About the neighborhood
The Maryland Scenic Byways system consists of nineteen byways that pass through scenic and historic areas across the U.S. state of Maryland, with four of them designated as National Scenic Byways and two of them designated as All-American Roads. The byways pass through a variety of surroundings, such as the mountains of Western Maryland, the rolling countryside in the northern part of the state, urban sites in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., areas, small towns and wildlife areas along the Chesapeake Bay, and beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. The byways also serve historical sites ranging from colonial settlement, the War of 1812, and the American Civil War, along with byways that follow the historic routes of the National Road, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and the Underground Railroad.
Historic National Road
The Historic National Road Scenic Byway travels from Keysers Ridge to Baltimore along the historic route of the National Road, a road that connected Baltimore to Vandalia, Illinois. The road is designated an All-American Road.
The byway enters Maryland in Garrett County along US 40, following that route to Keysers Ridge. Here, the National Road follows US 40 Alternate, heading through the Savage River State Forest and reaching Grantsville, where the Casselman Bridge is located. The road passes through Frostburg, where the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad is located, and La Vale, where the La Vale Tollgate House is located. The byway comes to Cumberland, which has many historic transportation sites. From Cumberland, the Historic National Road Scenic Byway follows Henderson Avenue and Baltimore Street to I-68, continuing east on I-68 before splitting onto MD 144 and passing through Rocky Gap State Park and Green Ridge State Forest. At this point, the byway follows US 40 Scenic and crosses Sideling Hill. The byway follows MD 144 again and continues to Hancock, where the byway has access to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the Western Maryland Rail Trail.
Past Hancock, the Historic National Road Scenic Byway follows I-70 before splitting onto US 40, with a detour along MD 56 and MD 68 providing access to Fort Frederick State Park. The byway continues to Hagerstown, which has South Prospect Street Historic District among other historic sites. In Hagerstown, the byway runs along Franklin Street, Locust Street, Baltimore Street, and Frederick Street. After Hagerstown, the Historic National Road Scenic Byway follows US 40 Alternate through Funkstown to Boonsboro, where Washington Monument State Park is located. At this point, the byway crosses the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and heads across South Mountain State Park. The road continues through Middletown and reaches Frederick, where the byway heads onto US 40. In Frederick, the byway has access to the National Museum of Civil War Medicine and Rose Hill Manor. Past Frederick, the National Scenic Road Scenic Byway continues along MD 144 and passes through New Market before reaching Mount Airy, where it briefly follows MD 27 before following MD 144 again. The byway reaches Ellicott City, which is home to the Ellicott City Station and the Thomas Isaac Log Cabin, before crossing Patapsco Valley State Park. The road continues through Catonsville before heading into Baltimore. Here, the Historical National Road Scenic Byway heads along Lombard Street, passing through the Union Square neighborhood before passing by the B&O Railroad Museum and ending at the Inner Harbor.
Mountain Maryland
The Mountain Maryland Scenic Byway loops across the mountains of Western Maryland.
The byway begins in Keysers Ridge and follows I-68 west to Friendsville, where Youghiogheny River Lake is located. At this point, the byway continues south along MD 42 toward US 219. The Mountain Maryland Scenic Byway followed US 219 to McHenry, which is home to Wisp Ski Resort and Deep Creek Lake State Park. The byway heads west on Mayhew Inn Road and Swallow Falls Road, coming to Swallow Falls State Park. A spur on Cranesville Road provides access to Cranesville Swamp Preserve. The Mountain Maryland Scenic Byway continues south along Herrington Manor Road and comes to Herrington Manor State Park before heading to the historic town of Oakland. From Oakland, the byway follows MD 135 through Mountain Lake Park and Deer Park, coming to the Potomac-Garrett State Forest. A detour in the state forest follows MD 560. There are also diversions along MD 495 to rural areas of the Allegany Highlands, MD 38 to Kitzmiller, and Savage River Road to the Savage River State Forest. The mainline of the byway continues to descend Backbone Mountain on MD 135 before heading along MD 36. Along MD 36, the byway passes through Lonaconing and Midland, which were company coal mining towns. The Mountain Maryland Scenic Byway continues through Frostburg before passing through Mount Savage and the Cumberland Narrows and ending in Cumberland.
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Scenic Byway runs between Cumberland and Washington, D.C., following the towpath of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, a canal that operated along the Potomac River between 1828 and 1924.
The byway begins in Cumberland, a transportation center that is home to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Visitor Center and Canal Place, and follows MD 51 out of the city. The road passes through Spring Gap Recreation Area and Green Ridge State Forest. The byway comes to the Paw Paw Tunnel and crosses the North Branch Potomac River into Paw Paw, West Virginia, following WV 9 and US 522 through a portion of West Virginia. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Scenic Byway crosses the North Branch Potomac River back into Maryland at Hancock, which is home to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Museum and Visitors Center. The byway runs along MD 144 and I-70 before splitting onto MD 56 and coming to Fort Frederick State Park. From here, the byway continues along the canal towpath, running along MD 56, MD 68, and MD 63 before following MD 65. The road comes to Sharpsburg, which is near the Antietam National Battlefield. From Sharpsburg, the byway continues south along MD 34 and Harpers Ferry Road, with a detour along US 340 to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Scenic Byway heads east on MD 478 into Brunswick, which is the location of the Brunswick Heritage Museum and a Visitor Center. The byway continues along MD 464 to Point of Rocks, which is where the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad met the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. From here, the byway follows MD 28 across the Monocacy Natural Resource Management Area, with a spur leading to Sugarloaf Mountain. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Scenic Byway heads south on MD 109 into Poolesville, where the John Poole House and the Seneca Schoolhouse is located. A side route on the byway heads west to the White's Ferry across the Potomac River. Another branch off the byway runs through areas protected by the Montgomery County, Maryland Agricultural Reserve, with the road continuing along MD 118 to Germantown, a small town with antique shops. The mainline of the byway continues through Seneca Creek State Park and picks up MD 190 (River Road), continuing along the canal towpath. The byway turns south onto Falls Road and comes to the Great Falls of the Potomac River. From here, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Scenic Byway heads east along MacArthur Boulevard before continuing onto the Clara Barton Parkway. The road has access to the Clara Barton National Historic Site before reaching Washington, D.C., and continuing to Georgetown.
Antietam Campaign
The Antietam Campaign Scenic Byway runs from White's Ferry and Sharpsburg. The byway offers access to sites related to the Battle of Antietam of the American Civil War, which took place in September 1862 and was the bloodiest day in the war. The route roughly follows the path of the Maryland Campaign took by Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
The Antietam Campaign Scenic Byway begins in White's Ferry, the site of a ferry crossing where Lee crossed into Maryland from Virginia. The byway follows Whites Ferry Road to Poolesville, which is home to the John Poole House. From here, the byway continues north on MD 109, passing through Beallsville and Barnesville before reaching Comus, where Lee's army won a rearguard action. From Comus, the Antietam Campaign Scenic Byway continues west on Comus Road and Mt. Ephraim Road, crossing Sugarloaf Mountain, which served as a lookout for troops. The byway reaches Dickerson and follows MD 28 across the Monocacy Natural Resource Management Area. The route continues north onto MD 85 and passes through Buckeystown. At this point, the byway follows Michaels Mill Road and Baker Valley Road to the Monocacy National Battlefield, which was site of the Battle of Monocacy in 1864, a battle that was known as "The Battle That Saved Washington". The byway continues north on MD 355 to Frederick, which has the National Museum of Civil War Medicine and the Barbara Fritchie House. From Frederick, the Antietam Campaign Scenic Byway follows US 40 and US 40 Alternate before turning south onto MD 17. The road passes near South Mountain State Park in an area where several small battles were fought prior to the Battle of Antietam. The byway crosses South Mountain and continues north on MD 67 to Boonsboro, which has a museum with Civil War artifacts. At this point, the Antietam Campaign Scenic Byway continues west on MD 34 to Sharpsburg. Along this stretch of road, it passes through the Antietam National Battlefield, which preserves the site of the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862.
Journey Through Hallowed Ground
The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway is a National Scenic Byway that runs from Monticello, Virginia, to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with the Maryland portion running from Point of Rocks to Emmitsburg, passing through the Catoctin Mountain area. The byway was formerly known as the Catoctin Mountain Scenic Byway.
The byway enters Maryland from Virginia in Point of Rocks, which is the historic meeting point of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. From here, the byway follows US 15 and US 340 north to Frederick, which has many historic sites. The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway continues along US 15 before branching onto MD 806 and passing by the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo. The road continues into Thurmont, where the Roddy Road Covered Bridge is located. From here, the byway continues along US 15 to Emmitsburg, which is home to the Mason and Dixon Discovery Center and St. Joseph's College and Mother Seton Shrine The byway continues north from Emmittsburg to the Pennsylvania border.
From Thurmont, a loop of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway heads west on MD 77 across Catoctin Mountain and reaches Cunningham Falls State Park, which is home to Catoctin Furnace. At this point, Catoctin Mountain Park, which contains the Camp David Presidential retreat, is to the north of the road. The byway continues to Smithsburg. From Smithsburg, the loop of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway heads south to Wolfsville and follows MD 17 through a valley. The byway heads onto Highland School Road, which reaches the summit of Catoctin Mountain, before heading onto Gambrill Park Road into Gambrill State Park. The loop continues east on US 40 toward Frederick.
Old Main Streets
The Old Main Streets Scenic Byway loops through small rural towns across the northern part of Maryland between Emmitsburg and Mount Airy.
The upper loop of the byway begins in Emmitsburg, which is home to St. Joseph's College and Mother Seton Shrine. From here, the byway continues south along US 15 to Thurmont, which is a small town at the foot of Catoctin Mountain that is home to several covered bridges. The Old Main Streets Scenic Byway continues east on MD 77, passing through the community of Detour, which developed along the Western Maryland Railway. The byway continues east on Middleburg Road and reaches Uniontown, a small village with many country homes and the Uniontown Academy. Uniontown Road continues east to Westminster, which is home to McDaniel College and the Carroll County Farm Museum. From Westminster, the byway heads northwest on MD 140 and MD 832 to Taneytown, which was founded as an agricultural trading center. The upper loop of the Old Main Streets Scenic Byway continues along MD 140 back to Emmitsburg.
From Uniontown, the lower loop of the Old Main Streets Scenic Byway heads south along MD 84 and west along MD 75 to Linwood, which has many Victorian buildings. The next town west is Union Bridge, which is home to the Union Bridge Station. The byway continues southwest through Johnsville to Libertytown, where it turns northeast onto MD 31. The lower loop of the byway passes through the historic town of New Windsor before continuing north of MD 84 and returning to Uniontown.
At Libertytown, a branch of the Old Main Streets Scenic Byway heads east along MD 26 before following Woodville Road, Shirley Bohn Road, and Buffalo Road south through countryside that has several vineyards. The byway heads into Mount Airy and runs through town on MD 808 (Main Street), with nearby recreation. The byway continues along MD 27 to the National Road.
Mason and Dixon
The Mason and Dixon Scenic Byway runs south of the Mason–Dixon line, a line surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in the 1760s to separate Maryland from Pennsylvania. The byway runs through rural areas between Emmitsburg and Appleton.
The byway begins in Emmitsburg, which is home to the Mason and Dixon Discovery Center. From here, it follows MD 140, MD 832, and MD 140 again to Westminster, which is home to the Carroll County Farm Museum. From Westminster, the byway heads north on MD 97 to Union Mills, where the Union Mills Homestead Historic District is located. The Mason and Dixon Scenic Byway runs east along MD 496 before turning south onto MD 30 and passing through Melrose before reaching Manchester, a historic town. The byway heads east on York Street, Millers Station Road, and Alesia Road before continuing south on MD 25. The Mason and Dixon Scenic byway splits east onto Beckleysville Road and heads across the Prettyboy Reservoir. The byway turns east onto Kidds Schoolhouse Road before continuing southeast along Spooks Hill Road, passing near more of the reservoir. The route heads east along Rayville Road and Middletown Road, briefly turning south on York Road before resuming east along Wiseburg Road. The road comes to White Hall, where it crosses the Northern Central Rail Trail. From here, the Mason and Dixon Scenic Byway continues along White Hall Road, turning north onto MD 23 and passing through Drybranch and Norrisville. Here, the byway heads east on MD 136 and runs a short distance south of the Mason–Dixon line separating Maryland from Pennsylvania, reaching Harkins.
Encyclopedic content adapted from the Wikipedia article on Sunshine Bay, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
