Antietam National Battlefield · MD
West Woods Trail
0.9-mile, mostly shaded loop from Auto Tour Stop 5 through the West Woods, where mid-morning fighting on September 17, 1862 produced some of the day's heaviest casualties.
Live · updated
Today
Skip the hiking plan today.
Today's best: hiking
Conditions
Score by activity
Hiking
Skip the hiking plan today.
Trail running
Skip the trail running plan today.
Dog walking
Thunderstorms in today's forecast — dogs panic and trails become dangerous.
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.
Trail facts
- Distance
- 0.9 mi
- Elevation gain
- 69 ft
- Surface
- dirt
- Difficulty
- easy
Trailhead
Coordinates
39.4776, -77.7516 — MD.
Park
Part of Antietam National Battlefield (official site →).
Park advisories
There is a detour on the trail due to downed trees. Our staff is working diligently to remove these from the trail.
Peak nymphal tick activity — check yourself within 2 hours of leaving the trail.
Nearby Trails
Frequently Asked
How long is West Woods Trail?
West Woods Trail is a 0.9-mile route with 69 feet of elevation gain — easy — gentle grades, generally suitable for families and beginners with normal fitness. 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 West Woods Trail?
West Woods 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 West Woods Trail, and where do closure alerts come from?
West Woods Trail is in Antietam National Battlefield, 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.