Catoctin Mountain Park · MD
Gateway Trail
Live · updated
Today
Workable day for hiking.
Today's best: hiking
Conditions
Score by activity
Hiking
Workable day for hiking.
Trail running
Workable day for trail running.
Score breakdown
- ✓ 75°F air — Right in hiking's ideal range
- ✓ Trail: prime — No meaningful rain in the last 48 hours. Trail surface is dry and tacky — prime traction.
- − 45 min of daylight — You need at least 132 min with margin. Bring a headlamp or start tomorrow.
Trail facts
- Distance
- 2.67 mi
- Elevation gain
- 742 ft
- Surface
- dirt
- Difficulty
- moderate
Trailhead
Coordinates
39.6213, -77.4317 — MD.
Park
Part of Catoctin Mountain Park (official site →).
Peak nymphal tick activity — check yourself within 2 hours of leaving the trail.
Nearby Trails
Frequently Asked
How long is Gateway Trail?
Gateway Trail is a 2.67-mile route with 742 feet of elevation gain — moderate — some sustained climbing or technical sections; expect to work for it but no specialized skills required. 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 Gateway Trail?
Gateway Trail is natural dirt singletrack — soft underfoot, holds water, slow to dry after rain. Today's mud rating, derived from recent precipitation and the surface type, is shown in the conditions panel above.
Who manages Gateway Trail, and where do closure alerts come from?
Gateway Trail is in Catoctin Mountain Park, which is managed by the National Park Service. Closure and advisory data on this page comes from the live NPS alerts API for this park unit. Always confirm against the park's own page before driving — emergency closures can post faster than scrapers refresh.