5-state trail · National Scenic Trail

Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail

710 mi long · across 5 states · centroid 45 mi from Washington

The Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail is a network of roughly 710 miles of disjoint trails connecting the Potomac River corridor from the Chesapeake Bay through the Appalachian Plateau. Designated in 1983, it is administered as a network of partner trails (including the C&O Canal Towpath) rather than a single continuous footpath.

States: DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
Length: 710 mi
Trail type: National Scenic Trail
Network: National (nwn)
Centroid nearest city: Washington, DC · 45 mi · ~1.3 hr drive
Centroid coords: 39.2326°, -77.7619°
Official site: www.nps.gov/pohe
OSM relations: 2 sub-relations on OpenStreetMap

From Wikipedia: The Potomac Heritage Trail, also known as the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail or the PHT, is a designated National Scenic Trail corridor spanning parts of the mid-Atlantic region of the United States that will connect various trails and historic sites in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. The trail network includes 710 miles (1,140 km) of existing and planned sections, tracing the natural, historical, and cultural features of the Potomac River corridor, the upper Ohio River watershed in Pennsylvania and western Maryland, and a portion of the Rappahannock River watershed in Virginia. The trail is managed by the National Park Service and is one of three National Trails that are official NPS units. Excerpt from the Wikipedia article on Potomac Heritage Trail, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Termini

Start & end

Southern terminus: Mount Vernon, Virginia.

Northern terminus: Conemaugh Gorge, Pennsylvania.

Plan your hike

Practical notes

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 Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.

Stay nearby

Affiliate · disclosed

Driving in? The nearest documented metro is Washington, DC — 45 miles away (~1.3 hr drive). See accommodation in Washington on Booking.com → RoamFound earns a small commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you. How we handle affiliate links.

Other trails within 50 miles

16 nearby

Maryland · 166 mi

ADT - Maryland - Seg 4

6 miles from this trail's centroid

Maryland

Tuscalachian Loop

21 miles from this trail's centroid

Maryland · 252 mi

Tuscarora Trail

25 miles from this trail's centroid

Maryland

Pine Grove Trail

25 miles from this trail's centroid

Maryland

Seneca Creek Greenway

27 miles from this trail's centroid

Maryland · 27 mi

Catoctin National Recreation Trail

28 miles from this trail's centroid

Sources

Public data + curation

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.