Other Designation · NPS · MD
Catoctin Mountain Park
Photo: NPS Photo/Peggie Gaul, Chimney Rock Vista
Alerts and conditions
Overview
President Franklin D. Roosevelt created programs to give people a chance to rebuild their lives from the Great Depression. The Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps gave this land a second opportunity and through re-growth, a new role as a recreation area.
From the National Park Service
History
The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.
What to see and do
Activities
- Camping
- Car or Front Country Camping
- Group Camping
- Climbing
- Compass and GPS
- Orienteering
- Fishing
- Fly Fishing
- Food
- Picnicking
- Hiking
- Front-Country Hiking
- Horse Trekking
- Horseback Riding
- Junior Ranger Program
- Skiing
- Cross-Country Skiing
- Snowshoeing
- Museum Exhibits
- Shopping
- Bookstore and Park Store
Plan your visit
Hours
Catoctin Mountain Park: Hiking trails and parking areas are open year round, dawn to dusk, but may close as a result of security or safety concerns. Consult the park's website for updates: http://www.nps.gov/cato/index.htm. The visitor center, camps, and campgrounds have separate hours. Please see descriptions for those facilities elsewhere.
Getting there
To reach the visitor center from the east, follow US Route 15 to MD Route 77 and go west about 3 miles. The visitor center is on the right side of the road. From the west, take I 70 to MD 66 at exit 35. Turn left onto MD 66 north and travel about 5 miles, passing through the roundabout. Turn right onto MD 64 and drive 1 mile. Turn right onto MD 77. Drive on MD 77 about 7.5 miles. The visitor center is on the left.
Visitor centers
Campgrounds
- Owens Creek Campground (50 sites) — reserve
- Poplar Grove Youth Group Tent Campground (3 sites) — reserve
- Adirondack Shelters (2 sites) — reserve
- Camp Misty Mount (29 sites) — reserve
- Camp Greentop (16 sites) — reserve
- Camp Round Meadow (1 sites) — reserve
Weather
Summer (June-Aug) average temperature is between 61 and 81 degrees Fahrenheit. Fall (Sep-Nov) average temperature is between 45 and 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Fall foliage is at its peak in mid-October Winter (Dec-Feb) average temperature is between 24 and 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter snowfall is between 5-12" per month. Spring (March-May) average temperature is between 41 and 63 degrees Fahrenheit. Average precipitation is approximately 4 inches per month. (Source: usclimatedata.com)
Phone: 3016639388
Whose lands these are
These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.
Photos






Pair it with
- Eisenhower National Historic Site NPS · 14 miles
- Gettysburg National Military Park NPS · 17 miles
- Antietam National Battlefield NPS · 19 miles
- Monocacy National Battlefield NPS · 20 miles
- Harpers Ferry National Historical Park NPS · 27 miles
- Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail NPS · 35 miles