Catoctin Mountain Park is located in north central area of MD in the forested Catoctin Mountain ridge. The park is approximately 8 square miles featuring streams and panoramic vistas of the Monocacy Valley.
Catoctin Mountain Park is managed by the National Park Service and is south of Cunningham Falls State Park. The park was a source of fuel to the nearby iron furnaces, used for farming and harvesting of trees for timber.
In the 1930s, the land was purchased by the federal government to be transformed into a productive recreation area to put people back to work during the Great Depression. Beginning in 1935, the Catoctin Recreational Demonstration Area was under construction by both the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps. The northern portion of the park was transferred to the National Park Service on November 14, 1936, and renamed and reorganized on July 12, 1954, with the southern 5,000 acres (20 km2) transferred to Maryland as Cunningham Falls State Park.
Catoctin Mountain Park was originally planned to provide recreational camps for federal employees. One section of the camps eventually became the home of the Presidential retreat, Camp David. The Presidential retreat is not open or accessible to the public.
Map
Catoctin Mountain Park Map
Address: 6602 Foxville Rd, Thurmont, MD 21788
Telephone: (301) 663-9388
