The Potomac Heritage Trail, also known as the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail or the PHT, is a designated National Scenic Trail corridor spanning parts of the mid-Atlantic and upper southeastern regions of the United States that will connect various trails and historic sites in the states of Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. The trail network includes 830 miles (1,340 km) of existing and planned sections, tracing the outstanding natural, historical, and cultural features of the Potomac River corridor, the upper Ohio River watershed in Pennsylvania and western Maryland, and a portion of the Rappahannock River watershed in Virginia.
Unlike many long-distance hiking trails such as the Appalachian Trail, the Potomac Heritage Trail is a general route with numerous side trails and alternatives, some in parallel on each side of the river. Currently, many of these are separate, connected to the others only by roads. Potomac Heritage Trail: A Hiker's Guide is a guidebook addressing the PHT's various sections, and some intervening or adjacent areas. The guidebook The C&O Companion is useful for this major section of the PHT. Also, Potomac Heritage Explorer (collected by an informal network of Trail advocates) suggests some ways to experience the PHT corridor.
The PHT crosses another National Scenic Trail, the Appalachian Trail, near Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. The PHT also coincides with the American Discovery Trail along the portion of the C&O Canal Towpath from Oldtown, Maryland to Washington, D.C.
Read more about Potomac Heritage Trail: Initial Sections, Completed and Planned Sections, Potomac Heritage Trail Association
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