Harpers Ferry encompasses over 3,000 acres of rivers, trails, battlefields, and historic sites. Near the visitor center, Bolivar Heights and Schoolhouse Ridge preserve the story of the 1862 Battle of Harpers Ferry, while the Murphy Farm trail links a former Civil War battlefield with the march for civil rights led by W.E.B. DuBois. In Lower Town, Civil War-era homes, industry, and shops stand alongside places tied to John Brown’s fight against slavery, Camp Hill, and the story of Storer College. Maryland Heights offers panoramic views of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers, and the area also includes the Appalachian Trail and the C&O Canal Towpath. A battlefield auto tour includes Bolivar Heights, site of five Civil War engagements; Lower Bolivar Heights, site of an 1862 skirmish; Schoolhouse Ridge North, site of Stonewall Jackson’s line during the 1862 battle; Schoolhouse Ridge South, site of a Confederate flanking maneuver; and Murphy-Chambers Farm, where Civil War and civil rights history came together.
