Two Days at Catoctin Mountain Park: A Ranger's Itinerary and What to Bring

A creek in Catoctin Mountain Park. NPS.

For more than half a century, Catoctin Mountain Park, on top of the Blue Ridge, has been a getaway from city life, with views, history and plenty of family recreation — and campsites and cabins for staying the night. The Park Service's two-day plan can be followed as it is, or used as a starting point for your own.

As in any park, plan like a park ranger: whether climbing, hiking or relaxing, bring what you need and know where you're going.

Before you go

Cabins and campsites must be reserved online.

For an overnight stay:

• a sleeping bag or blankets;
• spare clothes, and warm clothes — rain or mud can catch you out, and nights can be chilly even when days are warm;
• food — there are plenty of places to grill and picnic;
• a cooler for perishables: cabins have no refrigerator;
• at Camp Misty Mount, swimwear, goggles, towels and sunscreen for the pool.

For hiking:

• enough water for the whole hike — refill at the visitor center, your campsite or your cabin camp;
• snacks, in case the hike runs long;
• good boots or shoes for long distances on rocky, uneven ground;
• clothes and a hat suited to the weather and conditions — check before you set out;
• a way to pack out your trash — bins are at the restrooms, picnic areas, campgrounds, cabins and visitor center;
• a leash for your pet: pets must be leashed at all times, are not allowed on the rock formations, and may never be left unattended, tied up or not.

Day one

1. Visitor center — start here for maps, brochures and exhibits on the park's history.
2. Eastern trails — from the visitor center parking lot, hike to the overlooks at Chimney Rock, Blue Ridge Summit Vista and Hog Rock, or take the shorter Blue Blazes Whiskey Trail, which tells a distinctive piece of Catoctin's history. The trail also leads to Cunningham Falls in neighboring Cunningham Falls State Park — take care crossing Highway 77, a major road.
3. Chestnut Picnic Area — drive there off Park Central Road for lunch, with grills on site.
4. Camp Misty Mount — check in to your cabin if you've booked one. Cabins sleep from three up to 12 people, for families and small groups; the camp has drinking water, flush toilets and, in season, hot showers. Firewood is available, and you may gather deadfall for fires. End the day by the fire — hot dogs or s'mores. Large groups should look at Camp Greentop or Camp Round Meadow; or camp at one of the park's campsites.

Day two

1. Owens Creek Sawmill — a re-creation of a sawmill reported in the area in the mid-1800s, built by the Youth Conservation Corps, with a wheelchair-accessible ramp.
2. Western trails — from the sawmill's parking area, miles of trail through Catoctin's hardwood forest. Fewer people come here: a good place for a quiet walk in the woods.
3. Camp Misty Mount — finish with a swim or an afternoon in the sun by the pool.

Sources

Based on "Plan Like a Park Ranger: 2-Day Itinerary, Catoctin Mountain Park," National Park Service; a work of the United States government in the public domain.