Visiting Cunningham Falls State Park in Thermont, Maryland

As summer is on full swing, we all look forward to the small outings and picnic spots that are nearby so that we can return after full day's relaxation and enjoyment at such park or facility. We had an opportunity during last weekend to visit the Cunningham Falls State Park situated at 14039 Catoctin Gollow Rd, Thurmont, MD-21788, having phone number as 301 271 7574. This State park is very near to Baltimore and Washington DC, only taking around 45 minutes to reach from both the cities.

We started at around 9 am from our residence and reached the park at around 10 am. The park timings are 10 am to 8 pm currently in summer. This Cunningham fall is the highest fall of the Maryland State, having the height of 78 feet. You need to walk around half a mile one way to reach this beautiful fall. The fall looks really very beautiful particularly after the heavy rains as the amount of water falling is quiet high during such period. It is a great pleasure to take a bath below this water fall. The seniors and physically weak people have to be careful as the way to falls is slightly steep and rough. There are other recreational facilities also here at this park. There are three swimming areas with the life guard's duty from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The water is not very deep and the shore has smooth and fine white sand. It is very pleasant to walk on this sand. The boat ramp is also available. The private water crafts can be launched with nominal service charges of $3 per vehicle for the Maryland residents and $4 per vehicle for the non residents. The fishing is also permitted here and the anglers can catch trout, bass, sunfish, and catfish. An accessible fishing pier is also provided next to the boat ramp. The park has 40 miles of hiking trails of different distance and degree of difficulty. The hunting is also permitted in this park seasonally in the 3500 acres area of this park. The hunters with disabilities can hunt in a special designated area after taking the permission from the park authorities. There are picnic tables arranged and some grills are also available in the park on first come first served basis. The larger picnic shelter is available in Manor area of the park, which can be reserved in advance if required.

There are large campgrounds and camping facilities available here at the park. The 4 person camper cabins are available at $50 per night. The basic campsite can be made available at $25 per night. The senior citizens above 62 years of age are charged half price for these camping facilities. The camping reservations can be made by calling 1-888-432-CAMP. There was a big rush in the park when we visited it during last weekend of 21^st July. There are three swimming areas but one by one all the swimming areas were closed for swimming within an hour of our reaching by the park authorities on the ground that it is not hygienic to swim. This was one major disadvantage of the park. As otherwise, we enjoyed our visit tremendously. The rest room and shower facilities are also very nice and clean. There are couples of restaurants also available in case you have not brought your food/drinks with you. The beach umbrellas and the chairs are also available on hire at nominal rates. All the Maryland State Parks are trash free parks and so as this. The entry fee to this park is $3 per person on weekdays for Maryland residents and $4 for nonresidents. The entry fee is $4 per person on weekends/holidays for the Maryland residents and $5 for nonresidents. The senior citizens above 62 years and the children below 5 years are allowed free of charge. The picnic shelter in the manor area can be hired at the rate of $40 per day.

We did enjoy our visit to this park very much. We started our return journey after the swimming, fishing, hiking, and boating at around 6 pm and reached back to our residence at 7.15 pm. I have no hesitation in recommending visiting this park to enjoy this summer at economical rates to all my readers.