This central Maryland byway connects covered bridges, a 78-foot waterfall, and towns from the 1700s

Three towns, three bridges, one waterfall

You can spend a weekend on a country road in Central Maryland and never feel rushed.

The Old Main Streets Scenic Byway winds through rolling farmland with the Catoctin Mountains rising in the distance, and it strings together small towns where the buildings go back to the 1700s.

You’ll roll past covered bridges, a saint’s shrine, and an old iron furnace.

The state’s tallest waterfall waits near the end, and the road there sets the pace for everything you find.

Walk Main Streets built in the 1700s

The byway ties together the old Main Streets of Emmitsburg, Westminster, and Mount Airy, then runs you through quiet villages like Uniontown, Union Bridge, and New Windsor.

In Emmitsburg, the storefronts go back to the late 1700s, and now antique shops, art galleries, and small eateries fill them. Westminster gives you a walkable downtown packed with shops and restaurants.

Uniontown lines its streets with shade trees and rows of Victorian homes. These are towns for slow walking and long looks in shop windows.

Meet the first American-born saint

Emmitsburg holds the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, who became the first person born in what is now the United States to be named a Catholic saint.

You can walk through a free museum and watch a short film about her life. Guided tours take you into two of her old homes and the basilica where she is entombed.

An old cemetery sits on the grounds with mountain views behind it. On select Saturdays, living-history programs bring the past back to life.

Cross three wooden bridges near Thurmont

Near Thurmont, three wooden covered bridges cross country streams, and all three sit within about 12 miles of one another. You’ll find them named Roddy Road, Loy’s Station, and Utica Mills.

Each one holds itself up with a different wooden truss design, so no two look quite the same inside. All three made the National Register of Historic Places.

Drive the loop and you can see every one in an afternoon, then circle back to whichever caught your eye the most.

Floods and fire reshaped these crossings

Workers built these bridges in the mid-1800s, back when wooden covered bridges were everywhere. Roddy Road runs the shortest at about 40 feet.

Utica Mills once crossed the Monocacy River until a flood wrecked it in the late 1800s, so crews saved part of the structure and rebuilt it over Fishing Creek.

Fire took Loy’s Station in 1991, and workers brought it back using some of the original wood. Check ahead before you go, because Loy’s Station closes for repairs at times.

Stand at the foot of Cunningham Falls

Cunningham Falls drops about 78 feet down the rocks of Catoctin Mountain, which makes it the largest cascading waterfall in Maryland.

You can reach the base on a short, easy boardwalk path, so you don’t need to be a hardened hiker to see it. If you want more of a workout, a longer trail climbs past scenic overlooks.

The water runs year-round, but it really fills out after the spring rains. Time your trip for April or May and you’ll catch it at full force.

Climb to Wolf Rock and Chimney Rock

Just west of Thurmont, Cunningham Falls State Park and Catoctin Mountain Park sit side by side and protect thousands of acres of forest and streams.

The trails run the whole range, from short flat walks to steep rocky climbs that leave your legs burning. Push up to rock outcrops like Wolf Rock and Chimney Rock, and the forest opens to views below.

Keep your eyes on the trees and brush along the way, because this is a strong spot to see native Maryland wildlife.

Swim, fish, and camp by Hunting Creek Lake

Hunting Creek Lake gives you a sandy beach and summer swimming, plus open water for boating and fishing. The mountain streams nearby hold native brook trout, and fly fishermen wade in for them.

When you want to stay the night, the park has campsites for tents and RVs along with cabins. The lake fills up early on busy days, so get there in the morning if you want a spot on the sand.

Pack your lunch and you can make a full day of it.

See iron made for Washington’s army

Just south of Thurmont stands the Catoctin Furnace, which started making iron in 1776 during the Revolutionary War. It turned out tools, household goods, and ammunition for the Continental Army.

Some of its cannon shells went on to the Battle of Yorktown. Thomas Johnson, who became Maryland’s first governor, founded it with his brothers.

You can stand where the furnace ran and picture the heat and noise of a working ironworks more than two centuries ago, with the mountains close on every side.

Honor the enslaved workers who made the iron

For its early decades, the furnace leaned heavily on enslaved African American labor, and those workers included skilled ironworkers, blacksmiths, and laborers.

In 1979, archaeologists rediscovered a historic African American cemetery near the site. The Museum of the Ironworker and an interpretive trail now carry their story forward.

Walk the cemetery trail and you’ll find viewing platforms and benches set aside for quiet reflection. Give yourself time here, because the place asks you to slow down and take it in.

Follow the roads soldiers marched in 1863

The byway runs along roads that soldiers used during the Civil War.

Troops moved through this stretch before and after the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, and local families and churches took in the wounded.

Along the route, several sites share the stories of enslaved people and freedom seekers who passed this way. Tours and exhibits help you connect with a hard chapter of American history.

Stop at a few of them and the war stops feeling like a date in a textbook.

Pick fruit and taste homemade pie

The 140-acre Carroll County Farm Museum shows you rural life from an earlier time, with costumed workers running historic trades and traditional crafts.

Nearby orchards let you pick your own fruit and vegetables when the season is right. When hunger hits, local spots serve homemade pies, country cooking, and hand-dipped ice cream.

Small museums tucked into old train stations keep the region’s railroad past alive. Spend an afternoon here and you’ll leave with sticky fingers and a bag of whatever’s ripe.

Drive the Old Main Streets Scenic Byway in Maryland

You can drive the full Old Main Streets Scenic Byway across roughly 111 miles of Central Maryland, and it works best spread over two to three days.

The route asks nothing technical of you, just a willingness to slow down and pull over often. History lovers and nature lovers both find plenty to fill the hours.

Check the official website before you set out to confirm current hours for the shrine, the furnace, and the covered bridges, since some sites close seasonally or for repairs.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• Maryland’s most inspiring road trip follows Harriet Tubman’s path to freedom
• The all-white "model community" built by Black workers in 1930s Maryland
• Before the Coast Guard, these Maryland surfmen rescued sailors for $1.33 a day