Trail Notes: From the parking area take the spur trail (white diamond blazes) to white blazed Mountain Loop Trail. Turn left. In about 0.5 miles the blue blazed Northern Peak Tr will come in from the left. Continue straight (right) on the dual white/blue blazed Mountain Loop/ Northern Peaks Trail. * Soon the white blazed Mountain Loop Trail will leave to the left. Continue straight on the single blue blazed Northern Peaks Tr.

Note: If you want to bag a couple of more vistas and add a short but challenging rock scramble start the hike by turning left at the kiosk onto the orange blazed Sunrise Tr and almost immediately start a steep rocky climb. Near the top the trail flattens out. Turn left on a red blazed and follow it to the summit. After you take in the vista follow the red trail back down, passing the orange blazed Sunrise Tr you came up on to the right, to the blue blazed Northern Peaks Trail and the Charles Lambert Vista. Turn right here and follow the blue blazes out to the white blazed Mountain loop Trail. Turn left here and pick up the remainder of the directions marked with an * above.

In another 1.2 miles descend and cross yellow blazed Saddle Back Trail. Avoid the woods road signed "THIS IS NOT A TRAIL" off to the right. Follow the blue blazes and sign for White Rocks. Climb back up to the top of a peak, pass a gigantic cairn and in about 1.2 miles from the last trail junction arrive at White Rocks, a great lunch spot with both north and south views.

Descend and turn left onto Mt. Ephram Road. In a short distance, cross a stream which often flows over the road, and turn left onto the continuation of blue blazed Northern Peaks Trail. (Yellow blazed Saddle Back Trail leaves on the opposite side of Mt. Ephram Road.)

Climb for about 0.9 miles to an intersection with white blazed Mountain Loop Trail. Turn right ( straight) here and follow the dual white/blue blazes. The blue blazed Northern Peaks Trail will soon turn off to the left as well. (If you wish/need to shorten the hike you can take this trail up to the Western View area and take the park road back to the East View Area.) Continue on the white blazed Mountain Loop Tr. There will be another spur to the left that will take you to the Potomac Overlook. (If you visit it return to the Mountain Loop Tr and turn left.) Arrive at an old road and the junction of yellow blazed Saddle Back Tr at the base of the mountain (about 0.6 miles from the last trail junction). The yellow blazed Saddleback trail will share the tread for a while.

Turn left onto this road for a few hundred feet and then right on another park road. . Pass the Stronghold mansions and turn left onto the main park road behind the farm buildings you drove through when you arrived at the park. Soon the white blazes re-enter the woods on a footpath to the left.

Climb about 0.7 miles back to your car. You'll cross the park road one more time before the steepest climb.