Warrior Mountain WMA

Warrior mountain lookout

The amazing view during the fall months, from a parking area just before the Warrior Mountain summit.

Warrior Mountain is a large wildlife management area in Flintstone, Maryland, just southeast of Cumberland. The area is accessible off I-68 – it’s about 20 miles south of the highway – or Maryland state route 51, which runs along the West Virginia border.

From I-68, take exit 56 and head south toward Baltimore Pike and turn onto Murley’s Branch Road NE. Murley’s Branch becomes Willimas Road SE and from Willimas you can turn left on Cresap Mill Road or Oliver Beltz road. Cresap will take you to the west and around the WMA, while Oliver Beltz will help you lap Warrior Mountain to the east.

Warrior mountain WMA sign

One of the many signs surrounding Warrior Mountain WMA. Parking areas are clearly marked.

The Google Map section below will help you understand these directions in more detail.

The path around Warrior Mountain, whether you take Cresap Mill or Oliver Beltz offers numerous opportunities to park and hike. Signs for “Warrior Mountain WMA” are clearly visible along the roadside. Carrying a map of the area is highly recommended to identify parking locations and plan your hike. I created this larger image from the segregated PDF available on the official Maryland DNR website.

If you access the WMA from Route 51, there is a parking area and trail immediately after your turn onto Cresap Mill Road. The parking area is marked by a small sign.

Oliver Beltz Road takes you along the northern border of the WMA and is the best way to access the trail to the summit. A turn off onto Spanish Leather Road will lead you on an off-road path straight to the peak. There are 3 or 4 parking areas along the way, including a wide grassy parking area with the most amazing view of the surrounding country side. A 4×4 vehicle is recommended, but not necessary for this road.

The last part of the Spanish Leather Road trail is closed to vehicles from February to September 15 – outside of hunting season – but the walk from year-round accessible parking spots is not bad at all. Probably less than 2 miles.

warrior mountain path

The path to the summit of Warrior Mountain is lined by trees and bedded with leaves in November.

Most of the Warrior Mountain trails are dirt paths lined by a thick forest of trees. There are several creeks that meander through the WMA, and some open meadows as well.

The area is incredibly vast, with a lot of opportunities for hiking and photography. I have only visited one time on the fall, and I really need to go back in the summer months when wildlife will be more abundant than the occasional songbird in a tree. Warrior Mountain is known for its large population of wild turkeys, as well as white tail deer and an incredible array of bird life.

Taking Oliver Beltz along the east side of the Warrior Mountain area will lead to several parking areas. Signage will help motorist stay long the WMA path, including a turn onto Ruby Road. The first parking area on Ruby Road is a small field with a more rugged path to the summit that leads into the woods and can help hikers follow the power lines straight to the mountain top.

A little further along Ruby Road closer to the southeastern portion of the WMA is a large parking area, with clearly marked spots, a port-a-john and, yes, another hiking trail into the woods.


My Tracks for Warrior Mountain WMA


View Warrior Mountain Summit in a larger map


Google Map Location

View Larger Map


External Resources

Warrior Mountain WMA on Maryland DNR site

The Maryland DNR site includes a PDF map of Warrior Mountain divided into four sections. I downloaded the PDF and did a little creative Photoshopping to create one uniform image. The image is hi-res and roughly 3 MB is size.

Click here to view the full map image, right click and “Save As” to download

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