Daylight Saving Time ended on Sunday, November 1, and the entrance gate at Sugarloaf Mountain didn't change its hours. Stronghold, Incorporated closes the gate at 4 p.m. year-round. No parking is available after 4, and everyone has to be off the property by sunset. For Thursday, November 12, the Washington, DC sun table at timeanddate puts sunset at 4:56 p.m. That leaves 56 minutes between the last chance to drive in and the time you need to be gone. The same short clock now runs the beer garden and the vineyard on the roads below the mountain, so on most days the order of your afternoon decides how much of it you get.
The gate is the deadline you plan around
For Urbana, Sugarloaf is very close. The Frederick News-Post describes I-270 as "the eastern line between the Sugarloaf land and suburban development in Urbana." Because it's so close, it's easy to treat as a quick trip whenever you like. In November and December that habit runs into two deadlines.
The first is the 4 p.m. gate. The second is sunset, and Stronghold's homepage says what happens if you miss it: any vehicle still on the property after sunset gets towed by Dorsey's Towing in Frederick. Stronghold puts the average cost at $325. Stronghold links to the Washington, DC sun table for sunset times, so the figures below come from that table. They are close to what you'll see on the mountain.
| Date | Gate closes | DC sunset | Time between |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Nov. 12 | 4:00 p.m. | 4:56 p.m. | 56 minutes |
| Thursday, Nov. 26 | 4:00 p.m. | 4:47 p.m. | 47 minutes |
| Monday, Dec. 7 | 4:00 p.m. | 4:45 p.m. | 45 minutes |
| Monday, Dec. 21 | 4:00 p.m. | 4:49 p.m. | 49 minutes |
Early December is the tightest stretch, with the window down to about three quarters of an hour. By the winter solstice, sunset is already a few minutes later again. Through the rest of the year, getting in just before 4 still leaves a long evening on the mountain. Right now it leaves less than an hour, and the mountain road has a 15-mph speed limit.
Below the mountain, the same clock
Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard and The Comus Inn are both a short drive from the gate, and in winter both are bound by the same short day.
The Comus Inn, at 23900 Old Hundred Road in Dickerson, describes itself as a stop for before or after a Sugarloaf visit. It lists its hours as Friday from 3 p.m. to sunset and Saturday and Sunday from noon to sunset. Its closing time is sunset, the same deadline you have on the mountain, so in winter you can't fit a full hike in before going there. If you come down at the last minute, the Inn is closing too.
Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, at 18125 Comus Road, opens at noon seven days a week. It closes at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday. Tastings and flight service end an hour before closing, the last pour is 30 minutes before closing, and the vineyard doesn't take reservations. On a 5:30 day, flights end at 4:30 and the last pour is at 5:00. On a Saturday in early December, that's just after sunset.
All three schedules show up on the same weekend afternoon:
- Sugarloaf gate: last entry at 4:00 p.m.
- Vineyard flights: end at 4:30 p.m.
- Sunset and off the mountain: about 4:45 to 4:56 p.m., depending on the date
- Comus Inn: closes at sunset
- Vineyard last pour: 5:00 p.m.
Most of a weekend afternoon ends in about an hour. If you hike first, you'll likely miss the vineyard's flights.
Two ways to order the afternoon
A Saturday or Sunday. Start with the mountain and finish with the tasting. The gate opens at 8 a.m., so a morning or midday hike leaves time for the Comus Inn, which opens at noon on weekends, and for a flight at the vineyard before 4:30. In this order, nothing depends on how fast you get down from the summit.
A Friday. Friday is the one day when both stops are open late in the afternoon and one of them is still open after dark. The Comus Inn opens at 3 p.m., and the vineyard stays open until 7:30, with flights until 6:30 and a last pour at 7:00. A short hike that gets you through the gate before 4 can lead to the Inn before sunset and then to the vineyard after dark. The vineyard keeps the same late hours on Tuesday, but the Inn is closed that day.
Hours on all three websites can change around the holidays, so check them before you drive over.
What to bring, and what to leave in the car
A short winter visit leaves no room for an unexpected stop. Most of Stronghold's posted rules are easy to plan for ahead of time:
- Cash or a phone for the donation box. Stronghold asks visitors for a voluntary donation of $5 or more. The box is at the park entrance, and donations can also be made online through PayPal.
- A bag for your trash. Stronghold doesn't provide trash receptacles anywhere on the property, so you carry out whatever you bring in. Porta johns are provided, and they aren't meant for trash.
- A leash. Dogs have to be on a leash at all times.
- A parking plan. Roadside parking isn't permitted, and vehicles parked in no-parking zones are towed. Only designated spaces count.
- A check on the weather. The rules ask visitors to stay off the trails right after rain, which makes wet November weekends shorter still.
Leave out anything for a fire, and leave out alcohol. Both are prohibited on Stronghold property, so save the wine for the vineyard.
Why the mountain runs on its own rules
Sugarloaf isn't a state or county park. Stronghold is a nonprofit organized in 1946 by the late Gordon Strong, and it owns and operates the mountain for the public's "enjoyment and education in an appreciation of natural beauty." Its money for maintenance comes from a modest trust fund, membership dues, and gifts and bequests. It gets no federal, state or municipal funding. That's why the gate, the towing rule and the donation box are all set by Stronghold. It's private property, and Stronghold reserves the right to ask any visitor to leave.
Stronghold's volunteer program works the same way. It held a volunteer trail work day on Saturday, November 7, starting from the Westview parking lot pavilion. For anyone who wants to help on a regular basis, the homepage also invites visitors to adopt a section of trail and maintain it on their own schedule, and it lists a contact for that program. Adopting a section lets you work at your own pace, which suits a season when afternoons run short.
The Strong Mansion, Stronghold's event venue, also follows a seasonal calendar. Stronghold lists it as available from April through November, so its event season ends this month. After that, it's the hiking trails and the 4 p.m. gate until the days get longer, and they're already getting longer at the end of the day by December 21.
At Troyce Gatewood & Partners, we care about the details that shape daily life in Urbana, including which afternoons still reach the Friday tasting room and how early the day ends at the mountain. If the move-up home you're picturing puts you within a short drive of the Westview lot, we can help you plan the sale of your current home around your own schedule. Request a Free Home Valuation & Guaranteed Cash Offer and we'll walk you through your timeline.