If one were to either thru hike or do a long distance hike on the Mason-Dixon Trail tomorrow, the ideal situation would be to have a support person that would drop you off each morning at a certain place on the trail along with adequate food/water for that day. They would then meet you at the end of that day's hike, take you to a place where you can get a good meal, a shower, clean clothes and a comfortable bed to sleep in. They would then repeat this schedule every day. That would be the best way to thru hike the Mason-Dixon Trail. 

But not everyone has the luxury of having a support person available to them. So we will throw out a few definitions and give you a list of places where you can hopefully get some food along the trail. You need to have nourishment to sustain yourself. 

Short Term Supplies

These are usually found in convenience stores. Things like candy bars, energy bars, beef jerky, vienna sausages, water, soda and Gatorade. Sometimes they have sandwiches or grill items. Short Term Supplies will usually sustain you for a day or two but generally do not fulfill all nutritional needs. Most campgrounds that have camping supplies, with a few exceptions, will only have short term supplies. 

Long Term Supplies

Long Term Supplies are things that can be purchased at a grocery store such as pre-packaged meals, dried soups and noodle products, pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products. You can buy fresh meats, poultry, fish, vegetables and fruit from a grocery store but they must be consumed as soon as possible. You can also buy freeze dried meals, MRE's or energy bars from a number of outfitters. These also count as long term supplies and can last longer than just a few days. 

Mail Drops

These are boxes that contain both short and long term supplies (as well as things like changes of clothes, maps, etc) that you send to yourself along the trail. They can be sent to post offices close to the trail addressed as follows: 

Your Full Name
General Delivery
City, State Zip

List your return address on the box as well as on an index card inside the box just in case the label on the box comes off or is not readable. Also list on the box an ETA range that you will be picking up the box within. For example:

Hold for Mason-Dixon Trail thru Hiker Joe Smith ETA 06/01- 06/05 2018

Post offices will generally hold mail drops for 15-30 days. They will then return them to the return address on the box. Please note that some post offices in smaller towns have reduced hours or may be slated for closing. Call them to verify their hours and status to make sure that you can get your mail drop. It is advisable to send your mail drops out via Priority Mail and get a tracking number. If you have issues later on, the tracking number can be helpful in locating or returning your package to you. When checking on a mail drop or requesting to have it forwarded to another PO or back home, if you can't get through to a given post office, call the USPS customer service number at 800-275-8777. You will be issued a case number and hopefully someone will get back to you. Certain businesses along the M-DT will accept mail drops. But you should call them first to let them know that you want to send them one, ask if it's OK and tell them about when you will be picking it up. 

In order to have a successful long distance or thru hike of the Mason- Dixon Trail, one should utilize a combination of Long Term Resupply, Short Term Resupply, Restaurants and Mail Drops. 

Finally, you need a Mason-Dixon Trail Map Set to do any hiking on this trail but especially for long distance hiking. Order one elsewhere on this web site. Resupply information is listed from west to east. Mileage markers given are based on the M-DT 2016 map sets.

Havre de Grace, MD to North East, MD

​

Mile 1.8

US40 and Ontario ST, Havre de Grace, MD

​

For long term resupply there is a Weis Market about a mile west at this intersection. For short term resupply there is a Royal Farms store right across the street from this intersection. For restaurants there is a McDonalds right at this intersection. There is a laundromat called Fluff & Fold 868 Ontario ST, Havre de Grace, MD. And there is a post office .5 miles from this intersection at 301 N Juniata ST Havre de Grace, MD 21078 410-939-9507 M-F 8:30AM-5PM SA 9AM-1PM.

​

Mile 2.0

Perryville, MD

​

For long term resupply there is a Food Lion grocery store .4 miles from Pulaski and Aiken. For short term resupply there is a 7-Eleven .1 miles past Aiken AVE and Pulaski HWY on the S side of the highway. There is a Royal Farms store .1 miles past the intersection of Aiken and Pulaski on the N side of the highway. There is a Dunkin Donuts .2 miles on the north side of the highway. See below for a post office entry.

​

Mile 2.5

Perryville, MD

​

There is a post office at 620 Broad ST, Perryville, MD 21903 410-642-6012 M-F 9AM-5PM SA 9AM 11AM. 

​

Mile 3.0

Perryville, MD

​

There is also a business called Boxcar Avenue Ice Cream .1 mile west of the intersection of Broad and Roundhouse that has a limited food menu.

​

Mile 12.8

US40 and MD272, North East, MD

​

For long supply there is a Food Lion grocery store. As far as restaurants go, there are four of them: Wendys, Waffle House Ninos Pizza and McDonalds.

​

Mile 13.4

North East, MD

​

For long term supply the Northeast Grocer is one block S on S Main ST. For short term supply there is a Stop & Go at the corner of Cecil and Maudlin AVE. There is a post office at 406 S Main ST, North East, MD 21901 410-287-6644. M-F 9AM-5PM SA 9AM-12PM.