In 1919, Congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment, ushering in the Prohibition era and forcing distilleries to move their business underground. Hidden up in the mountains—but close to large markets in Baltimore and Washington, DC—many so-called “moonshiners” turned to the Catoctin Mountain region of northern Maryland to reestablish their business. The most famous whiskey operation was …
Continue reading Blue Blazes Whiskey Trail (Catoctin Mountain Park, MD)
Piscataway Park in southwest Maryland features a mix of riparian forests, grasslands, and marshes within an hour’s drive of Washington, DC. While most visitors will flock to the National Colonial Farm (which itself boasts several hiking trails), the Accokeek Creek area offers a more natural experience, with ample opportunities to spot birds—eagles, herons, and ospreys …
Continue reading Accokeek Creek Marsh Boardwalk & Mockley Point Trail (Piscataway Park, MD)
Situated inside Maryland’s Piscataway Park, the Accokeek Foundation, an education non-profit, runs the 200-acre National Colonial Farm along the banks of the Potomac River. In addition to live barnyard animals, the farm features a series of interlocking nature trails, several of which can be combined to form a roughly 2.5-mile circuit around the riverside tract. …
The Woodlot Trail is a short, one-way nature hike in Maryland’s Oxon Cove Park that—despite being within striking distance of Washington, DC—makes for a surprisingly scenic walk. Meandering in and out of wooded ravines, the hilly traverse follows a deep-cutting stream behind Oxon Hill Farm, ending back at the parking area. The hike The main …
Continue reading Woodlot Trail (Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm, MD)
The Riverbend Road Trail is easily the least interesting of the hikes in northern Virginia’s Great Falls Park and is largely out of the way of the other trails in the park. Those seeking to conquer every trail in the area, however, may find some charms in this short, out-and-back jaunt. Situated in the park’s …
Continue reading Riverbend Road Trail (Great Falls Park, VA)
The Mine Run Trail is an oft-forgotten path nestled in the northwest section of Great Falls Park, away from the namesake waterfall, Mather Gorge, and Potomac River. Mine Run, nonetheless, is a lovely tributary of the Potomac and is the highlight of this pleasant, 0.7-mile stroll. Small cascades dot the creek, shaded under a thick …
- Civil War Series - In the early stages of the Civil War in 1862, Union forces quickly seized the Outer Banks of North Carolina during the so-called Burnside Expedition, which led to the creation of a Freedmen’s Colony on Roanoke Island, a safe haven for hundreds of runaway slaves in the region. While the …
Continue reading Freedom Trail (Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, NC)
Now a bustling tourist site on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Roanoke Island was the site of the first English settlement in the New World, established in 1585. For one of the expeditions to the island, English explorers brought along Thomas Hariot, a talented scientist and mathematician tasked with studying and cataloguing the natural resources of …
Continue reading Thomas Hariot Trail (Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, NC)
Situated on Hatteras Island in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Buxton Woods is one of the last undeveloped forests in the area and remains rich in plant and animal life. The Buxton Woods Trail in Cape Hatteras National Seashore provides a short preview of the terrain, forming a 7/10-mile stem-and-loop through the maritime forest. Countless signs …
Continue reading Buxton Woods Trail (Cape Hatteras National Seashore, NC)
The start of the new year offers a time to reflect on the year that was: although other commitments slowed my rate of production in 2018, I still managed to add 37 new posts during the year to Live and Let Hike. Like usual, the quest for hiking had me crisscrossing the country in 2018—from …
Live and Let Hike 