Maryland Route Description

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Trail Notes: All trails are blazed with white or off white blotches. There are occasional yellow distance poles scattered along the way. These are usually wrong.

From the kiosk, pick up the Long Pond Trail and proceed down the hill via switchbacks. Reach a stream and follow it down almost to its junction with Fifteen Mile Creek. You will cross the stream several times. As the valley broadens and after the last crossing, the trail becomes a forest road. Soon, you will arrive at a T intersection with another grassy forest road (about 1.7 miles from Old Town Road). To the right will be a huge meadow with a couple of rows of pine trees. To continue with the trip, follow the white blazes to the left.

The forest road will slowly climb up and around a hill. There was a recent reroute off of an old grassy forest road on a footpath to the right. Follow it and arrive at a recently graded lumber road. This is part of the original trail but was reopened for a lumbering project. Turn left and follow the road up hill. Keep an eye out for white blazes and another footpath to your left as the trail leaves the forest road and climbs more steeply to the top of a ridge. Take this trail and climb steadily to a ridge. Ignore the blue blazes near the top on your right. They lead to a campsite. When you reach the next ridge, the trail will make a sharp right and descend along its spine to an area just above Long Pond.

The trail follows an old woods road upstream. There is a log shelter a few hundred yards up the trail on top of a low hill to the left. Continue up Long Pond Trail. At another forest road, turn left uphill and slowly climb up to a wildlife clearing. Cross it and follow the trail out to Dug Hill Road. Reach the road at 1.2 miles from the last steep descent.

Turn right on Dug Hill Road immediately and following it for about one mile before turning off to the right into a grand stand of Hemlocks. The trail is clearly marked with a hiker sign.

Initially this section of trail will be flat and narrow with a steep hill falling off to your right. In about 0.4 miles after leaving Dug Hill Road, you will temporarily descend to Fifteen Mile Creek at a sharp bend with some great campsites and views of the creek. As you make the gradual turn upstream, you will once again be forced to climb steeply up above the canyon only to again descend to yet another campsite at the junction of a small stream.

Cross the stream and climb another smaller hill before descending to the junction with Deep Run and Pine Lick Trail. The trail that follows Deep Run upstream (left) is considered a part of Long Pond Trail. (You will return to this junction and go up Deep Run for the last 14 miles of the hike. We will call it point A.) Deep run may be a challenge to cross during high water periods. Follow Pine Lick Trail up Fifteen Mile Creek along the floodplain for a bit before the trail again climbs steeply to avoid steep banks and flooded areas. Descend again and in about 0.5 miles from the last trail junction, come to a footbridge over the creek.

Cross the creek and begin a steep ¼ mile climb. You will gain 300 feet in that short distance. The trail forks near the crest of the hill. Take the left fork descending back to Fifteen Mile Creek.

The Pine Lick Trail roughly follows Fifteen Mile Creek, going under I-68 and crossing Rt40/Fifteen Mile Creek Road at 2.1 miles from the last fork.

Cross the road and continue to follow the trail on the other side. It will cross a stream in a couple of places. The trail does not always begin right on the other side so look around. In about 0.4 miles from crossing, the road recrosses Fifteen Mile Creek Road. In 0.7 miles, arrive at primitive campsite #1 with picnic table. Pine Lick trail loops around the campsite and crosses the driveway close to the base of a hill. There is no sign. It can be hard to locate. The trail climbs part way up the hill on a very narrow foot path. You will pass through a nice stand of Hemlocks and descend to the creek for a bit. You will traverse a lesser hill and at 0.7 miles from the start, cross the creek on a foot bridge, and come out on Fifteen Mile Creek Road.

Turn right onto the road and cross over a bridge and culvert. There will be a rope swing over a swimming hole in the creek to the right. After crossing the bridge and culvert turn left to regain Pine Lick Trail. There is no sign, but there is an old register.

You will cross Pine Lick several times. In 0.59 miles, arrive at the southern junction with Twin Oaks Trail. (You will descend on this trail later.) Continue up Pine Lick for another 0.3 miles to a shelter on your right.

In about 0.4 miles from the shelter, you will leave the valley, climbing steeply over a short distance to gain a ridge. In another 0.3 miles, come to an unsigned fork in the trail. Stay to the left, following the blazes.

In 0.25 miles, arrive at the back of Campsite #5. The trail turns left here and parallels Double Pine Road. It is easy to miss this and end up on a road. Watch for the blazes! At 0.17 miles, a trail continues straight down the hill to Old Cumberland Road. Do not follow this trail but turn right onto a blazed trail for a short distance and arrive at Double Pine Road. The old schoolhouse is to your left on Old Cumberland Road with a view into PA. Twin Oaks Trail begins on an old woods road on the other side of Double Pine Road. There is a sign.

Take care! Although I believe this old road later links up with the trail again, Twin Oaks Trail quickly turns left onto a foot path, leaving the road behind. The trail follows an unnamed hollow for a bit, eventually descending to the stream before climbing to the ridge, and rejoining the old woods road at a wildlife clearing and pine grove 0.69 miles after originally leaving the road. As you leave the pine grove the road eventually breaks down into a foot path and climbs over a ridge with a nice view of more easterly mountains. The hollow below you seems to be struggling to recover either from a fire or a long ago clear cut.

Descend to the bottom of the hollow. Blazes are scarce here due to a shortage of standing timber to paint on. Cross two streams steeping up onto a wide woods road after the last. As you reach the crest of the hill, there will be two “hiker posts” guiding you to make a hard right turn onto yet another woods road. This junction is approximately 0.62 from the last wildlife clearing.

As you approach yet another crest at 0.42 miles from the previous woods road junction, the trail leaves the road on a foot path on the right marked with a ” hiker post”. Gradually climb for 0.25 miles and cross Double Pine Road again.

In a few yards, come out onto a woods road. To the right is a yellow forest gate and campsite #10. Turn left onto the forest road and then to the left again onto a footpath. Descend to the junction with Pine Lick Trail that you passed earlier. Turn left here and retrace your steps aaaaallllll the way back to “Pont A” at the junction of Long Pond Trail and Deep Run.
For the next 13 miles or so, you will probably have wet feet. Turn right following Deep Run and crossing it about six times in 0.5 miles before arriving at Fifteen Mile Creek Road. These may be rock hops.

Turn right onto Fifteen Mile Creek Road. Cross the bridge and immediately turn left into a parking area with kiosk to pick up Deep Run/Big Run Trail, aka Wellsely Hollow Trail. (I forgot to annotate distances on the map for this segment, but they are given here.) Follow this trail upstream, crossing it several times before crossing Mertens Ave (a gravel road) at around 4 miles.

In another mile, the trail crosses over a hill to the Big Run drainage. Follow it for about 1.5 miles, arriving at Kirk Road. Turn right up Kirk Road, fording Big Run. Cross Green Ridge Road to a drive up overlook and pick up the Log Roll Trail. This might not be signed but is obvious. In about 1.25 miles, cross Pack Horse Trail Road.

In another 0.75 miles, cross Green Ridge Road again. Descend along a feeder stream to Big Run. The trail will turn right (downstream) and cross the run several times, the last time on a bridge. Follow a boardwalk out to Route 51. Cross it to access the parking area for the C&O Canal.

Driving Directions
 

To the Start

1. Take I-68 East through Cumberland and past Flintstone.

2. Take Exit 68. At end of ramp, bear right onto Orleans Road.

3. Follow Orleans Road to its junction with Old Town Road. Turn right onto Old Town Road.

4. Pass a private campground on the right. The road becomes gravel. In a couple of miles look for a small Forest kiosk on the right with a trailhead stake. There is parking for about four cars on the left. This is the start of the hike.
 

To the Finish

5. There is a way to drive through the forest to get to the other end, but the roads are rough, windy, and dusty. It is best if you drive back out to I-68 and go West to Fifteen Mile Creek Road.

6. At the end of the ramp, take Fifteen Mile Creek Road South. Pass Green Ridge Forest sign.

7. Pass Piclic Road and Sugar Bottom Road on the right.

8. Cross White Sulfur Run on a single lane bridge.

9. Come to a “Y” intersection and bear right onto Green Ridge Road and follow to its end at Route 51.

10. Turn left onto Route 51. Watch for a turnoff and parking on the right for the C&O Canal just before crossing Big Run. (It’s a small bridge so watch out!) Park here. The trail comes out is on the other side of Route 51.