Maryland offers a great variety of trails for day hikes. The trails range from the rugged Appalachian Trail to the paved Western Maryland Rail Trail, to the wooden boards of the Havre de grace Boardwalk. The scenery offered by these wonderful trays includes mountains, hills, rivers, bays and oceans. No matter your hiking ability or your outdoors preferences chances are Maryland has a trail for you. Taking a look at trails in coastal, central, and western Maryland we will find the best day hikes in Maryland.
Spend a day hiking by the Chesapeake Bay. You could hike the Old School House-Holly Tree Loop on Wye Island and see a cove and a "a 250-year-old holly tree." Another choice with be the Calvert Cliffs State Park on Solomon's Island. In this state park you can hike trails leading to white sand beaches along the Chesapeake Bay or look for fossils along the sandstone cliffs. The three fourth mile promenade at Havre de grace offers an easy scenic hike. Highlights include the Concord Point Lighthouse, the Maritime Museum, and Decoy Museum. Near Havre de grace is the Susquehanna State Park having additional hiking trails.
Central Maryland offers a lot of choices for a wonderful day hike. The famous Appalachian Trail which runs from Georgia to Maine runs through Maryland. In fact the trail runs forty miles through Maryland from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia to Pennsylvania. The Appalachian Trail can be broken up into smaller trails to make a more manageable hike. I like hiking from the over pass on Route 40 over interstate 70, which would be on the Frederick County, Washington County border. There is ample parking and you can hike from there to the Washington Monument. Not the Washington Monument in Washington, DC but to the Nation's first monument to honor George Washington near Boonsboro. If you hike in the other direction, you can hike to some rocks which will give you a scenic view of the valley. This is also located very close to the Greenbrier State Park which offers additional hiking trails, picnic areas, and a campground. They also offer a Nature Center, a lake with a white sand beach, boats, volleyball, and fishing. Further west is the Western Maryland Rail Trail which is paved. This trail is located near Hancock, Maryland. The trail is about thirty miles west of Hagerstown. This trail is great to ride a bicycle on but can also be walked. The trail offers scenic views of the Potomac River, Apple Groves, woods and mountains. Wildlife is plentiful. Deer are common sights. In summer box turtles and snakes can be found. In the lochs turtles are abundant. I have also seen a Great Horned Owl while biking on this trail. The C&O Trail runs parallel to the Western Maryland Trail and offers a bigger trail. Nearby to both is Fort Frederick State Park. Fort Frederick has quite a history seeing action in the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War. Sharpsburg is another historic site not to be missed along the C&O Trail.
Further west I would recommend the trails in Garrett County. This is where the higher elevation is and a word of caution snow is common from November into April in this area. There are several parks located near Deep Creek Lake, which is the largest manmade lake in Maryland. The Potomac River, Garrett Trail, Meadow Mountain, Negro Mountain, and Savage Mountain trail systems offer some exciting hiking trails in western Maryland. This region is also where Black Bears are common.
Maryland has interesting hiking trails for anyone. If you like the coast and the salt air there is a trail for you. If you like history there is a trail for you. If you like rugged wilderness there is a trail for you. If you want a close escape from the city life and still want to be back home on the same day Maryland has a trail for you.