Parking Options

While the Town’s Inn is easily accessible, parking is restricted in Lower Town Harpers Ferry in order to maintain the 18th and 19th century historical appearance of the town. Visitors who travel here by car have several options:

Contact Karan Townsend (304.932.0677) to arrange Inn’s private spaces across the street from the train station parking lot, past the train car restaurant and past the last building, which is a residence located at 221 Potomac Street. The fee for a private parking space is $10 the duration of your stay at the Inn. You should leave a note with your name and the date on your dashboard indicating that you are guests of the Town’s Inn. Your car may be towed if you park in private spaces other than the two spaces marked with a white sign (“Reserved for Karan Townsend”) or in any of the other restricted spaces.
Arrange parking through the National Park Service (NPS). According to the NPS website (www.nps.gov/hafe), “Entrance passes are required in all park areas and fees are payable at Cavalier Heights Entrance Station, Bolivar Heights, Maryland Heights, Harpers Ferry Train Station, and River Access Parking Lot.” A 3-day park pass ($10/vehicle) or annual park pass ($30/vehicle) from the NPS entitles you to park in all NPS Visitor Parking Lots. The passes can be obtained at the entrance to each lot from either an on-duty ranger or from the iron safe (an envelope depository box that looks like a small brown mailbox) at the entrance to the Train Station parking lot, located 1 block south of the Inn. Be sure to pay the fee and place the permit on your dashboard. The following operational time frames and conditions must be kept in mind:
1. Anyone wishing to park overnight at Cavalier Heights and take the free shuttle to Harpers Ferry (a 5-minute ride) must submit a completed “Request for Overnight Parking” form so that law enforcement personnel who patrol the lot are informed of authorized overnight vehicles.
2. An electronic version of the form allows visitors to email or fax the form to a Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Dispatch or Visitor Services location prior to their arrival.
3. The gates at Cavalier Heights are locked at sunset; therefore, visitors who use this lot for overnight parking cannot retrieve their cars except in case of an emergency. The Park reserves the right to define an emergency.
4. The Cavalier Heights fee entrance station closes at 4 p.m. and the Cavalier Heights Visitor Center at 5 p.m. seven days a week. “Request for Overnight Parking” forms cannot be issued by park staff after this time.
5. Parking spaces at the Train Station parking lot are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
6. Passes for the train station lot can be obtained from either an on-duty ranger or from the iron safe (an envelope depository box that looks like a small, waist high brown mailbox) at the entrance to the Train Station parking lot. Take an envelope from the “mailbox,” tear off the perforated end and place it on the dashboard of your car, place $10 (cash or check) in the envelope, and drop the envelope through the “mail slot.”
7. Currently no special overnight permit is required for overnight parking in the Train Station lot. If the Train Station lot is full, Cavalier Heights is available following procedures stated above.
8. The Train Station Parking Lot is located one block south of the inn between the Potomac River and Potomac Street. Two sets of stairs connect Potomac Street and High Street. One set is located to the left of the train car restaurant named “Hannah’s” restaurant, and the other set is located to the right of the Private Quinn’s Pub. The steps end in front of the Inn.
9. Guests leaving a vehicle in the lots overnight will do so at their own risk.
Contact River Riders (304 535 2663; www.riverriders.com) and arrange to park in their parking lots and to be shuttled to the Town’s Inn. This parking and shuttle service is free if you purchase a rafting or other package from them. Otherwise, they will quote you a fee for the parking and shuttle service.Note: You can park on High Street in front of the Inn to unload your luggage if you follow the loading ordinances:
1. You must park with the front of your car facing uphill. Do not stop in or otherwise block the intersection of High Street and Public Way.
2. You can park for no more than 15 minutes.
3. You cannot stop for loading /unloading on High Street between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
  Contact Karan Townsend (karantownsend@gmail.com; 304.702.1872) or check the National Park Service website (www.NPS.gov/hafe) for more information.

Check this instruction out:

__ Go directly to the Train Station Lot without stopping at the Inn. Stop at the the entrance to the Train Station Lot & follow the instructions on the parking kiosk / mailbox at the entrance

__ Pull up across the street (!) from the Inn in the uphill lane in front of Rabbit Hole or the neighboring businesses any time other than 11:00 – 5:00 on Saturdays and Sundays to unload your baggage. Do NOT stop to unload baggage in front of the house with the balcony, which is located in the downhill lane at the intersection of High Street and Public Way.

__ Get a note and NPS parking fee envelope from Inn staff

__ Drive to the Train Station parking lot on Potomac Street to see if any parking spaces are available. If so, park and place the top of the NPS parking fee envelope and the note from the Inn on your dashboard. Put $15 in the envelope and drop the envelope in the NPS mailbox located at the intersection of Potomac Street and the driveway to the Train Station parking lot (on the right at the end of the sidewalk as you are turning from Potomac Street onto the driveway).

__ If no parking is available, drive about 2 miles up Washington / High Street until it curves and intersects Route 340, cross Route 340 ( when the traffic light is green 🙂 and then turn left into the NPS Visitor Center. Pay $15 to the Ranger at the entrance to the Visitor Center, park your car, and take the shuttle 1 mile along the Shenandoah River back to Lower Town.

__ Take one of the last shuttles back to the Visitor Center in the evening and drive your car to the Train Station, where your pass and the note from me allow you to park overnight. Remember, the parking is always first come, first serve — so if you move your car during the day, you may lose your space.