Looking down the Potomac
Looking up the Shenandoah
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Standing at the tip of Harpers Ferry it is pretty obvious why it was an important location for much of the country's history. The dramatic, narrow valley where the Shenandoah flows into the Potomac is the natural way west from Washington DC, whether by foot, rail or water. Today the little village is a mix of National Historic Park and regular village.
This was the second time I've been to Harpers Ferry and I made the same mistakes both times! First, I visited late in the afternoon in the off-season after touring Antietam. There wasn't much activity in town. Second, instead of driving into the town I stopped at the park's visitor's center and took the bus. There's nothing wrong with the bus, and it's probably necessary during peak times, but it just added a bunch of dead time to my visit. Next time I'm definitely visiting much earlier in the day.
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