Eastern Panhandle Paddle & Hike
The closest real outdoors to Washington and Baltimore: warm rivers, the Appalachian Trail, and a spa town to finish in.
Day by day
Harpers Ferry
- 8:00 amMaryland Heights before the town fills. Steep 4–5 miles round trip to the overlook above the confluence.
- 12:00 pmLunch in town. Visit the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquarters, which is free.
- 2:30 pmTube or paddle the Shenandoah through the Staircase rapids with an outfitter shuttle.
- 7:00 pmDinner in Harpers Ferry or Shepherdstown.
West to the Cacapon
- 9:00 amDrive west. Half-day canoe float on the Cacapon, clear and gentle with good smallmouth.
- 2:00 pmCacapon Resort State Park: the Ziler Loop to the mountain overlook, or Prospect Peak by car.
- 4:30 pmFinish in Berkeley Springs at the mineral baths, the oldest spa in the country.
Before you go
Book ahead
- A tubing or raft shuttle from a Harpers Ferry outfitter
- Parking is limited in town; the visitor centre shuttle is the reliable option
What to bring
- River shoes. The Shenandoah bed is rocky
- Water and sun protection for Maryland Heights, which is steep and exposed in places
- Cash for shuttle tips and small-town lunches
By late August the Cacapon can be too low to float. The Shenandoah and Potomac hold water longer.
Outfitters and lodging on this route
Itinerary pages carry the highest booking intent on the site. Placement is sold per route.
List your business hereWhere you'll be
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Where the Shenandoah meets the Potomac and three states meet at once, with the Appalachian Trail running straight through town and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquartered a block off Washington Street.
Shenandoah & Potomac Rivers
The Shenandoah's Staircase rapids above Harpers Ferry give Class I–III whitewater in a resort-town setting, while the Potomac below the confluence spreads wide and slow for tubing and flatwater.
Cacapon River
One of the finest gentle canoe rivers in the East — clear, shallow, warm and slow, winding through farmland and forest with reliable smallmouth fishing and easy multi-day trips.
Cacapon Resort State Park
6,000 acres on Cacapon Mountain near Berkeley Springs, with a lodge, a Robert Trent Jones golf course, a lake beach and a trail system climbing to the 2,300-foot ridge.
Berkeley Springs State Park
The oldest spa in the country — warm mineral springs flowing at a constant 74°F that George Washington visited as a young surveyor.