Reviews of Catoctin Mountain Park (Park)

Octavia Bradford

Most beautiful views trails and campsites.

Avia Hamilton

Great hiking trails!

Myron Schroeder

Nice area to hike or picnic. Great for fishing, birding or looking for wildflowers. Nice park just to get away.

Jackie Willard

Beautiful and full of all kinds of nature trails

Jeff Gingco

Great place for either a short or long hike. Highly recommend it for all levels of hiker.

H Greenjeans

Most of the trails are very well marked and the expertise level. The scenic overlooks aren't great, but still a pretty hike.

Jerry Pitts

Maybe the biggest part of my 5 star rating is the nearly perfect day we had for a hike. We desperately wanted to be outside after what seemed a month of rain and clouds. Catoctin Mountain was a wonderful escape. We chose the Hog Rock loop from the Visitor Center, an approximate 4.6 mile loop with a rise in elevation of about 600 feet to the highest point. The views at the top were worth the hike. Also the uphill segments were separated, so it wasn't one big climb of 600 feet. It made for a good workout, but wasn't super strenuous. The park was very busy during our visit, but with the help of a Park Service employee we found parking quickly. There were many people enjoying the trails, but once we got away from the Visitor Center we had stretches to ourselves. There are many different trails to venture into.

Robin Hepp

Love the hikes and trails. Well maintained and marked

Howard Moretz

Catoctin Mountain Park is a great place to go for hiking and biking or just to be out in nature they have camping there mostly tent camping but some small recreational vehicles and no quads or side by sides because this is a National Park The Rangers are always friendly and can direct you were to go all and all its a very nice Park I my self would like to thank each and everyone of the Park personel for the great job they do.

Will A Goat Eat It

Great place for hiking in the area. The Thurmont Vista and Wolf rock are really nice.

Sun Lee

Good hike with excellent elevation and trails. Wolf rock and chimney rock are seen along this easy hike.

Tim Cosgrove

Nice place for a walk...can be a little crowded during summer weekends. Cunningham Falls trail was nice for a mile walk...but was following 77 with traffic noise and involved crossing over route 77 at the end.

John O'Brien

Love to come here ever fall, but this is an awesome place no matter what time of the year with so much to see and do locally. The Park has a variety of trails from easy to difficult, pick up your free must have map at the park office. Great picnic areas. Local orchards, wineries, antiques, fairs, wildlife centers, so much more and even a beach. Come on out, explore the back roads, you won't be disappointed

Jonathan Epstein

Beautiful. Nice hikes which are challenging enough to be interesting but not too difficult. Very helpful visitors center

Mike Fronczak

Very well kept park. Many sights to see and trails to hike

julio macas

Beautiful park, lot of trails and I would go back again to enjoy nature.

Nishay Shah

A nice peaceful area to get away from the city

Joseph Durnal

This park is awesome, love hiking here.

T. Ann Jackson

Thick woods full of beauty! Streams, trails, picnic areas, waterfalls, camping areas... definitely worth the drive.

Jason Goins

Amazing park but has been getting crowded lately

Julie L

Beautiful scenery, mountains and water falls. Great trails

Matthew Tilkens

Absolutely love it out here. The roads, the air, hiking.... Wish I lived a lot closer!!

Ratko Vasic

Great place for easy hike.

Lovisa Ferguson

Loved the scenery, very beautiful

Jennifer Herrmann

Beautiful place. Great hiking!

Beth Peterson

Beautiful! The campground was nice, with clean bathrooms.

robin beck

Beautiful water falls

Sandra Roberts

The hike is fairly easy (although part of it seems to be over a (very shallow) stream, so your shoes may get a little wet). The views are awesome! It's a good half day activity- depending on how far you choose to go.

Felix Wolfinger

Can get a little busy, but nice family hikes and a lake for swimming make it a great weekend destination.

Robert Thienes

Such a lovely location. My daughter and I took a photo safari there and will DEFINITELY be back.

Kathy Sibbald

I love this place! Great hiking for all skill and ability levels.

John Simmons

Nice trails and views!

mary

Great place for a hike

Jim Ferrant

I love parks, nice walk to Cunningham Falls. Pretty lake, water activities available, beach, canoe n kayak rentals, some food available.

Jennifer Malick

5 to get in if you are out of state and $3 to get in if you are a MD resident. Very nice place 2 beachs and lifeguards on duty at 11. Good place to take kids

Howard le roux

Quiet , peaceful, very relaxing to hike

Emily Borghi

Nice for hiking, lots of kids. Not really anywhere to let your dog swim even though it says there is on the website. A little disappointed but not too bad

B Schlegel

Easy trail to hike. It's a very busy place. Beautiful!

Jessica Nadler

Friendly staff. Lovely views. And an EV charge station in the parking lot!

serge yondou

Amazing. I can't wait to go back. So refreshing to walk the trail here with family.

Mikki Poper

I have cook outs here all the time I love it!

Laura Finger Marlowe

My husband and I come to this park frequently to get away from the city! There are great trails leading to several overlooks into the valleys below. Chimney rock gives an awesome view of the mountainside, but can be intimidating to climb on. We love to hike here and camp at Cunningham Falls State Park across the road. It’s worth it to book a campsite to enjoy both parks thoroughly. Parking can be crowded during summer months, so plan accordingly. Great park to enjoy and the rangers in the visitor center are very nice and helpful.

IN VALID

It may be less than 2 miles to the falls but the trail is challenging due to the terrain. If there hasn't been a lot of rain, the falls are kind of a trickle. Lots of trails with a nice boardwalk/deck for viewing the falls. Beautiful information center that is air-conditioned with facilities.

Natalie Idalis

Service was 5 star! Accomodations for color blindness was provided, which made viewing the leaves very special. The parking was great and the rangers made understanding the trails very clear. There is a range of difficulty that even included accessibility. Beautiful, clean, and educational. Would recommend.

Sophia Lejtman

It's a nice chill. Trails are easy enough. The forest is relaxing. Places to bbq available. While the trails are kid friendly, they are not stroller accessible. Most are footpaths, gravel with stones.

Dipak Oza

Very nice hiking area. Trails with different degrees of difficulty - easy, moderate, hard. Serene environment. Cunningham falls is in the park. Whole family can enjoy. Something for everyone.

Daniel

Live this place, been coming for many years. Gotten a lot more attention recently

Chrispen Claus

Beautiful hiking!

Tobias Davis

Very beautiful place great for peace walks and scenery outlooks

Robert Olds

Hiked Hog Rock and trail was a great Monday (Memorial Day) stroll. Lots of trails with great learning potential. Last, take a quick swim at Cunningham

Raquel McKenna

One of my favorite places to hike/ camp! Never too crowded, which is why I like it!!

Caroline Bruder

A great place to go hiking. They also have a water fountain at the visitors center, and the trail we took went right by so we were able to fill our water bottles.

Jeremy K.

Gorgeous park Owens creek campground is worth a stay as well

Patricia Anderson

I've loved this waterfall. I haven't visited for a number of years. There are now boardwalks and posted signs to stay off the area around the falls. This was a disappointment. It was so much fun to climb on the rocks and sit right by the falls. Now you can only stand on the boardwalk to see them. The park is clean and well kept and the trails are fun to hike.

B Miller

The hiking is challenging enough to keep your cardio up, the views are spectacular, and despite the number of users you usually get to enjoy nature. Parking can be a bit of a challenge so arrive early.

pamela clark

My kids love it here!!

Hemant Shukla

A good day out for people living nearby.

Amanda Hoover

Visitors center is great for kids. Volunteers and Rangers were very helpful with trail information. Trails are well marked.

Sean Dopwell

Great park with hiking trails you can see. The waterfall is a great place people to cool down. Beautiful scenery. We're definitely going back!

Jason Hahn

Very pretty park with well maintained trails. Weekends can see a lot of people, but very quiet and peaceful during the week

Amandaispeng

Great for pictures

Mason Pierce

Such a good veiw

Frank Duncan

Beautiful park with extensive hiking trails and scenery to enjoy along the way. The Visitors Center is excellent and great for kids! Worth the trip!

Lisa B

Great place. Park rangers are all very helpful and very knowledgeable. Endless trails for all levels

Sabrina Purtee

It's gorgeous here, the park is beautiful and well kept, parking is easy to get to, and trails are nice. Usually not crowded on the weekdays!

Grumpy Shitzu

I love hiking here

an rae

Great hiking, and the cabins are cheap on the off season.

Maryland Brad ll

Very nice, easy hike with a nice view from Chimney. Wolf was interested for its ridge and potential for rock climbing.

Melanie Johnson

We always love coming here. It has wonderful trails, swimming, boating, boat rental, bathing changing area and more

Mike Caldwell

This is a great park..what a treasure.

Douglas Gemza

Good for pictures, hiking, etc

Tim L.

The full loop (about 8 miles) is great. Be sure to stop at Wolf Rock and do some rock scrambling. Could be a bit dangerous at Wolf Rock for kids who have no fear. Overlooks are beautiful and you will never be bored with the rocky trail. The visitors center was recently renovated and is a great place to explore the rich history of this park.

john jamulla

Lots of mosquitoes in early may, ut beautiful park.

Prince ThankGod Lawal

Good but you got to be safe, bears out sometimes

Jacob Martin

The lake area can get very crowded, and the prices changed so now it is $5.00 per person not $5.00 per vehicle.

Dinesh V

Beautiful location if you are planning getaway from city and enjoy trail.

Dylan Stumbaugh

Had a great time in a beautiful area. Ranger Katy (Katie? Who knows.. not I..) lead a wonderful hike and I'm sure the story was awesome. I'm late for everything and missed the story thing. Sounded cool doe!

Eunkyu Lee

beautiful park and trails. Good place to visit during nice weather. Do not go when its raining or snowing. the muddy part can be very slippery.

Stephen palmer

Always wonderful great trails and wonderfully clean.

J. Allen Hammer

One of my favorite parks in Maryland, especially in the fall. Trails aren't too challenging, views are great, park is always beautiful. Make sure you stop at the visitor center to chat with a ranger, they're very knowledgeable and helpful. If you go on the weekend, get there early, parking is somewhat limited and fills quickly.

S. Miller

Good hiking, many picnic areas, beautiful mountain views.

Alex Barianos

Overcast day,fall would be much better,

Sean Foley

Love hiking here. Great trails and very scenic.

Ryan McCauley

Family friendly with some trails for the avid hiker.

Heather Johnson

Clean, low key outdoor experiece. Easy half mile hike to the waterfall, nice beach, semi reasonable boat rentals, grilling facilities. Nice way for everyone to disconnect from phones and enjoy a family day. Appreciated that we could bring the dog to everything but the beach area.

Patricia Brown

The trail to Thurmont Vista and Wolf rock was well maintained. The cool weather in the high 60's to low 70's made the hike even more delightful.

christine hall

It is amazing to have a ride down the mountain.

Kyle Graybill

Great trails! Plenty of options for all levels of hikers. I personally love Chimney Rock and Wolf rock. Love to climb all over them. You can bring your dog on the trails too, just keep them leashed please. My troop would bring a lunch and eat on the top of Wolf rock. Not for everyone though! Be careful with your footing.

Smile D

Very nice. Thank you so much. PEACE.

Sera Kim

The hike that I did to Wolf Rock and Chimney Rock were great. Paths were well marked and the hike was perfect for a medium-level hiker. It had some uphills, but none of it was too strenuous. Would definitely recommend to anyone in the area.

Sheila Lo Monaco

Awesome hiking trails. Not far from DC. Kids friendly amazing views . Beautiful place to spend a day or two.

Matthew S

Solid hike. The wolf rock was lamer that the chimney rock but both were cool with nice views.

Nancy Jenkins

Nice sites, clean rest rooms with showers, beach, boat rental, fishing and hiking. Beautiful falls!

Ramona Doggett

Great natl park. Beautiful! Had picnic lunch. Park ranger gave lots of info concetning history of park and its uniqueness in comparison to other parks. Go by and ask about Catoctin's "special" feature.

Amelia Sample

A beautiful place for a day trip, but arrive early as parking fills up very fast! We arrived first at the visitor's center, which takes about 20 minutes to go through as it's a bit small. After picking up maps, filling up water bottles, and hearing recommendations from the park rangers, we decided on the yellow blaze trail, which was about 5 miles and a moderate hike. Take note that some hiking trails are closed in the winter. The views are gorgeous, especially in the fall with the leaves changing color. All trails are marked with colored blazes and were very easy to follow. We made a small detour to Cunningham Falls just outside the park, which has wooden bridges to walk on to see the falls. Unfortunately, many hikers did not heed the signs that said "do not leave the bridges: fragile ecosystem" so the falls were littered with people in the water, climbing rocks, and littering. We will be returning again in the spring to hike the remaining trails!

Rob Carson

Wonderful trails if you love to hike

Mike Koenig

Great place. Walked many miles at this place. Know many of the trails well.

Dom Webster

So pretty and peaceful

F Chavez

Great time, great views and hiking trails!!!

Jerame Puffenbarger

Nice place to go if you love the out doors

Robert Gump

Great place to touch base with nature, and see how a forest rebounds from lumbering.

Jordan Leeper

Lots of trails and parking. The wildlife was out and about. The moderate trails have some pretty sharp inclines.

Randy Kreps

Took a hike there and had flashback of memories of the area. Beautiful and scenic

Bernice Simon

Absolutely beautiful place to hike. Has a great view of the mountains and rocky enough that you really get that hiking experience. Plenty of uphill which I love, just tighten those shoes laces when you head back down.

Jocelyn B

Chimney rock. It's an intense hike but it's so worth it once you reach the top. Beautiful views.

Sherlock MacGyver

Plenty of hiking of various levels of difficulty with some decent views, but I never see any animals.

Jennifer Greenslit

Nice visitor center with some places to sit. Some displays seemed to use outdated language, and the parking lot was limited on this busy summer Saturday. The tree just outside the visitor center had a huge and very active hornet nest. Leashed dogs are allowed, and many visitors were taking advantage of that.

david snyder

it's such a great place. I'd go every day if possible.

John Forester

Fabulous view, few people.

Darrel Dorsey Jr

Very challenging trails that really make you feel out in nature

Julie Bostian

Always a good day when we spend it in the Park. Great volunteers and staff. Camp Misty Mount is looking good!

Matthew Benedick

Always a great hike and nice views. Get on out there!

Jon Meacham

Great hiking spot. And we get a chance to explore nature.....great park!!!

I Am Wondertwin

I worked there as a volunteer, for the better part of a summer. Until I got too hot for me to be able to continually go out there. The park is beautifully manicured and absolutely pleasant hiking is abundant. There is also ample parking everywhere. And I have personally hiked several of the trails. Everyone who works there is super pleasant and are always pleasant every time I go. Always looking forward to getting back out there this spring.

Ewin Sanchez

Peace and quiet a short distance from the DC area. Great walks for families with pets and small children or the serious hiker. A few beautiful but narrow vistas. The park rangers are great.

노재용

It was nice but some flies(mosquito? bee?) kept buzzing near my face! I didn't use any cosmetic and sunblock It was really annoying me!!! Everything was nice except that Not that easy way but view on chimney rock is valuable

Erick S. Soledispa M.

Lovely view! Easy hike for hikers but decent for beginners. Overall experience the place is beautiful

Patrick Heinecke

Lots of places throughout the trails chimney Rock has amazing views and is great for if you want to do light bouldering.

Becky G

Gorgeous views, great hikes

patrick bragg

Great outdoorsy walks.

Manasa Bhat

Great place for hiking with plenty of trails..

Kristi Kimmelf

This is our summer go to spot. The trails are maintained. Easy to access all the amenities.

Krossblake@aol.com Blake

It is a beautiful park.

C. Annette Thompson

Great hiking to the pretty falls!

Nancy Vincent

The falls are beautiful

Taressa Norberg

We've visited multiple times and love it always. They have hikes that are easy and quick and ones that are more strenuous for the serious explorer. I love more difficult hikes, but after some medical issues really appreciated the easy ones so I could still enjoy it. We've also gone for picnics and even a quick drive-through when we didn't have time to stop. A wonderful, free place to enjoy nature again and totally family friendly.

Summil faly

Greenbrier is a beautiful state park with a wide range of activities, in particular swimming, camping, and hiking. The swimming beach also offers boat rentals, and picnic tables with grilles are open on a first come first served basis. Larger pavilions can be rented. There is a day use fee (It varies depending on the time of year and day of the week), but all the activities make the fee well worth it.

Heather Wolf

Beautiful area with an excellent hike to Wolf Rock. Very dog friendly and fun hike through the mountains.

Kitty poole

Just took a short walk up a trail. Left early afraid it would rain

Sonia Dragulin-Otto

An AMAZING experience. We went there several times and can't wait to go back. Very well kept and so many things to see ! No hike was meh... I would give it a thousand stars if I could ...

Catherine D

We are so blessed with the national park service!!! And very lucky to have so many parks near us.

ayobami ojekunle

Nice river to swim in, saw a snake in the water once, a little tiny snake, its minnding its own business. People are cool headed at this park, cost three bucks a head to get in.

Gregory Stiller

What a History lesson I received here. Cool , wooded area to rest.

Sandeep Wajapey

Love this place. Plenty of trails ranging from easy to medium. Would love to visit again. Perfect road if you are on motorcycle

kathe coopersmith

We hiked here on Saturday and Easter Sunday. We hiked the orange trail today (Sunday) and we started our hike at the headquarters office rather than the visitors center. It was definitely the way to do it. When you start the hike the way we did today, you immediately start your uphill climb. If we had begun at the visitors center we would have been descending until we got to the headquarters location. There's nothing worse than descending just before your uphill climb! Yesterday we hiked the yellow trail and started at the visitors center which worked out just fine. Both were quite enjoyable hikes.

Melisa Doherty

Wonderful, peaceful. Highly recommend hiking all the trails. There are all levels for all types of experience hikers

Christian Aguiar

There are several trails, including 4-mile and 8.5-mile loops. The trails seem well-maintained, as does the visitor's center. This is a beautiful place to hike.

Rigel W-H

Beautiful location with amazing hike options and very close to Cunningham falls.

brandi carlisle

Beautiful and definetly worth revisiting. Going back soon!

Crystal Joy

Beautiful hiking. However, the park map, printed hiking guides, and trail signs all have different distances listed.

Nadine Engler

One of my favorite childhood memories. Beautiful viewws and clean bathrooms!!

Joie T

Good, moderate hiking. Wolf rock and Chimney rock formations are very pretty. Paths are easy to follow. Start from the visitors center to get more information and water, restrooms, etc.

JB Whitehurst

The Thurmont vista offers a gorgeous view! It's a great place to meditate and isn't too difficult to access.

omar gomez

Beautiful place to come hiking and exploring! Great rock formations and lots of flowing waters!

Joe Mathis

Great park with lots of good hiking options, many with great overlooks. The nature center is a neat spot too. Much less crowded than Cunningham Falls Park.

shaw shank alter egos

Very scenic, beautiful fall day . Loved the walk and the excellent time spent with family and friends

Laura Barnes

Our go-to family hike choice. Many trails at all ability levels. Easier trails for smaller children, as well as more challenging for adults. Falls area is a fun stop and cool off place. Hog rock is an ideal trail choice for children, its mostly flat, not long, and easily accesible with restrooms.

Brandon Brown

The place is just great. Beautiful.

Tom Burns

Very educational visitor center. Lots of parking but fills up fast on weekends. Awesome trails with all difficulty levels offered. Very scenic. Dogs welcome.

Karen Flach

The trails were great and the overlooks amazing from Wolf Rock. The leaves were still lovely colors. This is a free park with restrooms only near the parking area. I did not see any wildlife here.

Marilyn Hoon

Love the beauty of this place. Great hikes. With there were better trails connecting the State Park with the National Park

Stephanie Bernasconi

Beautiful park! The trails are well maintained and dog friendly!

Rick Roberts

Our own National Park! Lovely trails for hiking. Area not completely closed when the President visits Camp David.

Nick Franklin

The ranger who did the spy program was great! I think they're doing it again in October.

Juan Jesús Haro

Nice and beautiful park. The beach at the lake and the options for kayaking and boats are really cool.

DrCowinabox

Great park! I recommend the less traveled trails

Jul Col

Good hiking area. Wear sturdy shoes and carry water with you.