For those who like to Travel: Frederick County, Maryland

Frederick County, Maryland

When you think Maryland, you might have images of clogged streets, sprawling cities, and a lack of natural beauty. I too was drawn to those thoughts when I first moved to Maryland. And while there is some of that stuff listed above, there is also an abundance of beautiful things that can be seen from a bike, on a hike, or from some other form of transportation.

The gem I wish to discuss is Frederick County, MD. While containing one of the largest cities in Maryland, Frederick City, the county remains mostly agricultural. This offers up some wonderful rolling views that no camera can do justice to and many peaceful low traffic roads running through fields, wooded areas, residential areas, and over moderate to steep climbs/descents.

While Maryland is thought to be generally flat, Frederick County offers the opposite. A mostly rolling terrain with several very steep climbs on roads like Hamburg RD, Coxey Brown RD, and MT. Zion RD to name some of the better known.

As with any area there will come time when you might have to ride on a busy road, or cross one which has traffic that riders might find intimidating, but it is fairly easy to tie a series of roads together that have little traffic and a variety of terrains to keep your nerves at ease and you legs challenged.

You might be thinking that this sounds great, but you could experience this type of riding anywhere. To that, I would have to agree. However, it is the abundance of things to do and see that have moved me to write this entry.

Frederick, a historic city with some of the best rated restaurants in Maryland (i.e. the Volt Restaurant), can act as a hub for those looking to travel during the day, and rest comfortably at night. If you prefer rustic, then one of the many campgrounds might suffice.

From Frederick you can travel to places near by to ride. Such as Gambrill State Park for a mountain bike excursion, or hop on you road bike and loop your way through the farm country over to Point of Rocks MD. Possibly even over the bridge to Virginia and West Virginia for some awesome hills and wonderful country roads. In the evening you could travel to one of the many historic battle fields or down to Washington D.C. to see the memorials and Cherry blossoms.

If rail trail or hiking is more your style then you could consider a visit to the C&O Canal. This 184.5 mile trail runs from D.C. to Cumberland Maryland, where it connects up to the Allegheny Extension leading to Pittsburgh. At rail road grade there is almost no elevation gain or loss and has locks and towns along the way that offer photo opportunities and an education. You could even go all the way to historic Harpers Ferry!

Still not your thing? Then e-mail me with your ideas and I will try to find something that fits and is near Frederick or some other awesome town around the Mid-Atlantic!

Close by attractions include:

Gambrill State Park
The Frederick Water Shed
Cunningham Falls State Park
Catoctin National Park
The C&O Canal
George Washington National Forest
Washington D.C.
The Baltimore Aquarium
The Chesapeake Bay, with lot and lots of National Wildlife Refuge areas

There is a lot more off to the eastern coast and to the west in West Virginia. And of course, I can not forget to mention the north, Pennsylvania, in areas like Michaux State Forest. I hope to post on these and more soon!

May your travels be safe and fun!

Later,

Jesse Suders