page has the heading “Across the Potomac.” Its map has an arrow pointing north, toward the top of the page. A blue band represents the river. A dotted line marks the walking route. It begins at Harpers Ferry, crosses the river on a footbridge, and reaches the Maryland shore.

On the map, the dotted line then turns right, or east. It follows the river along a towpath toward Weverton. Long ago, animals walked this path while pulling boats through a canal beside it. Today, this part of the old towpath carries the Appalachian Trail. Near Weverton, the dotted line turns away from the river and heads north toward higher ground.

The first photograph shows a narrow walking deck beside railroad tracks, with the river below. Its caption reads, “Footbridge from Harpers Ferry to Maryland.” The map shows where this crossing happens. The photograph adds a detail the dotted line cannot show: hikers use a separate walkway, not the tracks.

The second photograph shows a wide, nearly level path with trees nearby. Its caption reads, “Maryland towpath after the river crossing.” Match that caption to the map. This view belongs on the eastward stretch beside the river, before the trail turns toward higher ground.

A hiker might expect a trail toward the northern end to point north at every step. That could make the eastward turn seem confusing. The map solves the puzzle by showing the whole route. The captions place the photographs along it, and the photographs show what those places look like. Together, words and pictures explain how the crossing connects to the next part of the trail.