Browns Farm Trail: Catoctin Mountain

We were ready to get out into the woods to enjoy some peace and quiet in nature so we headed to the Catoctin Mountain National Park!  We decided to park at the Owens Creek Picnic site and hike from there.  The first trail we hiked was the Browns Farm Trail.   Our hike took us down an educational trail that sparked out curiosity and interest.   History and nature surrounded us and we were in our glory.
Browns Farm Loop Trail
The Browns Farm Loop Trail in the Catoctin Mountain National Park is a short easy hike.  The trail meanders in a loop from the parking lot.  At the trail head there is an information booth that has the self guided tour of the loop trail available for anyone to pick up.   We grabbed one and headed off down the trail.   The trail was not overly used by other hikers and we were able to listen to the sounds of nature and breath deeply the smells of a mountain forest. 
Along the trail there are markers.  They are labelled with a number and a title.  At each marker you can stop to read the corresponding information of the self guided tour.  This farm tour took us on a stroll through an old farmstead high in the Catoctin Mountains (part of the Appalachian Mountain chain).  It shows the diversity of the area and the unique characteristics that made it an opportune place for a farmstead.   There is a pine grove, wetlands, a stream and a hardwood forest and a natural spring. 

Browns Farm Loop Trail: Catoctin Mountain

​Along the way there are small remnants and reminders of a life once lived on this mountain top.  There is a Buckeye Tree, which is not native to the area.  One can only speculate that it was brought here to be planted by the family that started this farmstead.  The location of the house and the nearby well is easily identifiable, even without the sign marking it as the Farmhouse.  It is just a short walk away to reach the remains of the farms bank barn.  The foundation is visible buried into the bank hill.  The feeding trough still stands near the foundation, a testament to the livestock that once lived here.

We hiked here in the fall and loved seeing the remnants of an old stone wall peeking out from the undergrowth beside the trail.
One can only imagine how life must have been on a mountain top farm 100 years ago.  It was definitely a slower more quiet existence that one can only dream of.
 
Browns Farm Trail
The Loop trail is not the only place to hike.   The Browns Farm Trail branches off of the Browns Farm Loop and will take you another ½ to 1 mile further. It is an out and back trail that is a stroll through the woods with only one slight incline.  Along that route you will see more foundations and more stone walls.  These are not marked and we could only speculate as to what their uses were when the land that we were walking on was a working productive farm.  It is worth the time to take that extra walk.  The nature is amazing!
We had a delightful hike.  We learned more about a history and an area that we didn’t know about.  The farmstead families in this area are a forgotten piece of history and these trails will bring it to life.  This is definitely a great hike to take.  We live locally and we will be back for sure!