Harpers Ferry National Historical Park · WV
Stone Fort Trail
Climbs Elk Ridge to the Civil War Stone Fort and artillery batteries on Maryland Heights, passing Naval Battery ruins. Steep and rocky; often combined with the overlook route.
Live · updated
Today
Park closure — trail is inaccessible today.
Today's best: hiking
The NPS is rehabilitating the stairway connecting the Goodloe Byron Memorial Footbridge to the C&O Canal NHP towpath. The stairway will be CLOSED beginning July 27 for approximately one month while crews install the new stairwell. A shuttle will run between C&O Canal Lock 34 and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Visitor Center. This will impact access to Maryland Heights, the Appalachian NST, and the Potomac Heritage NST.
Conditions
Score by activity
Hiking
Park closure — trail is inaccessible today.
Trail running
Park closure — trail is inaccessible today.
Dog walking
Park closure — trail is inaccessible today.
Score breakdown
- · 84°F air — Within comfort range, outside ideal
- − Thunderstorms — Get off exposed ridges before they arrive
- ✓ Trail: prime — No meaningful rain in the last 48 hours. Trail surface is dry and tacky — prime traction.
- − 83 min of daylight — You need at least 191 min with margin. Bring a headlamp or start tomorrow.
Trail facts
- Distance
- 4.7 mi
- Elevation gain
- 681 ft
- Surface
- dirt
- Difficulty
- hard
Trailhead
Coordinates
39.3346, -77.7191 — WV.
Park
Part of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (official site →).
Park advisories
The annual closure of certain areas of Maryland Heights for peregrine falcon nesting has been lifted as of 7/23/26. Climbing areas closed for the peregrines are now OPEN.
There will be a significant disruption to parking availability and circulation within the Train Station parking lot on July 27-July 30. Portions of the parking lot will be blocked to allow for safe use of equipment needed for geotechnical work. The Train Station will remain open. Additional parking is available at the Visitor Center parking lot, 171 Shoreline Drive, Harpers Ferry.
Facilities staff are doing repair work on several buildings in Lower Town. Please follow signs for alternate entrances and heed temporary closures.
Peak nymphal tick activity — check yourself within 2 hours of leaving the trail.
Nearby Trails
Frequently Asked
How long is Stone Fort Trail?
Stone Fort Trail is a 4.7-mile route with 681 feet of elevation gain — hard — significant elevation gain, technical terrain, or both; come prepared. The trail facts panel on this page lists distance, surface, and access tags as they appear in OpenStreetMap.
What's the trail surface like at Stone Fort Trail?
Stone Fort Trail is natural dirt singletrack — soft underfoot, holds water, slow to dry after rain. Today's mud rating, derived from recent precipitation and the surface type, is shown in the conditions panel above.
Who manages Stone Fort Trail, and where do closure alerts come from?
Stone Fort Trail is in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, which is managed by the National Park Service. Closure and advisory data on this page comes from the live NPS alerts API for this park unit. Always confirm against the park's own page before driving — emergency closures can post faster than scrapers refresh.