Cunningham Falls State Park · MD
Catoctin National Recreation Trail
The blue-blazed Catoctin Trail, a long-distance ridge route linking Cunningham Falls State Park with Catoctin Mountain Park and Gambrill State Park across the Catoctin Mountains; this route is a designated National Recreation Trail.
Live · updated
Today
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Today's best: mountain biking
Conditions
Score by activity
Hiking
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Trail running
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Mountain biking
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Score breakdown
- · 79°F air — Within comfort range, outside ideal
- − Thunderstorms — Get off exposed ridges before they arrive
- ✓ Trail: prime — No meaningful rain in the last 48 hours. Trail surface is dry and tacky — prime traction.
- − 83 min of daylight — You need at least 370 min with margin. Bring a headlamp or start tomorrow.
Trail facts
- Distance
- 26.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 4678 ft
- Surface
- mixed
- Difficulty
- hard
Trailhead
Coordinates
39.5724, -77.4457 — MD.
Park
Part of Cunningham Falls State Park (official site →).
Peak nymphal tick activity — check yourself within 2 hours of leaving the trail.
Frequently Asked
How long is Catoctin National Recreation Trail?
Catoctin National Recreation Trail is a 26.6-mile route with 4678 feet of elevation gain — hard — significant elevation gain, technical terrain, or both; come prepared. The trail facts panel on this page lists distance, surface, and access tags as they appear in OpenStreetMap.
What's the trail surface like at Catoctin National Recreation Trail?
Catoctin National Recreation Trail is mixed surface — sections of dirt, rock, and root that vary along the route. Today's mud rating, derived from recent precipitation and the surface type, is shown in the conditions panel above.
Who manages Catoctin National Recreation Trail, and where do closure alerts come from?
Catoctin National Recreation Trail is in Cunningham Falls State Park, which is managed by the managing agency. Closure and advisory data on this page comes from the agency. Always confirm against the park's own page before driving — emergency closures can post faster than scrapers refresh.