Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

767 Shenandoah St, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, USA

Address:	767 Shenandoah St, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, USA
Phone:	+1 304-535-6029
Site:	nps.gov
Rating:	4.7

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 6

Andrew Hunt

The town itself is beautiful and will take your breath away. Explore the vintage-y shops and eat some ice cream. Watch the trains go by as you close your eyes and pretend they are steam engines instead of diesel power. Climb up to Jefferson rock on the wv side and imagine what the town was like in its heyday, read the signs along the river paths that show how the river was harnessed into mechanical power to process cotton, grain, and steel. Explore the battlefields and the fortified embankments surrounding the town and try to put yourself in the shoes of a scared 18 year old in ninety degree weather in a heavy wool and cotton uniform, getting ready to storm the town for the union (or the confederacy, take your pick, as it changed hands fourteen times during the Civil War). If you have time, the single most memorable view in town is from Maryland Heights. The trail is steep but can be completed in a couple hours by most able bodied adults (and in less if youre in good shape). See my photo for the view. Why not 5 stars? I love Harpers Ferry, but the National Park Service makes really weird decisions. One day they closed public access to the park to shoot a documentary, but then they wont let kayakers put in or take out in the park. They strictly require dogs to be leashed, but make no efforts to control the vast flock of aggressive geese that nest in the park and chase children and adults alike. That, and there is very limited parking around the town as the nps prefers to shuttle you in from the park overlook. The town gets crowded on nice weekends in summer and fall, so visit during the week to have it to yourself. Both amtrak and Marylands Marc trains service the train station, and river riders and other rafting companies offer boating and biking trips on the surrounding rivers and the c&o canal towpath.

Emily Steele

Amazing history, amazing landscape, amazing time. Theres several hiking trails, including the Appalachian. Theres three main streets that contain historical buildings. Some you can enter, some you can just look inside. Educational signs everywhere. Theres a small gift shop. Several cafes and shops along High and Potomac St. Current construction that interferes with walking and driving, esp along Potomac St. The park wants you to drive to their visitor center, leave your vehicle there, and ride the shuttle in. Its a 20 min ride with 2 stops. For people like me, with motion sickness, this is impossible. I was very stressed about what to do, as there are only 2 tiny parking lots in the historic district. Theres a paid parking lot at the train station on Potomac, which is small and crowded and we found the last spot available. Theres another paid lot near the entrance on Shenandoah and 340. Also small and youll find a spot if luck is on your side. The last option, other than being dropped off and waiting for your party to arrive by shuttle, is to park at the visitor center and hike in. Itll take about 45min. Its a beautiful route, that has a couple steep areas. Actually, throughout the park there are several steep areas. And on this hot, humid day, those areas felt even steeper. Im not sure if you can park on the Maryland side and walk in across the bridge over the Shenandoah River. If you just stick to the 3 streets, youll need about 2 hours, plus time for shuttle or parking. Add another hour if you choose to eat there. And if you want to see everything, meaning every trail, every relevant point, every building, stop for photos, stop to breathe it in, then I recommend all day. And its so worth it!!! The cliffs, mountains, rocks, rivers, park, trails are just so beautiful I cant wait to go back.

mikecrad29

Admission to the park was $10 per car and we parked at the visitors center and took a free shuttle bus to the town. We opted for the shuttle with the volunteer tour guide and the one hour walking tour, vs. taking a different shuttle that went directly into town and just dropped people off at a bus stop. The shuttle for the one hour walking tour was on a Sunday at 11AM and the only way we knew about it was because it was posted outside of the visitors center. This information was NOT on their web site. The web site said that the guided tour was at 2PM. Fortunately, we got there just before the tour shuttle bus left. It was worth paying the $10 to park because trying to park in the town would have been a nightmare. The town was very crowded and there were a LOT of vehicles and motorcycles on the streets. Perhaps because the weekend we went in April was the first really warm weekend after a long, very cold winter. The volunteer guide, Jim Prentice, was very knowledgeable and informative. He grew up in Harpers Ferry and his love of the town and its history was very evident during the tour/presentation. Im glad we chose to go on the tour. We learned so much about the history of the town that we otherwise would not have known. After the tour, we were free to go about the town on our own. We were able to take a free shuttle from town back to the visitors center later in the day. However, the last shuttle left at 5:45 PM. I do not know if it runs later on weekdays. I definitely recommend parking at the visitors center, taking a shuttle, and going on the walking tour, if physically able. The tour is not handicapped accessible as there are steep steps in the town that must be navigated.

4 HIS Glory

This historical small town has done a great job of keeping it to its original state. We parked our car at the Harpers Ferry Visitor Center, and took their free shuttle service to the town. There is very limited parking around the town itself, but plenty of parking at the Visitors Center. The museums depict the time of the civil war.The town is small enough to walk through so comfortable footwear with good traction due to the cobblestone streets and steep hills to climb. Atop a hill you will view an old railway overlooking the Potomac and the Shenandoah Rivers. You will enjoy visiting all the shops of various kinds to find treasures, bookstores, displays, antiques, old fashioned candy store, museums. Be sure to pick up a brochure and map along the way. Several restaurants, picnic areas, ice cream shops. Plan to spend a whole day!

Aravind Swami

This must be one of the more beautiful places among the lesser known historical sites. The confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, along with the foot bridge, railway lines, railway tunnel, walk / hike paths, historical buildings, quaint little town - all of these come together to make it a very beautiful place. Highly recommended for a relaxing day trip away from the bustle of DC. The ranger tours are very informative. Worth timing your visit for that. Visitor parking close to the main attractions is very limited. The bigger parking lot is 1.5 miles or so away, and accessible via shuttle service. They should add more picnic tables and such closer to the main attractions. Hopefully it will be so after the current road / parking constructions and renovations are complete.

Miriam Huntsberger

What a delightful entertaining & learning experience! My husband, his Maternal Grandmother& Uncle enjoyed the "day trip" very much. I especially liked the shops & the "atmosphere" of "stepping back in time" created by the local people. I love antiques and older homes, Overall I found many of them were absolutely "historically restored & preserved"! Places like this should be made available to our children in tandem with History class, as a "day trip". It would benefit them in their "retention" of the history lessons and John Brown. I especially liked the connection of 4 states meeting right there from that vantage point , it left a good impression in my memories!