Emmitsburg Watershed

Hampton Valley Road

The Ride

This ride is under eighteen miles.  Quite rural, it features some 1,500 feet of climbing.

Leaving Emmitsburg you immediately enter farmland and, soon after, begin to climb into the Emmitsburg watershed.  The climbing is fairly steady and often rather steep for the first eight miles.  Subsequently you begin your descent towards the farms and orchards south of Emmitsburg, including  a slow but steady climb up to Mount St. Mary's campus.

Some five miles from the beginning of the ride you will pass by Eyler's Valley Chapel, constructed in 1857.  The stone chapel was re-opened several years ago, and services are held on Sundays. To my understanding there is no electricity nor running water.

As you cross Owen's Creek along Kelbaugh Road, at the ten mile mark , you may wish to extend your ride in return for a refreshment break at Gateway Market and Candy .  Just take a right onto Franklinville Road and ride down to the store.  It's ice cream service is very popular. When finished, return the way you came to Kelbaugh Road.

Just pass the fourteen mile point you have the option to visit the National Shrine Grotto of our Lady of Lourdes.  The ride is less than one mile and slightly uphill to the parking lot, the final stretch to the grotto is steep but doable.

"This beautiful mountain shrine features one of the oldest American replicas of the Lourdes

shrine in France, built about two decades after the apparition of Mary at Lourdes in 1858, and attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each year from all over the world. It offers the occasion for a deepening conversion, a step forward in the journey to God, with Mary as the model for that journey."

Passing the Grotto entrance you will pass through Mt. St. Mary's campus, a catholic university founded in 1808. Thereafter, you will descend, crossing Tom's Creek, and end with a mild climb into Emmitsburg.

Getting there from D.C.

Take 270N and subsequently Route 15 to Emmitsburg, taking the first exit on South Seton Avenue.  Turn left on West Lincoln Avenue (last left before the stop light) and park in the Community Park parking lot at the intersection of West Lincoln and Willow Drive.

While you are there....

Emmitsburg features several eateries to include the Ott House and the Palms in the town center.  I favor the Palms' Shriver Burger or its one patty cousin. The Ott house is a bit more upscale with a broader range of beverage service.

-Turn by Turn Directions-

Digital Download

The route has been posted to Ride with GPS.To download turn by turn coordinates select "More Export Options" from the button options found to the right of Send to Phone.

Cue Sheet

The cue sheet begins at the Community parking lot.