Closest trails · 12 ranked today

Trails near Frederick, MD

Frederick sits at the geographic center of mid-Atlantic hiking. Catoctin and Cunningham Falls are 20 minutes north. Sugarloaf is 25 minutes south. Harpers Ferry’s Maryland Heights and Loudoun Heights are 30 minutes west. The AT-MD ridge runs the length of South Mountain just outside town. Most weekends, locals don’t leave the county.

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Red Maple Trail

Gambrill State Park · 5.4 mi · ~11 min drive

Skip the hiking plan today.

1.1 mi easy dirt Best for hiking

Green Ash Trail

Gambrill State Park · 5.6 mi · ~11 min drive

Skip the hiking plan today.

2 mi moderate dirt Best for hiking

White Oak Trail

Gambrill State Park · 5.6 mi · ~11 min drive

Skip the hiking plan today.

1 mi easy dirt Best for hiking

Black Locust

Gambrill State Park · 5.6 mi · ~11 min drive

Skip the hiking plan today.

3 mi moderate dirt Best for hiking

Catoctin Trail

Gambrill State Park · 6.5 mi · ~13 min drive

Skip the hiking plan today.

26.6 mi moderate mixed Best for hiking

Yellow Poplar

Gambrill State Park · 7.1 mi · ~14 min drive

Skip the hiking plan today.

7 mi moderate dirt Best for hiking

Northern Peaks Trail

Sugarloaf Mountain · 9.2 mi · ~18 min drive

Skip the hiking plan today.

5 mi moderate dirt Best for hiking

A.M. Thomas Trail

Sugarloaf Mountain · 11 mi · ~21 min drive

Skip the hiking plan today.

0.5 mi moderate dirt Best for hiking

Mountain Loop Trail

Sugarloaf Mountain · 11 mi · ~22 min drive

Skip the hiking plan today.

2.5 mi moderate dirt Best for hiking

Catoctin National Recreation Trail

Cunningham Falls State Park · 11 mi · ~22 min drive

Skip the hiking plan today.

26.6 mi hard mixed Best for hiking

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Washington Monument State Park · 12 mi · ~24 min drive

Skip the hiking plan today.

28.54 mi moderate dirt Best for hiking

Big Red Trail

Greenbrier State Park · 14 mi · ~28 min drive

Skip the hiking plan today.

4.9 mi moderate dirt Best for hiking

Mileage is straight-line distance from the center of Frederick. Real drive times depend on traffic, mountain roads, and your starting point inside the metro. For weekend mornings on popular trailheads (Old Rag, Great Falls, Maryland Heights), assume the lot fills earlier than the headline drive time suggests — check the trail page for the parking-fill window.

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