Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Harpers Ferry from Maryland Heights

The Harpers Ferry National Historical Park protects more than 3,900 acres at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Shenandoah River in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia (WV). The communities of Bolivar and Harpers Ferry and their historical districts in Jefferson County are almost completely enveloped by the park and its natural and cultural historical resources.

A drive of less than an hour from the Washington, D.C.,-metropolitan area, Harpers Ferry is among the most visited national parks in the eastern U.S. Its facilities preserve and interpret the history of the communities that developed around the ferry and the abundant natural resources that follow the rivers and ascend the adjacent Blue Ridge. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail courses through the park on its journey through the Appalachian Mountains. The town in 1869 was was the scene of a raid against the U.S. arsenal there led by abolutionist John Brown. It had been captured and recaptured by Union and Confederate soldiers eight times during the Civil War.

The Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is managed by the National Park Service in conjunction with the adjacent Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, which follows the north bank of the Potomac from Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, MD.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
HFNHP Park Service Information

Regional Information

Further information on lodging, dining, and recreation in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park may be found in our guide to travel in the Eastern Panhandle Region of eastern West Virginia, in which the national park is located.