Day 262 - Pen Mar Park

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***Scroll down to see my offer for Red Cross donations.***

Pick a direction and go!

Along the A.T.

Pen Mar Park in Washington County is located on the Mason Dixon line between Pennsylvania and Maryland.  It sits at an elevation of 1400 feet on South Mountain, overlooking the valley and Smithsburg below.  In the late 1800's, it was a full-fledged amusement park, built and owned by the Western Maryland Railroad, to encourage visitors to use its trains to come to the mountains.  A complete town built up around it, with hotels and boarding houses, to support tourism.  But by the late 1920's, tourism declined dramatically, and in 1943, the park was dismantled.

Scenic Overlook with benches

High Rock

Efforts by local residents were successful in getting portions of the park rebuilt and incorporated into the Washington County park system.  Today there is a playground, a multipurpose building, and a scenic overlook.  There are big band dances held on Sunday afternoons from June through September.

Another View

View from High Rock

My friend Gary and I arrived at the park and walked around the pavilions, noting that the Appalachian Trail runs right through the park.  The views were indeed quite spectacular.  We then drove along High Rock Road to an elevation of about 1600 ft., where a large rocky outcropping provides even better views. However, the unexpected thing that surprised me at High Rock was the fact that it was covered in graffiti.  It is clearly a popular hangout, and it is also the site for hang gliding off the rock.

I walked some of the Appalachian Trail in both locations, finding wild phlox and wild azalea in bloom.  It was a beautiful place to visit, and if you have never been to Pen Mar, it is worth the trip.

The Hummingbird Feeder at High Rock

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Forward me by email any receipt for an online donation made to the Red Cross for disaster relief, and I will send you a 5x7 print of your choice from any of my daily photo walks or from my website.  Offer good until September 2, 2013.

Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
Follow me on Twitter: @camscamerashots
Email:  cam.miller@comcast.net

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use whatever camera is easy and convenient for walking comfortably; always have a backup camera at the ready in case of mishaps (I use the Nikon Coolpix P7700)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so