Hiking the Hog Rock Trail @ Catoctin Maountain Park

Oct 4, 2019

You know that about a week ago I went hiking in the Catoctin Mts. I haven’t completely finished the photos, but I’ve got enough to share with you. The rest will just have to wait.

The Catoctin Mountains are about a half hour drive from Frederick, heading north towards Gettysburg. There are plenty of hiking trails and cabins, and there’s a campground, Cunningham Falls, on the other side of 77, also has campgrounds. But I’ve never been there.

The word catoctin means a residual hill or ridge that rises above a peneplain and preserves on its summit a remnant of an older peneplain. Peneplain is a more or less level land surface produced by erosion over a long period, undisturbed by crustal movement. (Miriam Webster dictionary)

The word Catoctin is a name of an Algonquian origin that refers to a number of geographical designations in the Mid-Atlantic United States. The Catoctin Mountains are part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Maryland and Virginia.

Hog Rock Trail is a 1 mile loop and is realtively easy. The hardest part is in the beginning when there is a slight incline. (I didn’t do the loop. I walked up to the rock, sat for a while and took some pics, then walked back the way I came. Maybe next time I’ll do the loop.)

I’ve lost the pamphlet that they have available at the head of the trail, but Catoctin Greenstone is basically lava rock. I looked it up on the web and all I could find was a bunch of big, scientific words. And since I’m not a scientist, I will forego that and give you a basic definition. 🙂

At the Top

Heading Back

The stairs just make it easier going down and back up, also helps with erosion.

Things We Find

I had stepped off the trail to see if I could find any hickory nuts, and found this snail shell. (I did find some hickory nuts, but they’re not included in this post.)

Where Things Grow

Fly Fishing/Fishing

This memorial is located near the park entrance.

Abstracts

looks like fish…

So,that’s about all the info I have (for now) about Hog Rock.

Expect uneven, rocky, and hilly terrain on the majority of the trails.

This is printed on one of the brochures I was able to find, thought I would include it.

Some other interesting facts:

• elevation is 1610 feet (Hog Rock)
• the park was created during the Great Depression of the 1930’s
• small tribes of American Indians hunted, fished and quarried the mountains long before Europeans arrived
• According to a brochure I have, “Catoctin” probably comes from the Kittoctons, who lived nearer to the Potomac River. (I will have to do some research on this, seems to contradict what I wrote earlier. I tend to believe local knowledge though.)

“Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better.”

– Albert Einstein

Hope you enjoyed!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!!

click on either image to see what I have available at Picfair and Pinterest (I’m going to be taking a break and will upload some photos to both sooner or later. I work today…)