Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail

The Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail is a network of locally managed trails in a corridor through the many contrasting landscapes in the region between the mouth of the Potomac River and the Allegheny Highlands. Over 830 miles of existing and planned trails are recognized as segments of this National Scenic Trail. The BLM Eastern States manages sections of the trail as it crosses Douglas Point in St. Charles County, Maryland, and the Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA) on the historic Mason Neck Peninsula in Northern Virginia. These areas located near to the Maryland and Virginia shorelines of the Potomac River, and host diverse plant and animal populations among historic sites dating back to the 18th century. The trail itself is a history lesson. A boundary between northern and southern states, the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail also pierced the west into the North American interior. This trail has been a crossroads of opportunity, diversity, and conflict, including portions of the Underground Railroad, which carried escaped slaves across the Potomac River into freedom.