Gambrill State Park is a public recreation area located on

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 ...

near the city of

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

in Frederick County,

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 ...

. The

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

is known for the dramatic views of the surrounding area that can be seen from stone overlooks built in the 1930s by 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 park is operated by the

Maryland Department of Natural Resources The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is a government agency in the state of Maryland charged with maintaining natural resources including state parks, public lands, state forests, state waterways, wildlife, and recreation areas. It ...

Location

The park is approximately 51 miles (82 km) northwest of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and 53 miles (85 km) west of Baltimore on

. Gambrill Park Road is located approximately six miles (10 km) away from Frederick on Route 40 West. The park road traverses Catoctin Mountain, and accesses the campground, the trailhead, and the High Knob areas of this park.

History

The park is named after James H. Gambrill, Jr. (1866–1951), a participant in the grain industry and in Frederick city politics, who was a conservationist and frequent visitor to Catoctin Mountain. In an effort to establish a park, Gambrill convinced his fellow businessmen to purchase the land that now makes up the park and donate it to the city of Frederick. The city then donated the land one year later to the state of Maryland. The state park was dedicated on September 7, 1934. A majority of the park's buildings and structures including its roads, stone overlooks, wooden picnic shelters, Tea Room, and ranger’s residence were constructed in the 1930s by the

Activities and amenities

The park offers trails for hikers and mountain bikers as well as a picnic area with a playground and a small fishing pond. ;Trails Each park trail is blazed with its own color scheme; each is maintained by a different volunteer group. The descriptions below are adapted from the official trail guide offered by the State of Maryland. ;Overlooks Gambrill_state_park

Three native stone overlooks located on the 1600-foot (490 m) summit of High Knob, midway between the

Mason–Dixon line The Mason–Dixon line, also called the Mason and Dixon line or Mason's and Dixon's line, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (part of Virginia ...

and the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...

, offer views of the surrounding area: north – the rugged tree-covered mountains of the Frederick City Municipal Forest; south –

Crampton's Gap Crampton's Gap, also known as Crampton Gap, is a wind gap on South Mountain in Maryland. The gap connects Burkittsville in the Middletown Valley to the east with Gapland and Rohrersville in the Pleasant Valley to the west. Documentation of ...

, a

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

landmark and the location of

Gathland State Park Gathland State Park is a public recreation area and historic preserve located on South Mountain near Burkittsville, Maryland, in the United States. The state park occupies the former estate of war correspondent George Alfred Townsend (1841-1 ...

, as well as the Middletown and

Monocacy Monocacy (Shawnee language, Shawnee: ''Monnockkeseymay'') may refer to the Monocacy River in Maryland, USA. Monocacy may also refer to: Other streams *Little Monocacy River, a tributary of the Potomac River in Maryland *Monocacy Creek (Lehigh Riv ...

valleys; west – South Mountain, the site of numerous Civil War engagements.

References

External links

Gambrill State Park
Maryland Department of Natural Resources {{authority control Blue Ridge Mountains Civilian Conservation Corps in Maryland Parks in Frederick County, Maryland State parks of Maryland Protected areas established in 1934