Washington Monument Overlook - Boonsboro, MD
N 39° 30.027 W 077° 37.391
18S E 274447 N 4375599
Walk a quarter mile or so along the Appalachian Trail from the parking lot in this historic state park and you will be at a very high overlook/outcrop, gazing deep into the valley below. Go into the tower for a 360 degree view.
Waymark Code: WMC9F9
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 08/12/2011
Views: 16
This waymark is NOT for the tower, rather the patio or courtyard below on the ground which overlooks the valley.
Whether it is on the ground or forty feet in the air atop the Washington Monument here in the South Mountain woods, along the Appalachian Trail, the view is breathtaking. No wonder both sides during the Civil War used it for a lookout post. The view is spectacular and gives the enemy (depending on where you live) a strategic advantage. In case you are not sure about your view or what you are seeing, you can go up stairs to the top of the tower and read the two orientation tables to give you a better idea of what you are viewing. There was someone else there who lives locally having lunch. He was sitting down and staring into the scenic abyss. I was able to see the Antietam Battlefield, Sharpsburg, the Hagerstown, Potomac, Cumberland, and Middletown Valleys, and parts of neighboring states are visible such as West Virginia. Directly in front of this lookout point is a huge boulder field, very scenic in its own right.
Before you begin your 8 minute hike, there are water fountains, rest rooms, benches and other amenities at the trailhead area. By the way, my GPSr recorded the elevation as 1,503 feet ASL.