Charcoal Exhibit Trail: Preparing the Hearth
in Maryland · centroid 51 mi from Baltimore
The blackened soil of this forest clearing is an indication that it was once used as a hearth site, with the charcoal darkening the coloration of the soil. Because of the size of charcoal hearths, the clearing needed to be at least 30 to 40 feet in diameter. The area would need to be cleared and raked before the 4-foot logs were assembled into a hearth.
- States
- Maryland
- Trail type
- Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Baltimore, MD · 51 mi · ~1.5 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 39.6436°, -77.4437°
About Catoctin Mountain Park
This trail is inside Catoctin Mountain Park, a park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/charcoal-exhibit-trail-preparing-the-hearth.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/cato/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Charcoal Exhibit Trail: Preparing the Hearth and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Brown's Farm Trail Stop 12: The Spring
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Brown's Farm Trail Stop 2: Wetlands
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Brown's Farm Trail Stop 9: Forest Succession
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Brown's Farm Trail Stop 8: The Bank Barn
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Deerfield Nature Trail Stop 2: Bear Corn
3 miles from this trail's centroid
Deerfield Nature Trail Stop 4: Beech Tree Burl
3 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.