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Moderate Hiking Trails near Frederick

The directory currently contains 36 quality-checked routes matching this guide near Frederick. Their average mapped distance is 4.9 km and average recorded ascent is 151 m (495 ft); the longest route in the set is 13.8 km.

This subset represents 41% of the 88 quality-checked routes near Frederick. Its average distance is 4.9 km, compared with 8.1 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 151 m (495 ft), versus 117 m (384 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 9 (25%) 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

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

Maryland · United States

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
35 m
Typical duration
38 min
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
  • Panoramic viewpoint
Moderate

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

Maryland · United States

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

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

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

Maryland · United States

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

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

Maryland · United States

Distance
3.6 km
/ 2.2 mi
Elevation gain
162 m
Typical duration
59 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

Distance
11.4 km
/ 7.1 mi
Elevation gain
452 m
Typical duration
3 hr 3 min
Seneca Schoolhouse Museum in the Seneca Historic District
Moderate

Maryland · United States

Distance
9.4 km
/ 5.9 mi
Elevation gain
142 m
Typical duration
2 hr 11 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Maryland · United States

Distance
3.2 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
90 m
Typical duration
48 min
Moderate

Maryland · United States

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

Maryland · United States

Distance
4.1 km
/ 2.5 mi
Elevation gain
20 m
Typical duration
53 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Maryland · United States

Distance
8.7 km
/ 5.4 mi
Elevation gain
137 m
Typical duration
2 hr 1 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Maryland · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
52 m
Typical duration
28 min
Moderate

Maryland · United States

Distance
2.4 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
37 m
Typical duration
33 min

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
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
Ten Mile Creek TrailMaryland13.8 km218 m3 hr 13 minModerateApril to October

Overlook Cliff Trail, Blue Ridge Summit Trail, Mountain Loop Trail 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.

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