Sugarloaf Mountain reopens after burglary with new hours, car policies
Sugarloaf Mountain will reopen to the public Tuesday with new policies in place, after having closed for nearly two months following an attempted burglary, the nonprofit entity that owns the 3,400-acre Maryland property said.
Stronghold announced in a “Reopening Update” on its website that it had installed security cameras throughout the Sugarloaf site and that photos “will be captured of all vehicles that enter the Stronghold property, including tag numbers.”
The mountain’s hours will be more limited, as well, with the park opening at 8 a.m. and closing at 4 p.m. year-round. “If you are on the Stronghold property after sunset, you have overstayed your welcome,” the update reads. Any vehicles remaining at that point will be towed.
Sugarloaf, known for its scenic views, hiking trails and birdwatching, receives about 250,000 visitors each year, according to its website. But the future of the mountain, as privately owned land open for cost-free public use, has been in limbo because of a zoning debate between Stronghold and conservationists that has boiled over.
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Conservationist groups long have opposed potential land-use projects, such as a gun range and a megachurch, that could disturb Sugarloaf’s surrounding habitats, and Frederick County officials created the Sugarloaf Treasured Landscape Management Plan, an initiative to conserve nearby habitats by limiting development and commercial logging, among other activities.
Stronghold, however, has pushed back against zoning restrictions on the property, which is about 30 miles north of D.C. A year ago, the owners threatened to cut off public access to the park if the Frederick County Council passed any restrictions or rezoning.
John Webster, president of the Stronghold board of trustees, did not respond to a phone call seeking comment Monday.
The mountain had remained open as usual until an attempted burglary was reported in August at Strong Mansion, a Stronghold-owned structure on the property used for weddings and other events.
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Todd Wivell, a spokesman for the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, said Monday that nothing was stolen from the mansion but that the investigation was ongoing. Officers had collected blood from the scene near a broken window and think “the person who attempted the break-in hurt their arm so bad that they fled,” he had told The Washington Post last month.
Wivell also said last month that the sheriff’s office did not advise Stronghold to close Sugarloaf.
“We know people are concerned with why Sugarloaf closed,” he said then. “We have nothing to do with that.”
When Stronghold cited the burglary attempt as its reason for abruptly halting public access, owners and operators of some nearby businesses worried about how the prospect of fewer visitors to the area could affect them.
Since then, “things have been okay for us,” Jeff Lund, sales director of Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, said Monday. “We still get people in every day stopping and asking why the mountain is closed, which is hard to explain at this point.”
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Many hikers continued to visit the mountain without knowing of the closure, Lund had said, leading Stronghold to tow their cars.
A flier posted at the property said Stronghold was “focused on providing for and reassessing the security needs” of the property.
“I’m just happy they’re reopening, and before winter,” when hiking season slows down, Lund said. “This is when all the hikers, the Boys Scouts, Girls Scouts … everyone comes to the mountain.”
Kyle Swenson contributed to this report.
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