Gambrill State Park

I’ve been here before. Decided to go hiking today. Trails could have been better marked. The overlooks were nice! DONT FORGET TO PUT MONEY IN BOX AT GATE!!!

Gorgeous park and a beautiful venue for events.
I went here for a wedding and thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of the venue.
A couple of notes — the signage can be a little confusing, and folks love to speed down the narrow roads leading to the park, so beware. Also, the cabin where the wedding reception was held had a weird infestation of what looked like ladybugs. I’m still not quite sure what they were but they literally covered the walls and windows. The bridal party did their best to sweep up the critters, but by the end of the day, they must have multiplied, but most of them had swarmed back.

This is a great little campground.
There are only three things I don’t like.
One, it is close to route 70, so during the day you can hear highway noise in the distance.
Two, it is rather expensive for a state park, I have paid just a few dollars more for full hookups at commercial campgrounds.
Three, there is no wash basin to due the dishes in.
Positives.
One, there are lots of really nice hiking trails that lead right out of the campground. One to the top of the mountain and an overlook.
Two, it is a very well laid out campground, amonst the very tall trees and bushes.
Three, the bathrooms are normally fairly clean.
Four, it is at the foot of the Frederick Watershed, which is one of the nicest stretch of woods I have seen.
Five, there is a hiking trail that leads right to Catoctin Mountain Park
Six, even though you can hear road traffic, it has a secluded feel to it.
Mark :)

Just outside of Frederick, MD, this small state park gets overlooked due to bigger draws nearby. The reward for this though is a nice medium length hike almost entirely in solitude on a beautiful Saturday.
We cobbled together a 7.4 mile loop following the Catoctin Trail (light blue blaze) to the Yellow Poplar Trail (upper and lower portions, yellow blaze) to the Red Maple Trail (red blaze) which brought us back to where we started at the visitor parking lot. The Catoctin Trail is definitely the most demanding. It starts with a steep descent followed by a steep ascent and has plenty of rocks along the way, so proper hiking boots are a must here. During wintertime, the route supposedly affords good views of Mount Catoctin itself. By May though, there was enough foliage to obscure the view. The Yellow Poplar Trail is a little gentler and more remote. It’s a nice way to extend the hike, but be careful with the markers and blazes because a couple of places are not the clearest. The Red Maple Trail really wasn’t necessary and was the least interesting of the three. Essentially it just dips down into the Rock Run area before returning to the parking lot.
Close to the parking lot, there is plenty of signage on the different trails pointing out the kinds of trees and wildflowers. Also, there are a couple of other tiny trails emanating from this same parking lot that are family friendly. The aforementioned Rock Run area even has campsites. In short, there is something for everyone here. I recommend it. Maryland residents pay $ 3, and everyone else pays $ 5 (all on the honor system).

This is a nice little getaway from the hustle and bustle of The District. Just a little over an hour away, you will find this nature oasis and it’s a great place for a nice hike.
We actually did a combination of a few trails (Catoctin, Yellow Poplar/​Red Maple) to complete approximately a 7.4-mile loop. It was challenging with some elevation, but not overly strenuous. The paths are marked very well so you will not have trouble navigating. They also have lots of posts and descriptions of the trees you will see along the hiking paths. The paths are also VERY well-​maintained. They are rocky though, so you definitely need some good hiking boots or you will not enjoy walking along some of the paths. The views are really beautiful of Catoctin Mountain — I suppose in the wintertime. By late May, there’s too many bloomed trees and shrubbery to see much of the mountain, but I did catch a glimpse of it.
The best part of this park is that it wasn’t crowded at all. In fact, even on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in May, we were virtually the only ones on our path with the exception of a handful of other hikers going the opposite direction and some mountain bikers. Otherwise, we really had the place to ourselves and it was peaceful and nice. Just what the doctor ordered and a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Recommended.

Great little getaway with great views. Nice trails, picnic pavilions, camping, fishing pond. Sometimes some fruity people — I think that it must be a pick up point for those so inclined. At any rate, it makes it creepy — lots of guys in cars watching you.
Plus, they have started charging admission! And it’s one of those honor system thingies I hate. Like, what if I don’t have ones on me? Then what? it’s a pain — the state of maryland getting all ghetto on us. And they charge you more if you have out of state tags. I’ve paid so many years of maryland taxes it always boils my blood when I have to pay $ 2 more b/​c I don’t live in maryland anymore. Losers.