I’m Thru hiking again this year and about to get into Harpers Ferry today or Sunday, June 11. I would like to take a few days off and see Antietam National Battlefield as I’m a Civil War buff. Can anyone give me some tips on what would be the best way to get there, place to stay (On the cheap)A ride. Any help would be great…
One Thing
My family and I just hiked from the Hostel at Harpers Ferry to the Antietam Creek Campground on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath, hiked the Battlefield, and hiked back. Ray and Loretta at the Hostel may be able to shuttle you for a price or you could do it the way we did. It is about 10.5 miles from the Hostel to the campground and about 3.5 miles from the campground to the Visitor’s center. The local Boy Scout Councils have two publications you may want to use. “184 miles of Adventure, Hiking the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath” and “Antietam Military Trail”. Both, are readily available at the Antietam Visitors Center and you may be able to get one of them at the Harpers Ferry National Historic Site Bookstore.
BassClarinetman
You might want to skip Antietam on your thru-hike because it would be hard to get there and enjoy it without a car. Later you could come back in a car to see Antietam, Gettysburg, and Manassas. All of them are absolutely wonderful.
The battlefields keep getting better. At Antietam, they put in a trail so you can walk across the Cornfield. At Gettysburg, they buried the power lines that ran along the Emmittsburg Road and cut down many of the trees between that road and Cemetery Ridge. Manassas is a huge battlefield with miles and miles of hiking trails.
Don’t come in the summer. The heat is too oppressive. The Fall or Spring are much nicer.
But, if you insist on going to Antietam, be sure to see the short movie they show. I must have watched it 15 times.
Bob J