"This out-and-back hike on the Appalachian Trail (AT) is one of a few that provide families with spectacular views from atop a ridgeline. Your hiking destination is a large rock outcropping that hangs on the western ridge—a perfect place to bask in the warm afternoon sun.

The stacked metamorphic boulders boast climbing routes with various degrees of challenge and multiple flat spots to sit on and enjoy a picnic while taking in the excellent views of the valley below, including Greenbrier Lake. The trailhead is at the western edge of the parking lot on the highway."

--Jennifer Chambers , Best Hikes with Kids: Washington, DC, the Beltway & Beyond (The Mountaineers Books).

"There is a feeling of enchantment when you know you are hiking on a portion of a 2,000-mile trail that extends from Georgia to Maine. Forty-one miles of the Appalachian Trail run through Maryland.

This day hike will take you to a typical three-sided shelter and one of the trail’s amazing overlooks, Annapolis Rocks, featuring rock formations and scenic views."

--Heather Sanders Connellee, Best Easy Day Hikes Baltimore (Falcon Guides).