HCWHA US 250th GeoTour
The National Road
Party like it’s 1776 with the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area’s 250th GeoTour! Designed for beginner and veteran geocachers, participants will travel through time, solving puzzles and following clues to learn more about mid-Maryland’s rich history. In honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States, our 250th GeoTour will take you throughout Carroll, Frederick, and Washington Counties to sites of historical significance, including battlefields, houses of worship, museums, parks, and more!
Our tour is an opportunity to learn more about the people, places, and events that laid the foundation for our country. While supplies last, those who collect 15 or more will earn this Geotour’s limited edition geocoin commemorating the 250th. Happy hunting!
The Old National Pike District Park in New Market offers a variety of recreational activities and offers interpretive signage about the history of the National Road. The National Road, today Route 40, was integral to building communities west of the Appalachian Mountains during the 1800s, and facilitated the growth of Frederick, Carroll, and Washington Counties.
The National Road began construction in 1811 and took nearly four decades to complete. The nation’s oldest road across Maryland’s diverse landscape, the National Road carried settlers and trade from Maryland to Illinois before the B&O Railroad and the C&O Canal existed. The Maryland section of the road is 170 miles, and many of the original mile markers still exist along the north side of the roadway.
In the mid-19th century, the National Road was overshadowed by the growth of railroads, sometimes called “the iron horse.” Over the next several decades, use of the road steadily declined due to the canal and railroad expansion west. The invention of the automobile in the early 20th century, however, would revitalize the National Road.
With the rise of motor vehicles in the 1900s, gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and communities expanded along the National Road. Today, Route 40 is the busiest it has been since its heyday of the 1840s. A key part of the transportation revolution, the Old National Pike District Park teaches visitors that, while the vehicles traveling the road have changed from wagons and stagecoaches to tractor trailers, buses and cars, the National Road continues to connect Maryland’s diverse communities.
“Historic National Road,” Visit Frederick. https://www.visitfrederick.org/things-to-do/tours/historic-national-road/
“Scenic Byway and The Historic National Road: America’s First Highway.” Maryland Office of Tourism. https://www.visitmaryland.org/scenic-byways/historic-national-road.
“History of the Road.” National Road Heritage Foundation. https://nationalrdfoundation.org/the-national-road/history-of-the-road/.
The Geocache
You may get to the final coordinates to this geocache in one of two ways:
Option 1: Go to the Road Marker listed as a Reference Point (N 39° 22.619′ W 77° 13.875′) and project a waypoint with a distance of 924.772679 feet and a bearing of 16.576785 degrees.
Option 2: At the original coordinates (N 39° 22.646′ W 77° 13.872′) you will find an interpretative sign. On the sign, there is a drawing of the road marker before the letters and numbers were worn away. The marker had a two digit number, two letters and the word 'TO'.
- A = First digit of the number.
- B = Second digit of the number
- C =The numerical equivalent of the first letter (A=1,B=2,C=3,etc.)
- D = The numerical equivalent of the second letter.
The coordinates for the geocache are N39° 22.(B+D)(A+A)(B), W77° 13.(A+B)(A-D)(C-D-D). The checksum for the last three digits of the North and West coordinates is 36. The cache is a clear lock-n-lock container.
The paved trail takes you to the final location, but secondary parking has been given for a shorter walk. The terrain rating of '3' is if you wish to find the geocache by projecting a waypoint from the marker.
The geocache is approved by the Frederick County Division Parks and Recreation. The Park is open April 1 - September 30 Weekdays:8:00 am - Sunset Weekends:8:00 am - 10:00 pm October 1 - March 31 8:00 am - Sunset
Thanks to the following members of the Maryland Geocaching Society in placing the hides for this Geotrail: deepdish23, hunterKat, GR8Caches, Snurt, Phos4s, JediTrashPanda and AL's Guide.