Charcoal Trail

Grab your hammer, tongs and leather chaps and prepare to hike back in history along the Charcoal Trail. Once revered as the necessary fuel source for running iron smelters, the dense forests of Catoctin now provide visitors with a forested lens into the area's rich industrial history. Starting to the right of the bulletin board at the Thurmont Vista Parking Area, follow the trail south as it loops past numerous interpretive signs detailing the straining work of charcoal making and its usefulness in the iron-smelting industry. Soon, the trail's smooth tread loops you back to the parking area where you started.