The Catoctin National Recreation Trail is a 26.6 mi (42.4 km)

hiking trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...

that traverses federal, state, and municipal woodlands along the northern half of

Catoctin Mountain Catoctin Mountain, along with the geologically associated Bull Run Mountains, forms the easternmost mountain ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are in turn a part of the Appalachian Mountains range. The ridge runs northeast–southwest for ...

in Frederick County in central

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, USA. The hilly terrain is typical of western Maryland with large sections canopied under dense forest cover.

History

Original portions of the trail were constructed in the 1930s by the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

and the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

. The trail was later upgraded and completed by the

Potomac Appalachian Trail Club The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) is a volunteer organization that works to maintain hiking trails in the Washington, D.C. area of the United States. PATC was founded in 1927 to protect and develop the local section of the then new Appala ...

between 1979 and 1982. In 2011, the trail was designated a

National Recreation Trail The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nati ...

Route

The trail's southern terminus begins in

Gambrill State Park Gambrill State Park is a public recreation area located on Catoctin Mountain near the city of Frederick, Maryland, Frederick in Frederick County, Maryland, Frederick County, Maryland. The state park is known for the dramatic views of the surroun ...

(GMP). The trail continues north through GMP for approximately and then leaves the park and enters the Frederick Municipal Forest (Frederick City Watershed). The trail travels north for through the Forest, staying mostly to the east of the ridge crest on the bench of the mountain. As the trail enters

Cunningham Falls State Park Cunningham Falls State Park is a public recreation area located west of Thurmont, Maryland, in the United States. The state park is the home of Cunningham Falls, the largest cascading waterfall in Maryland, a man-made lake, and the remains of a ...

(CFSP) it descends northeasterly off the bench and into Catoctin Hollow reaching its lowest elevation of as it crosses Catoctin Hollow Road. After crossing the road the trail turns northwesterly and then climbs to its highest elevation of , atop Bob's Hill. After traveling through CFSP the trail enters

Catoctin Mountain Park Catoctin Mountain Park, located in north-central Maryland, is part of the forested Catoctin Mountain ridge−range that forms the northeastern rampart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the Appalachian Mountains System. Approximately 5120 acres ...

(CMP), a unit of the federal

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

. The trail traverses through the Park to its northern terminus at Mt. Zion Road, north of Owens Creek Campground in CMP. From there, the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...

may be reached by traveling west on Mt. Zion Road to Raven Rock Road for .

Restrictions

*Camping is permitted along the Catoctin Trail only at Rock Run Campground, Gambrill State Park; the Manor and Houck Campgrounds, Cunningham Falls State Park; and Owens Creek Campground, CMP.

References

{{MarylandTrails Hiking trails in Maryland Protected areas of Frederick County, Maryland Blue Ridge Mountains National Recreation Trails in Maryland