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Located approximately 51 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., and 53 miles west of Baltimore on Catoctin Mountain. From U.S. 70, exit onto U.S. Route 40 at Frederick. Travel approximately six miles. Turn right onto Gambrill Park Road and follow it approximately one mile to the park entrance.
Pretty cool place, it was on our way to a cabin we were staying at so we didn't go out of our way for it. Fee was $6 for out of state plates and $3 for in state (if I remember correctly) there were a few different outlooks and what looked to be a building available for rent. If we are ever in the area I'll probably go back
Parked near the High Knob Nature Center. $5 fee for out of state, however, military & veterans are free. Large parking area with nearby picnic tables all around. We took on the Green Ash Trail starting at the CCC Iron Mike statue. Posted information indicates the Green Trail is a 2 mile loop. It is definitely at least 3 miles with about 600 feet of elevation gain.
Very nice little state park! There is an entrance fee of $3 in-state or $6 out-of-state (cash only), but there is quite a lot to see and it’s well maintained. Looks like there is an event building on site, which I assume is available to rent out for a fee. We saw two separate lookout points, the venue, an old wooden see-saw, and a statue with some historical signage. There were some wooded trails we didn’t venture into, but wish we would have had time to stay and enjoy a little bit more!
This is a great place to stop if you are into hiking trails in the woods. There are several trails to choose from while each trail is identified with a name and color along with a detailed description of its difficulty level. Trails are nicely maintained along with some signs along your hike providing some history on the area.
This is a very nice park with plenty of hiking trails and plenty of parking. Suggest parking at the lower lot on Gambrell Park Road and taking the black trail up to High Knob Road where the tea room stands. From there, you can take in the South Frederick overlook, and, on the other side of the knob, Middletown overlook. There’s also a North Frederick overlook about a half mile away The trails are fairly well kept, with enough vertical to make it interesting. Bathrooms are in good shape, all had toilet paper and hand soap. A plethora of picnic tables and grills are available. The tea room can be rented out for special occasions, I had a friend who had a wedding reception there. But it’s not very large. There are some pictures of the inside in this review. There is also a Tibetan meditation center farther up Gambrill Park Road, which I did not get a chance to check out.
Access to the park is fairly easy from the Baltimore National Pike. Beware if your GPS tries to take another route there, there are lots of dirt roads north of the park and I ran into obstruction getting there and had to backtrack. The park was fairly empty on a clear autumn day, and lots of folks brought their dogs. I did not get a chance to visit the campgrounds, but would like to do that at a later date. There is an entry fee of a couple dollars, but it’s on the honor system when I went. Well really enjoyed my time there, and will definitely be heading back to spend some more time on the trails.
