Worthington Farm Trail Map

Length:  2.25-mile loop
Time: 1.5 hours
Difficulty:  Easy to moderate with a two short-but-steep hills

The Brooks Hill Loop Trail is located at the Worthington Farm stop on the Monocacy National Battlefield Tour. After his cavalrymen were repulsed when attacking Union troops at the Thomas Farm, Confederate general John McCausland regrouped at the base of Brooks Hill and launched a second attack, which again failed to drive back the Union soldiers. Confederate commander General Jubal Early then sent General John B. Gordon’s infantrymen across the Monocacy River to join with McCausland. Together they succeeded in breaking the Union line and wining the battle. By hiking the Brooks Hill Loop Trail, you can see the battlefield terrain up close.

Being a loop, you can start the Brooks Hill hike by either heading down the gravel road past the Worthington House, the only building remaining at the farm, or by searching for a grass path that leads into the forest on the left side of the house. Walking down the road is the easiest way to go, as the grass path is a little hard to find. The road, which is shared by the Ford Loop Trail, will send you around the loop in the counterclockwise direction. This is the way I started the hike, and this report is written from that perspective.

Gravel road past the Worthington House at Monocacy National Battlefield

Start of the Brooks Hill Loop Trail on the gravel road at the Worthington Farm, Monocacy National Battlefield

A little over a hundred yards past the house is a dirt road on the left that cuts over to another field and a modern storage shed. Ignore this and keep on walking. You’ll also come to a post with a blue stripe across the top that appears to be marking a trail on the right that cuts through the trees to another field. The post actually marks the Brooks Hill and Ford loop trails that utilize the gravel road, and it being next to a cut-through trail is just a coincidence, so ignore this as well and keep walking.

Dirt road to a field and shed near the start of the Brooks Hill Loop Trail at Monocacy National Battlefield

Post with a blue stripe marks the Brooks Hill Loop Trail at Monocacy National Battlefield

On the left side of the trail is a field used as a cow pasture. The National Park Service leases all of the historical farmlands on the battlefield to farmers who use them to grow vegetables and raise cattle just as the land was used during the Civil War. This lends an atmosphere of mid-1800s authenticity to the park.

Cows at Monocacy National Battlefield’s Worthington Farm

At the far end of the cow pasture is a stand of trees that runs to the left, perpendicular to the gravel road. If you were hiking the Ford Loop Trail, you would pass the trees and continue straight ahead, but to stay on the Brooks Hill Loop Trail, take a left before the trees so that they are on your right and the field is on your left. You’ll be heading straight for Brooks Hill. This turn comes .7 mile from the start of the hike at the Worthington Farm parking lot.

Left turn on the Brooks Hill Loop Trail towards Brooks Hill at the end of the Worthington Farm cow pasture, Monocacy National Battlefield

Once you get across the field to Brooks Hill, a quarter-mile walk, you will enter into the forest and turn left. There is another post with a blue stripe at the top that marks the turn, though there is clearly only one way to go.

Post marks a turn on the Brooks Hill Loop Trail at Monocacy National Battlefield

At this point the Brooks Hill Loop Trail once again follows along the cow pasture, only now there are trees between the trail and the field. You can see the field, as it is no more than 50 feet away. In fact, at one point the trees disappear and the trail is right next to the field.

Brooks Hill Loop Trail on the southeast side of the Worthington Farm cow pasture at Monocacy National Battlefield

Brooks Hill Loop Trail on the southeast side of the Worthington Farm cow pasture at Monocacy National Battlefield

After a tenth of a mile, the trail turns to the right and begins heading deeper into the forest and onto Brooks Hill. You’ll immediately cross a small creek that flows into the Monocacy River.

Creek crossing on the Brooks Hill Loop Trail at Monocacy National Battlefield

Up until the stream crossing, the terrain has been relatively flat. However, the hike now gets a little more difficult. With a name like Brooks Hill Loop Trail, it should come as no surprise that somewhere along the way you’ll be hiking up a hill.

The trail is marked with blue blazes. These are paint splotches on trees that you follow like Hansel and Gretel breadcrumbs. However, the trail is easy to naviagate, so you won’t have to rely on the blazes to find your way back to the Worthington House.

Blue blazes mark the Brooks Hill Loop Trail at Monocacy National Battlefield

Aside from being hilly, the trail now has sections with roots and what I call rubble rocks on the surface, so keep your eye on them so that you don’t twist an ankle.

Rooty section of the Brooks Hill Loop Trail at Monocacy National Battlefield

Rocky terrain on the Brooks Hill Loop Trail at Monocacy National Battlefield

For the next third of a mile, you will be walking up Brooks Hill, rising about 150 feet in the process. The grade of the incline averages 12%, which is quite steep. Most hikers agree that a 15% grade is where strenuous begins. The last 350 feet before reaching the summit has an average grade of 20%. If you have the Monocacy National Battlefield brochure and are looking at the park map with the trails, the steep part is the section that the word TRAIL, from the text Brooks Hill Loop Trail, is positioned parallel to.

Steep terrain on the south end of the Brooks Hill Loop Trail at Monocacy National Battlefield

At the top of the hill, which is 1.4 mile from the start of the hike, is a corn field (believe it or not). You’ll walk along it for a very short distance before turning left and heading back into the forest. The section next to the cornfield is very overgrown, as there is no way for the National Park Service to get a lawn mower up there, and with budget constraints, even more impossible to get a Ranger with a Weed Eater up there.

Cornfield at the crest of Brooks Hill at the Worthington Farm, Monocacy National Battlefield

The trail now follows the ridgeline of Brooks Hill for a quarter mile. While you are actually heading downhill, the descent is so mild that you’ll think you are just hiking on flat ground. If you are looking on the park trail map, this is the stretch just after the word TRAIL and just before the trail zig zags. While much easier cardiovascular-wise, there are still plenty of rubble rocks, so be careful. It’s like walking on the bottom of a dry riverbed.

Level area of the Brooks Hill Loop Trail at the top of Brooks Hill, Monocacy National Battlefield

The zig zag on the trail map represents another steep 350-foot descent. This is basically a switchback to make getting down from the top of Brooks Hill a little easier. Once at the bottom, roughly two miles into the hike, it’s back to fairly level terrain. The trail crosses the small stream once again.

Bridge over a small stream on Brooks Hill near the Worthington Farm at Monocacy National Battlefield

Small stream at the base of Brooks Hill near the Worthington Farm at Monocacy National Battlefield

There is one last moderate climb just before getting back to the Worthington House. The trail comes out on the left side of the house and reconnects to the gravel road. The parking lot is off to the right.

The Brooks Hill Loop Trail ends at the Worthington House at Monocacy National Battlefield

While the Brooks Hill Loop Trail does cover the battlefield, there are no historical features or monuments along the route, and thus it is pretty much a trail for exercise. If the weather is pleasant and you have the time, it’s an enjoyable hike.

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