HI-Harpers Ferry

Directions (how to arrive at the hostel):

Our Address
HI-Harpers Ferry
19123 Sandy Hook Road
Knoxville, Maryland 21758

Directions
By Car
To get here from Harpers Ferry National Historic Park, take Route 340 East for about 4 miles (the distance by road is less direct and twice as long as the walking distance). This will take you across the Shenandoah River into Virginia and then across the Potomac River into Maryland. Turn right at the first Maryland exit, which is the 'Keep Tryst Road' exit. Then take the next right onto Sandy Hook Road, and the hostel is the first house on the left.

To get here from Frederick, Maryland take Route 340 West for about 17 miles. Turn left at the last Maryland exit, before crossing the Potomac River into Virginia. That will be the 'Keep Tryst Road' exit. Take the next right onto Sandy Hook Road, and the hostel is the first house on the left.

To get from Washington D.C. to Frederick take Route 270 North for 50 miles. To get from Baltimore to Frederick, take Route 70 West for 50 miles. To get from Harrisburg or Gettysburg to Frederick, take Route 15 South.

By Train
To travel by train, you can take AMTRAK (the Capitol Limited), or you can take the MARC Train (Brunswick Line), both of which run between Harpers Ferry and Union Station in Washington D.C. The MARC Train is very inexpensive (less than fifteen dollars round trip last time we checked), but it only runs on weekdays, with trains going toward D.C. early in the morning and leaving D.C. in the late afternoon and evening. For schedules, call AMTRAK at 1-800-USA-RAIL or MARC at 1-800-325-RAIL. If you get to Harpers Ferry by train, you still have to get to the hostel. You can either take a gorgeous two-mile walk along the Potomac River (simply walk out of the Harpers Ferry Train Station and turn left until you get to the convergence of the two rivers and then proceed on foot), or alternatively you can call a taxi at 304-725-3794 or 301-834-7653.
By Bus
There is a weekday shuttle bus that can pick you up a block from the Greyhound Station in Frederick, Maryland. For bus schedules, call 301-694-2065 on weekdays from 8 AM to 4 PM. The bus will take you to Knoxville, and from there you can walk a couple miles to the hostel. From the Knoxville bus stop, simply walk over to the river, turn right and walk along the C&O Path, leave the C&O Path at the bulletin board just after milepost 58, cross the tracks, take a sharp left on the road, walk a mile, turn left on Sandy Hook Road, and the hostel is the first house on the left. There will be 'AYH' sign along the way.

By Bike
If you are travelling on the C&O Bike Path, exit the C&O Trail at the bulletin board near milepost 58. Once you make this turnoff, cross the tracks, and make a sharp left onto the road. Go one mile to Sandy Hook Road, turn left, and the hostel is the first building on the left. You'll see 'AYH' signs along the way. There are many other ways to get to the hostel by bike, and you may want to get a copy of The Greater Washington Area Bicycle Atlas which is an excellent book for any bicyclist to have.

By Foot
To get here on foot from Harpers Ferry, walk across the Potomac River footbridge. Then turn right and walk for two miles along the C&O Canal/Appalachian Trails (these two trails are one and the same thing for that segment). You will come to the big Route 340 highway bridge overhead, and at that point you can either turn left across the train tracks (Careful! You cross at your own risk.) and then right up the road to the hostel, or you can stay on the C&O/Appalachian Trails for another quarter mile until you come to a trail to the hostel on your left, marked by big blue dots painted on the trees. This blue-blazed trail is convenient for accessing the hostel, but it is steep at some points and crosses frequently used railroad tracks, so you take this route at your own risk. Please exercise caution and common sense. Whichever way you go, the distance from the C&O/Appalachian Trails to the hostel is a quarter mile.
For complete directions to the hostel by public transporation go to www.mtamaryland.com and enter your start address and your end address. For the end address you want to enter 19123 Sandy Hook Road, Knoxville MD 21758.