Map of trails at the Thomas Farm
Length: .4-mile loop
Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy with two very steep hills at each end of the loop
The Middle Ford Ferry Loop Trail at Monocacy National Battlefield gets its name from a ferry that operated here from 1748 until the Georgetown Turnpike covered bridge opened in 1830. This was the same bridge that Union soldiers burned on July 9, 1864, to keep the Confederates from crossing the Monocacy River during the Battle of Monocacy. The ferry, and a tavern built in 1754 that provided food and lodging to those traveling down the turnpike, was located at the far end of the loop. When the bridge was built, the road had to be moved slightly upriver, thus bypassing the tavern. Due to a lack of customers, it closed around the same time as the ferry.
The Middle Ford Ferry Loop Trail branches off from the Thomas Farm Loop Trail, so you can’t hike it on its own. And regardless of which way you go around the Thomas Farm Loop Trail—clockwise or counterclockwise—the Middle Ford Ferry Loop Trail is .75 mile from the Thomas barn. As for the trail itself, it is a narrow oval with one half running along the Monocacy River and the other half following an agriculture field about 50 yards from the river. It is U-shaped, so it connects to the Thomas Farm Loop Trail in two different places—you’ll come out about 25 yards farther down the Thomas Farm Loop Trail from where you began. You can actually see one trailhead from the other.
Two trailheads for the Middle Ford Ferry Loop Trail connect to the Thomas Farm Loop Trail at Monocacy National Battlefield
I hiked the Thomas Farm Trail in the clockwise direction and picked up the Middle Ford Ferry Loop Trail at its western trailhead, which set me off hiking around it in the clockwise direction as well, along the river first. This report is written from that perspective.
The Thomas Farm Loop Trail and the agriculture fields are at a higher elevation than the river, so right off the bat you have to hike down a very short-but-steep hill to get to the riverbank. The drop is about 40 feet in elevation, and the descent is accomplished over 225 feet of trail. It takes about a minute to get to the bottom, and once there, the terrain along the river is flat and easy to hike.
Middle Ford Ferry Loop Trail runs along the Monocacy River, Monocacy National Battlefield
The Middle Ford Ferry Loop Trail runs along the river for .2 mile before curving inland at the far end. As mentioned, it forms a narrow oval, so when you start making your way back to the Thomas Farm Loop Trail, you are only 50 yards or so away from where you were on the hike out. In areas where the forest is thin, you can actually see the trail on the other side of the loop.
Of course, leaving the river requires a climb back up to the area where the agriculture fields are, so you have a hill exactly the same as the one at the start of the hike, only now you are heading up it. Once at the top, the trail is again easy to hike. Round trip to and from the Thomas Farm Loop Trail is just .4 mile.
Typical terrain on the southeast side of the Middle Ford Ferry Loop Trail at Monocacy National Battlefield
If you hike the Thomas Farm Loop Trail, which isn’t all that exciting, I highly recommend the side trip on the Middle Ford Ferry Loop Trail. Combined, the hike is 2.1 miles long.
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Last updated on May 3, 2023
