Saturday morning, bright eyed, already hyper, and ready for the day. I’d been dying to go on a hike all week and had set my eyes on a 9 mile hike in the Catoctin Mountains… Then I remembered I hadn’t worked out in months and it had been snowing for the last two.
We got up and got a move on the day a little later than planned, so we opted for the shorter 2.8 mile loop hike leading to the Cunningham Falls Waterfall. There were giant rocks to climb on and plenty of snow to stop and have periodic snowball fights. While it was freezing, the trail was gorgeous. The snow was slippery but great for feet skiing. The wind was cold but made snowballs fly further. And the rocks large but conquerable. Everywhere you looked was rock walls, snow, and sunshine gleaming through the trees. The trail led to a scenic 78-foot waterfall, for which the park is named after. It is the largest cascading waterfall in the state of Maryland.
Thurmont’s Cunningham Falls State Park has hiking, fishing, swimming, boating, hunting, picnicking, playgrounds, camping (180 campsites), and a 43 acre lake. There are 8 hiking trails in the Cunningham Falls State Park trail system, all varying in length and challenges. You can get to the waterfall trails from the parking lot right after the lake area. Can’t wait for the warm weather to break through so we can head out on the longer trails.
Climbing on the boulders. Nothing like a rear view shot to reminder yourself how out of shape you were this winter.
MADE IT!
A few snowball fights along the way (totally candid…we did not switch spots to get these action shots (insert sarcastic voice here) 😉
Curt rock climbing
A view of what the path looked like along the trail. Man made wood stairs are built in to help with the trail. The snow on the other hand…
78 Foot Cascading Waterfall
Small cliff view on the trail back
TIP: If you have a stellar boyfriend/friend/person stronger than you, when you get to the parts of the trail where there’s a slight decline (like above) have them face forward with hands extending backwards. Grab their hands and plant your heels into the ground. Then have them run. If there’s enough snow it turns into your own winter Olympics Skiing. Probably the best part of the day.
HAPPY WANDERING
ADDRESS:
Frederick County
Cunningham Falls State Park
14039 Catoctin Hollow Road,
Thurmont, MD 21788
OPEN FROM:
8a.m. to Sunset, April-October
10a.m. to Sunset, November-March
Check weather before you go! Cunningham Falls Park
