Hagerstown – Washington County,
Maryland
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Lloyd Ston
With the Potomac River, numerous creeks, streams,
lakes and wildlife management areas, Hagerstown-Washington County offers the very best of
Maryland’s freshwater fishing opportunities; large and
small mouthed bass, trout and catfish are plentiful.
Public lands across the county offer dense white-tailed
deer populations, wild turkey, duck and an abundance
of small game.
The Appalachian Trail, has 40 miles of trail in Maryland and its geographical center is found in Washington County, MD. The majority of the trail follows along
the ridge crest of South Mountain, a famous Civil War
Battlefield. The Appalachian Trail joins the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath at the Potomac River.
Indian Springs Wildlife Management Area’s 6,400 acres is a
wildlife haven, with sites of pioneer homesteads that serve as
reminders of the harsh life of settlers in Western Maryland.
During the Civil War, Fairview Mountain (located in the area)
was a military signal post for Union forces. The wildlife management land includes a bow hunting area for deer hunting.
The wildlife refuge has a self-guided nature trail and trout are
stocked in the Indian Springs Pond and in Blair’s Valley Lake
(which has a public boat launching area). Field trials for hunting dogs are held here six times a year. The WMA is also popular for collecting edible wild mushrooms – chefs come from
across the USA to dig these delectable!
Seventy-eight miles of the 184 mile C&O Canal towpath