Motorcycle routes in Maryland

10 routes. Each one starts at the foot of the good part; the "from" versions (NYC, Stamford, Edison, Allentown, Danbury, Hartford, Long Island) add the ride there and back.

Catoctin Mountain Loop
64 mi · 1h 57m
The best-known motorcycle loop in Maryland: from Libertytown the route heads north on MD-550 through Woodsboro, Creagerstown and Thurmont to Sabillasville, crosses the ridge on Raven Rock Road to Smithsburg, and comes back east on MD-77 through Catoctin Mountain Park and Cunningham Falls State Park, then out through Thurmont, Detour and Union Bridge to Libertytown. It's 64 miles. MD-550 runs into Pennsylvania past Sabillasville, so turn onto Raven Rock Road. Park Central Road, inside the park, closes for security on short notice; the route doesn't use it.
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Falls Road & Prettyboy Reservoir
49 mi · 1h 32m
Baltimore's short loop: from Brooklandville the route rides north on Falls Road (MD-25) through Butler into the hills, loops around Prettyboy Reservoir by Beckleysville and Spooks Hill roads, crosses the dam, and comes back down on the reservoir back roads and Falls Road, finishing through the Green Spring Valley instead of York Road. It's 49 miles. Cars move fast on Falls Road, the reservoir roads are narrow and shared with cyclists, and the lot at the dam is small, so keep the pack tight and patient.
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Charles County Potomac Loop
45 mi · 1h 15m
The rural corner of Southern Maryland, one way: from Bel Alton the route takes Chapel Point Road past St. Ignatius Church, on its bluff above the Port Tobacco River, through the tiny town of Port Tobacco, then west on MD-6 and Ironsides Road to Nanjemoy, north along the Potomac on Riverside and Chicamuxen roads past Smallwood State Park, and ends in La Plata. It's 45 miles. Some tight curves surprise you in a flat county and there's loose gravel in spots, so let the slowest rider set the pace. Fuel is scarce: leave with a full tank.
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Blackwater & Hoopers Island
62 mi · 1h 53m
The open water of the Eastern Shore: from Cambridge the route rides MD-16 to Church Creek, takes MD-335 past the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center and across the marsh of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge to Fishing Creek and over the high bridge onto Hoopers Island, turns around on Middle Hooper, and comes back by Key Wallace Drive and Bucktown to Cambridge. It's 62 miles, flat and straight. MD-335 and the island road sit at water level and flood with heavy rain or high tides, and there are few services south of Church Creek.
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Savage River & Georges Creek
61 mi · 1h 54m
River and coal country in the far west: from Grantsville the route takes New Germany Road past New Germany State Park, follows Savage River Road down through Savage River State Forest and past the reservoir to Bloomington, rides MD-135 to Westernport, climbs the Georges Creek valley on MD-36 through Lonaconing and Midland to Frostburg, and returns to Grantsville on US-40 Alternate. It's 61 miles. Savage River Road was closed at Bear Pen Run from June 8 to August 3, 2026, and the county hasn't posted a reopening notice: call Garrett County Roads before you go.
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Antietam & the Potomac
50 mi · 1h 43m
The Civil War along the Potomac: from Boonsboro the route rides MD-34 through Keedysville into Antietam National Battlefield and Sharpsburg, follows Harpers Ferry Road down the Potomac to Sandy Hook, across the river from Harpers Ferry, then goes through Brunswick and Jefferson and back over South Mountain at Gathland and Crampton's Gap to Boonsboro. It's 50 miles. The route stays in Maryland and doesn't cross the US-340 bridge into West Virginia. Harpers Ferry Road has one-lane bridges and cyclists from the C&O towpath: yield and take it slow.
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Elk Neck & Turkey Point
27 mi · 50 min
A forest peninsula at the head of the Chesapeake, one way: from North East the route rides MD-272 down Elk Neck, through Elk Neck State Park to Turkey Point, where it turns around on the pavement before the gravel stretch to the lighthouse lot, then comes back north and crosses over on Old Elk Neck Road and Old Field Point Road to Elkton. It's 27 miles. The Turkey Point lot is free, fills up on weekends and is open from sunrise to sunset; the 1833 lighthouse is a short walk from it. Gas stations are few.
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St. Mary's & Point Lookout
61 mi · 1h 38m
Down to the southern tip of Maryland: from California the route rides MD-235 through Lexington Park and MD-5 through Ridge to Point Lookout State Park, where the Potomac meets the Chesapeake, comes back up MD-5 through St. Mary's City, the colony's first capital, then Callaway and Leonardtown, and returns through Hollywood to California. It's 61 miles of long straights and easy curves, good for a big pack. Expect Navy base traffic in Lexington Park at rush hour; fuel up in California, Lexington Park, Callaway or Leonardtown.
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Backbone Mountain & Kitzmiller
57 mi · 1h 24m
The high country of Garrett County: from Oakland the route rides US-219 south to Red House and US-50 to Gorman, comes back north on MD-560 to Mountain Lake Park, takes MD-135 through Deer Park and Altamont along Backbone Mountain, and drops down MD-38 to Kitzmiller and back, before returning to Oakland. It's 57 miles. MD-38 is a steep, twisting 2-mile hill with logging trucks, and MD-135 over Backbone Mountain is known for its hard descents, so use low gears. The turnaround is on the Maryland side in Kitzmiller: the river bridge leads into West Virginia.
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South Mountain Gaps
52 mi · 1h 34m
Three times over South Mountain: from Smithsburg the route rides MD-77 to Foxville and MD-17 down through Wolfsville and Myersville to Middletown, crosses the ridge at Crampton's Gap through Burkittsville and Gathland State Park, follows MD-67 to Boonsboro and comes back north on MD-66 to Smithsburg. It's 52 miles of curves through creek valleys and farmland, on the passes of the 1862 Maryland Campaign. Watch for slick tar patches in heat or rain, and for walkers on Burkittsville's narrow main street in October.
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