Interpretive Panels: Junction Trail
in Maryland · centroid 37 mi from Washington
The Junction Trail begins at the Southeast corner of the Monocacy National Battlefield Visitor Center parking lot. Halfway between the bend of the trail and the bridge are two Wayside signs: “Slave to Soldier” and “Nick of Time.” The trail is a well-maintained natural grass, gently rolling loop, approximately one (1) mile long. It starts at the corner of the parking lot and is denoted by a marker and sign.
The trail leads heads South, paralleling the railroad spur tracks. In 1864 this spur line was used for cargo only. The trail borders a farm field planted (rotationally) with crops of corn, alfalfa, soy beans or wheat.
About 3/4 of the way along the east leg of the trail crosses a farm road that extends from Rte. 355 across the railroad tracks to a small farm field to your left. This road, and the small farm field, are NOT accessible to the public.
- States
- Maryland
- Trail type
- National Battlefield trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Washington, DC · 37 mi · ~1.1 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 39.3717°, -77.3913°
About Monocacy National Battlefield
This trail is inside Monocacy National Battlefield, a national battlefield 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/000/interpretive-panels-junction-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/mono/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 Interpretive Panels: Junction Trail 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
Pine Grove Trail
8 miles from this trail's centroid
Catoctin National Recreation Trail
14 miles from this trail's centroid
Seneca Creek Greenway
16 miles from this trail's centroid
Charcoal Exhibit Trail: Preparing the Hearth
19 miles from this trail's centroid
Brown's Farm Trail Stop 9: Forest Succession
20 miles from this trail's centroid
Brown's Farm Trail Stop 8: The Bank Barn
20 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.