• Catoctin Mountain Park - Catoctin Mountain Park serves as the backdrop for the beginning of the Mountain Spies story. During World War II, the rugged and secluded Catoctin Mountains provided an ideal setting for secret training and experimentation. In 1942, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which later became the CIA, established a covert paramilitary training site at nearby Camp Greentop, known as Camp B-2. Here, small teams were trained in sabotage, guerrilla warfare, clandestine communications, and resistance coordination before being deployed to occupied Europe.

The same protected mountain landscape also hosted the presidential retreat initially called Shangri-La, later renamed Camp David by Dwight D. Eisenhower. The proximity of OSS training, military intelligence activities at Fort Ritchie, and presidential leadership in the Catoctins highlights how this quiet Appalachian corridor became a significant setting for the development of American intelligence and national security during and after World War II.

• Fort Ritchie - Fort Ritchie, situated in the Catoctin–South Mountain corridor, served as the U.S. Army’s Military Intelligence Training Center during World War II. Here, thousands of intelligence specialists, known as the Ritchie Boys, were trained in interrogation, psychological warfare, and battlefield intelligence. Many were European refugees whose language and cultural knowledge were invaluable during the Allied advance across Europe.

Fort Ritchie was part of a broader regional intelligence system that included POW screening at Pine Grove Furnace POW Camp and strategic interrogation operations at PO Box 1142 at Fort Hunt.

During the Cold War, the region’s strategic role expanded with the construction of the underground command center at Raven Rock Mountain Complex, which serves as the Alternate National Military Command Center supporting continuity-of-government and national command communications.

• High Rock Overlook - Pen Mar Park is located along the crest of South Mountain on the Pennsylvania–Maryland border and offers breathtaking views across the Cumberland Valley. Developed in the late 19th century as a railroad resort destination, it became a popular scenic overlook and gathering place for visitors traveling the mountain line.

In the Mountain Spies narrative, Pen Mar represents the high ground of the Catoctin–South Mountain corridor—terrain that later supported military training, intelligence activities, and strategic infrastructure throughout World War II and the Cold War.

• Blue Ridge Summit - Blue Ridge Summit is a historic mountain community located along the crest of South Mountain near the Pennsylvania–Maryland border. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the area developed as a resort destination where visitors escaped the summer heat of the cities below to enjoy the cooler mountain climate and expansive valley views.

Within the Mountain Spies story, Blue Ridge Summit is positioned at the geographic center of the Catoctin–South Mountain corridor. Its location along the ridgeline placed it near key sites that later shaped American intelligence history, including Fort Ritchie, OSS training areas in the Catoctin Mountains, and the Cold War command infrastructure at Raven Rock Mountain Complex. Today, the area reflects how this tranquil mountain landscape became part of a broader national security corridor stretching between Gettysburg and Washington, D.C.

• Private transportation

Embark on a fascinating 3-hour guided tour through the Catoctin Mountains, linking pivotal locations such as Gettysburg, Fort Ritchie, Camp David, and Raven Rock. Uncover the vital role this tranquil mountain region played in American intelligence during World War II and the Cold War. Visit sites associated with OSS training, the Ritchie Boys, and the clandestine interrogation center at PO Box 1142, while learning how President Eisenhower leveraged Camp David for national leadership. This driving tour provides an engaging narrative of the geographical and historical influences that shaped modern American intelligence.

• 3-hour guided driving tour of the Catoctin Mountains
• Visit historical landmarks like Fort Ritchie and Raven Rock
• Discover the impact of geography on American intelligence
• Two daily departures for convenient scheduling
• The tour does involve walking on unstable terrain.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.