Junction Trail at Monocacy National Battlefield

Length:  1.1-mile loop
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

The Junction Trail starts at the back corner of the Monocacy National Battlefield Visitor Center parking lot. During the Civil War the land was part of the Best Family farm. This is where the Confederates first arrived and set up their artillery on July 9, 1864. The trail circles a large field, and the far end is near what was Monocacy Junction in the mid-1800s. This was an important road and railroad junction with connections to both Washington and Baltimore. Here the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Georgetown Turnpike (which followed the route of the modern Urbana Pike and Araby Church Road) came together. Georgetown Turnpike led directly to Washington, which was where the Confederates were heading. While most of the Union troops were on the other side of the Monocacy River, there were approximately 350 men stationed at the junction when the Battle of Monocacy began. The first shots were fired from the artillery positioned near the Visitor Center.

Monocacy Junction in 1858

A wayside exhibit at the start of the Junction Trail depicts it as being out-and-back, but this is not the case. It is actually a loop, with the east side following the railroad tracks and the west side running alongside Urbana Pike. The park brochure, which is available for free at the Visitor Center, shows the route correctly.

Start of the Junction Trail at Monocacy National Battlefield

The Junction Trail is relatively flat and easy to hike, but it is out in the open and can be brutally hot during the summer. Be sure to wear a hat and apply sunscreen if avoiding the sun is important to you.

If you start at the wayside exhibit, you will be hiking around the loop in the clockwise direction. Follow the mowed, grass path that runs along the tree line. On the right is the field (planted with soybeans when I did the hike) and on the left is the railroad track, the same that existed in 1864. Though you can’t see it due to the trees, the Monocacy River is just on the other side of the tracks.

East side of the Junction Trail at Monocacy National Battlefield

As you walk southwest from the Visitor Center, in 1864 you would have been heading towards the small force of Union troops on the same side of the river who were defending Monocacy Junction. The majority of the Union army was on the other side of the river at what was then Gambrill Mill and the Thomas Farm.

A third of a mile from the start is a dirt road that cuts across the field towards Urbana Pike. This is not part of the Junction Trail, so keep hiking straight ahead. You do get a nice view of the crops (if you visit during the growing season). To keep the landscape similar to what it was like in 1864, the National Park Service rents the historical farmlands to a modern-day farmer (one man rents all the farm and pasture lands in the park).

Dirt road used by a farmer who grows crops on the Best Farm at Monocacy National Battlefield

Across from the dirt road is a railroad crossing used by the farmer to get to another one of his fields. Walk out onto it for a good view down the tracks. The Monocacy Junction railroad station was located in the area directly in front of where the tracks fork.

Fork in the railroad tracks marks the general location of the Monocacy Junction railroad station, Monocacy National Battlefield

At the far end of the trail are two wayside exhibits. One discusses how Maryland slave owners were paid $300 per slave if they allowed them to fight for the Union. Fighting guaranteed freedom, so the slave owners were essentially selling their slaves one last time to the federal government. Most realized slavery was coming to an end, so they figured they might was well get some cash out of it. The other exhibit details the 2 AM arrival of Union reinforcements from Petersburg on the morning of July 9, 1864. The battle of Monocacy would begin at dawn with the Union being outnumbered more than 2 to 1.

Wayside exhibit along the Junction Trail at Monocacy National Battlefield

At this point, a half mile from the start, the Junction Trail turns west towards Urbana Pike. Once at the road, the trail heads northwest back to the Visitor Center. As with the walk along the tracks, the walk along the road is easy.

West side of the Junction Trail at Monocacy National Battlefield runs along Urbana Pike

Being easy to hike does not mean that the Junction Trail is without peril. Watch out for what I’m going to call gopher holes—I have no idea what animal actually makes them—for some are large enough for a baby to crawl inside. Step in one and you may well snap your leg in two.

Beware of gopher holes on the Junction Trail at Monocacy National Battlefield

The walk back to the Visitor Center is another half mile. When you get to the end of the soybean field, you’ll have a good view of the building. Up close, it’s hard to take in the entire structure, but from here you can see that it is shaped like a barn. The Visitor Center does not mark the location of a former barn on the Best Farm, as most of the farm buildings were on the other side of Urbana Pike. It’s just in the shape of a barn to keep with the farm theme.

Visitor Center at Monocacy National Battlefield

If you have a half hour, the Junction Trail is a nice way to see up close the terrain where the Battle of Monocacy began.

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