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Moderate Hiking Trails in Maryland

The directory currently contains 95 quality-checked routes matching this guide in Maryland. Their average mapped distance is 4.6 km and average recorded ascent is 108 m (354 ft); the longest route in the set is 18.0 km.

This subset represents 31% of the 309 quality-checked routes in Maryland. Its average distance is 4.6 km, compared with 11.6 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 108 m (354 ft), versus 138 m (453 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

Every route in this set is rated moderate by the directory’s distance-and-elevation model. Technical terrain and live conditions are not part of that rating. Within this set, 0 routes (0%) are rated easy, 0 (0%) are rated hard or expert, and 21 (22%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

1.1 km

Overlook Cliff Trail

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

35 m

Blue Ridge Summit Trail

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

0 recorded loops

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

NPS Photo / Samantha Zurbuch
Moderate

Overlook Cliff Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
36 m
Typical duration
17 min
  • Coastal
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Hikers along the ridge of Catoctin
Moderate

Blue Ridge Summit Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
35 m
Typical duration
38 min
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
  • Panoramic viewpoint
Photograph by Eli Pousson, 12 February 2015.
Moderate

Gwynns Falls Trail (Outbound)

Maryland · United States

Distance
18.0 km
/ 11.2 mi
Elevation gain
95 m
Typical duration
3 hr 59 min
  • Waterfall
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Cliff Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
101 m
Typical duration
23 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Roadway entrance to Sugarloaf Mountain Reservation, Urbana, Maryland, USA
Moderate

Mountain Loop Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
5.2 km
/ 3.2 mi
Elevation gain
210 m
Typical duration
1 hr 23 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Seneca Ridge Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
10.7 km
/ 6.6 mi
Elevation gain
179 m
Typical duration
2 hr 30 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Early fall vista from Chimney Rock
Moderate

Thurmont Vista Loop Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
3.8 km
/ 2.3 mi
Elevation gain
98 m
Typical duration
56 min
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Early fall vista from Chimney Rock
Moderate

Thurmont Vista Overlook

Maryland · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
58 m
Typical duration
15 min
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Yellow Poplar Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
11.9 km
/ 7.4 mi
Elevation gain
301 m
Typical duration
2 hr 56 min
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Stone Fort Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
3.6 km
/ 2.2 mi
Elevation gain
162 m
Typical duration
59 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
The sun was getting low so I took the Double Oak Road Trail back up to the car instead of continuing the Parkers Creek Loop as intended. A brief section of the trail passed by this dense bramble filled with flowers and the rustling movement
Moderate

Parkers Creek Loop

Maryland · United States

Distance
6.4 km
/ 4.0 mi
Elevation gain
93 m
Typical duration
1 hr 28 min
  • River
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Ten Mile Creek Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
13.8 km
/ 8.6 mi
Elevation gain
218 m
Typical duration
3 hr 13 min
  • River
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Black Locust Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
4.7 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
217 m
Typical duration
1 hr 19 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Combined Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
1.5 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
188 m
Typical duration
36 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Hog Rock Loop Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
7.2 km
/ 4.5 mi
Elevation gain
325 m
Typical duration
2 hr
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Northern Peaks Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
8.5 km
/ 5.3 mi
Elevation gain
349 m
Typical duration
2 hr 18 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Old Misery Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
71 m
Typical duration
30 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Orange Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
5.7 km
/ 3.6 mi
Elevation gain
251 m
Typical duration
1 hr 34 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

A.M. Thomas Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
0.4 km
/ 0.3 mi
Typical duration
6 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Gateway Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
4.3 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
261 m
Typical duration
1 hr 17 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Gelston Heights Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
85 m
Typical duration
21 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Heide Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
75 m
Typical duration
19 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Laurel Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
51 m
Typical duration
14 min
  • Waymarked route
View north along U.S. Route 1 (Belair Road) just north of Little Gunpowder Falls in Pleasant Hills, Harford County, Maryland
Moderate

Little Gunpowder Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
12.8 km
/ 7.9 mi
Elevation gain
195 m
Typical duration
2 hr 57 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Loggers Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
3.5 km
/ 2.2 mi
Elevation gain
85 m
Typical duration
51 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Prince Frederick Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
9.5 km
/ 5.9 mi
Elevation gain
232 m
Typical duration
2 hr 20 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Purple Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
21 m
Typical duration
14 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Rognel Heights Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Typical duration
9 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Saddleback Horse Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
10.5 km
/ 6.5 mi
Elevation gain
220 m
Typical duration
2 hr 31 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

The Monadnock Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
80 m
Typical duration
14 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

The Sunrise Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Typical duration
6 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

White Loop Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
12.5 km
/ 7.7 mi
Elevation gain
242 m
Typical duration
2 hr 58 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Willow Grove Trail (red)

Maryland · United States

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
97 m
Typical duration
29 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Yellow Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
10.6 km
/ 6.6 mi
Elevation gain
140 m
Typical duration
2 hr 25 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Billy Goat Trail Section A

Maryland · United States

Distance
2.9 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
39 m
Typical duration
39 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Campground Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
37 m
Typical duration
10 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Old Spring Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
24 m
Typical duration
11 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Pink Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
9 m
Typical duration
15 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Red Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
1.8 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
32 m
Typical duration
25 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Red Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
3.2 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
19 m
Typical duration
41 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Lake Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
11 m
Typical duration
7 min
  • Lake
Moderate

Green Ash Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
3.5 km
/ 2.2 mi
Elevation gain
187 m
Typical duration
1 hr 1 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Bob’s Hill Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
2.6 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
349 m
Typical duration
1 hr 5 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Red Maple Trail

Maryland · United States

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
51 m
Typical duration
24 min
  • Waymarked route

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Overlook Cliff TrailMaryland1.1 km36 m17 minModerateApril to October
Blue Ridge Summit TrailMaryland2.8 km35 m38 minModerateApril to October
Gwynns Falls Trail (Outbound)Maryland18.0 km95 m3 hr 59 minModerateApril to October
Cliff TrailMaryland1.1 km101 m23 minModerateApril to October
Mountain Loop TrailMaryland5.2 km210 m1 hr 23 minModerateApril to October
Seneca Ridge TrailMaryland10.7 km179 m2 hr 30 minModerateApril to October
Thurmont Vista Loop TrailMaryland3.8 km98 m56 minModerateApril to October
Thurmont Vista OverlookMaryland0.8 km58 m15 minModerateApril to October
Yellow Poplar TrailMaryland11.9 km301 m2 hr 56 minModerateApril to October
Stone Fort TrailMaryland3.6 km162 m59 minModerateApril to October

Overlook Cliff Trail, Blue Ridge Summit Trail, Gwynns Falls Trail (Outbound) currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

Frequently asked questions

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Choosing a route

How to choose a hike beyond the difficulty label

Compare distance, climbing, route shape and missing information to build a shortlist that fits your day.

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Understanding the map

Read an elevation profile without misreading the climb

Understand total ascent, net height change, profile scale and the section breakdown on each mapped route.

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Planning your day

Build a hiking time plan with room for your own pace

Separate moving time, climbing allowance and stops, then explore how changing your assumptions changes the plan.

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