My wife and I enjoy walking and I also ride my bike in the park. It's well maintain and one of the…read moreonly black history parks in this country.

Lancaster Dog Park - I often bring my dog to the large dog side of the 2 dog parks. The large dog…read moreside is about a acre square, fenced in by a 6ft chain link. Both large and small dog parks are double gated so the dogs cant get out and run off. The area for the small dogs is maybe a third if the size of the large dog side. There is fresh water for your dog to get drinks and there's a poopie bag dispenser so you can clean your mess. Most of the people here pay attention to their dogs behavior and I personally haven't seen a blown out dog fight. Its a good social spot for you and your dog. Not much seating area but there are a few fixed benches in the fenced parks. Parking is usually available and near the park entrances. If your dog needs a energy release, give this place a try.

This is a beautiful state park. The 7.5 mile trail is flat, spacious and beautiful. Unfortunately,…read morewe only had time to do 1.5 miles round trip. We turned around 30 minutes in walking with our Aussie dog. But we got to the end of the dam and it was beautiful! We hiked the first weekend of January so some parts was a little muddy. But it wasn't too bad. The only thing I wished this park had was running toilets. I believe it was only an outdoor porta potty. But then again, we didn't do the entire trail, so I might be wrong. Parking is $3/car for in-state (Maryland) cars and $5/car for out-of-state.

Saint Mary's Lake Loop was awesome! This is a 7.2 mile loop trail that goes around a smaller, murky…read morebut very pretty lake. The trail is well-worn, gravel, mud, dirt, lots of tree roots, moss and great little foot bridges here there. The path peeks out of the woods for a view of the lake only two or three times. There isn't really any shoreline but I'm not sure I'd swim or wade in this lake. Anyways, I'm reviewing the trail here, since I'm not much of a watercraft or fishing person. We did see kayaks and canoes out on the lake. The small parking lot is new, and we assume so is the fully equipped washroom/toilet building. Fresh water is available from a dispenser there. Nice! Zero shade for parked cars though, which I've always thought was weird in any car park. There are extra long and easy park spots for trailering. There's a small boat launch and dock. Locals suggested we use the trail between May and October, but to beware of the usual forest nasties like ticks, horseflies, mozzys and other biting critters and snakes. We saw lots of tiny frogs, turtles, birds and squirrels. We went on a Sunday and crossed paths with 3 cyclists, 4 pedestrians, 2 dogs and horse prints along the trail. Dogs are allowed on leash. The trail was super clean, no litter or dog poop along the way. Loved the hike! Took us about 2h45min to complete the loop. Bring your debit/credit card for the automated entry gate: $5 out of state, and $3 in state. Worth it!!!

As much as I like Southern Maryland, realistically, if you drive down from DC or Baltimore or…read morethereabouts thinking that the very last tip of land reaching out into the Chesapeake is going to be a great place to visit, you're likely to be disappointed. The site has a lighthouse in classic Maryland style, but it's rarely open. There are some places where you can get in the water, but many where you cannot. The conditions out here can be a little rough, either from too much wind or, immediately inland, fetid swampiness. The history of the place as a Civil War penal colony is interesting. There's some placards and such, but not an enormous amount of actual stuff to do when I've visited. It should be noted that while these are not part of the park, visitors will see a memorial to the site's many lost inhabitants and a separate Confederate memorial as they drive up. For locals, getting a pass may be worthwhile. For those visiting the area, there are a lot of prettier and more interesting sites you'd be passing on the way here.

Loved this state park--such an unexpected surprise! Unfortunately, no ghost sightings inside the…read morepark, but plenty of eerie vibes and fascinating history to make up for it. From the Civil War hospital grounds to the old lighthouse, the stories practically come alive as you explore. The views of the Chesapeake Bay are stunning, and the trails are peaceful, with just enough of a spooky undertone to keep things interesting. Lots of historical plaques to spark your curiosity, SOOO - If you're into history, lore, and maybe catching a glimpse of the paranormal (or just a beautiful sunset), Point Lookout should definitely be on your list!

Absolutely worth the visit! I was looking up nearby beaches to DC for a day trip, and this one…read morepopped up. Who wants to cross the Bay Bridge in traffic? (No one.) You won't have to with this find! 1000% better than Calvert Cliffs Park. 2025 rates: $20/car for non-county residents on weekends. Parking is easy if you get there early, and there are real bathrooms at the visitor center. It's still a .5 mile hike to the beach, but it's mostly a firm gravel path with more sand as you get to the beach. Lots of other hiking trails that I didn't try on this visit. Signs help you navigate your way to the beach. There are restrooms and a rinse off station prior to the boardwalk onto the sand. Once to the beach, it's a pretty narrow strip of sand, but off to the right of the main path there is more space. Bring your own everything--shade, seats, snacks, and any digging/sifting equipment for finding fossils! Pack lightly. I saw some people with big beach carts and I'd not recommend it as coming back from the beach it's mostly uphill! Signs at the entrance indicate jellyfish may be present but I didn't see any for the 3 hours I was there. The waves are not very rough and the water is clear out to about 3 feet. I'd recommend water shoes as there are lots of shells/rocks at the shore. I hiked in Teva sandals and it was the perfect shoe for me hiking and on the beach and in the water. Because parking is limited, the beach was not too crowded. It was fun watching other people find fossils as I relaxed in the sun and enjoyed the peace of the sand and surf!

What a total gem of a park- obviously our first time there and it was just a gorgeous Fall day!…read moreApparently this spot is "lesser known" or less visited than the nearby Calvert Cliffs but offers a lot of the same views and perks like finding fossils and shark teeth. Part of the beach have a very small shoreline but around the corner it opens up to this huge wide beach area with a little look out deck. We walked along some of the other pond trails and they were just beautiful. Saw tons of birds and turtles. A lot of the paths are maintained by boardwalks, and sometimes you're just walking along the dirt/sand mix but it's very peaceful and picturesque! We brought our dog and she loved it too! Being that it was November, it felt like a very few amount of people around- I imagine its much busier when it's warm out- but if you're looking for a day on the water- this is a very accessible and fun spot! I would imagine you'd want a wagon or something to carry chairs or anything that you were planning on bringing to the beach as it's a bit of a walk from the parking areas. They do have a handicap accessible lot close to the shore for those that can't do the walk.

Battle Creek Cypress Swamp State Preserve is located in Prince Frederick MD. Had an opportunity to…read moreenjoy the flora and fauna of the preserve, and an amazing Boardwalk trail over the swamp itself! This is a relatively short (only 0.90 miles of trails) but nonetheless a fascinating adventure!

A cypress swamp sounds like something you'd find in Belize or in Dinotopia, but in fact we have one…read moreright here in Maryland. It's free, and from the parking lot one finds a visitor center with several animals (including some disabled rescue raptors outside). Restrooms are the first thing you see upon walking in, a wise choice given that this place is a pretty decent drive from almost anywhere. It is, however, not far off Route 4, and a viable stop on the way to other things in the region. After the visitor center, a boardwalk leads out into the swamp, and make no mistake it is pretty swampy. The trees apparently put their roots out aboveground to stabilize themselves, leading to a bizarre aesthetic of knobby root bits sticking up everywhere. The area is quiet but for the slow flow of water, and you can almost feel nature renewing itself; wetlands are tremendously valuable. It isn't a large area; not something you'd spend a whole day at with just the boardwalk and a few other areas to walk through, but it makes for a nice diversion.

This little spot has a bit of beach territory which looks out across the Patuxent to the rather…read morespectacular bridge nearby, as well as some trails. The trails were thickly wooded and wide but unevenly surfaced. The beaches are pretty, but modest. It's nice that there's a public space here, but if you really want a beach, Elms Beach is better (no idea why my review for that place blew up). If you want a place to eat by the riverside, Greenwell is prettier. If you want to views of the river and the bridge, Solomons Island is better. So this place is fine to stop if you're around, but it's not great for anything. They charge admission only on peak days (weekends and holidays starting in May, according to the website), at which point they charge a lot. I wouldn't pay it, but if I was in the area I would stop by now and then.

Locked all visitors inside the park against our will over an hour before close & refused to unlock…read moreand let us leave. Still waiting now- going on two hours in a line of cars and calling the police. Park is supposed to close at 8. Completely irresponsible to lock the only entrance out at 6:45 when there are still nearly 30 people inside trying to get out. This is completely illegal and messed up. Loved how beautiful this park was but will never be back. Somebody else managed to get through to the police and they suggested leaving cars here and walking but couldn't guarantee our vehicles wouldn't be impounded. The walk home would be many hours on a dark highway at night- not an option, there are elderly people and a pregnant woman in the car ahead of me. Do not come here- you may be held against your will.

This is such a special place to admire nature, waters, and animal and bird life. Anddd you might…read moresight a few bald eagles! My friend and I enjoyed the driving tour as well as the walking trails. Beware it can get muddy and watery in some areas but definitely worth it. When driving take caution, we saw a friendly turtle crossing . Would definitely come back in all seasons and try to catch sunset or sunrise! I know you will get some great shots!

WOW what a location. There is SO MUCH Information here. My favorite was learning about the sitka…read moredeer. They look like the white tail deer we have in Michigan but they are similar to the white tail deer but closer related to the elk family and have a white bottoms not just a white tail like the deer. Small in size. Today on our drive here we thought we had seen deer but deer bed down in the rain and these were running about. Now after this refuge and learning about the sitka we are sure that is what we had seen. This place offers a paved auto tour. There is a $3.00 entrance fee to drive the tour. Not everyone has a fee but this one does and it's posted when you come in. The visitor center was open until 4:30pm today so we just made it and received our stamp. Even though they also provide volunteers for Eastern Neck (weekend only) they did not have the stamp for the passport book so that was disappointing. No worries there was a lot to enjoy and be thankful for at this stop. Definitely a good display of many educational opportunities.

This state park is well staffed and maintained. Many free activities are offered and cover lots of…read moretopics, including age-appropriate, environmental programs for kids -- that's nice. Jane's Island seems to be known primarily for the camping possibilities. The camping sites, both for tents and cabins, are pretty full during the season. Has a loyal following. Reserve early. Also, fishing is all the rage here. I saw many people fishing from the banks of the water and from kayaks, etc. However, biking possibilities are only average. Hiking is about the same. Crisfield gets a fair number of storms, had a bunch during our visit, and it can affect the grounds, but the area dries out pretty quickly.

I was last here back when I was a camper, but now we are old and prefer "glamping". We booked way…read moreahead for a full-service cabin for 4 people and it was exactly what the doctor ordered. Cabin #1 had a full kitchen, dining room and bathroom. Upstairs was a small loft with a room with 2 twin beds, reachable by stairs (note other full service cabins have ladders, not stairs to the upstairs area). Downstairs had a bedroom with a full bed, and another bedroom with 2 twin beds. It came with a screened in porch that was wheelchair accessible. The kitchen came stocked with everything you needed, pots and pans, a microwave, toaster and coffee maker. There was a gas fireplace, but they had turned off the heat for the season. We shared a little dock overlooking the water with the cabin next door, but we had our own charcoal grill and a fire pit. We were so happy with the cabin - nothing fancy, but since two of the days we were there had torrential rain and tornado like winds, we were happy to be safe and sound and dry with electricity to boot! It is also pet friendly.

We randomly dropped by Calvert Cliffs park for an easy hike with our dog. The park is about…read more1.25-1.5 hours from the Silver Spring area...of course, this depends on DMV traffic, which is always unpredictable. The cost for entry for MD residents was five bucks per car. The park has free parking, but it appeared to be limited. For our trip, we managed to find a spot in the last parking area. So, I do not know if they close the park once the parking lots become full. We visited on a Sunday afternoon in early May, so I would imagine that the parking situation might be a bit more intense during the summer months. For our first visit, we hiked the easy Red trail, which is about 1.8 miles to the beach area. Also, the majority of the red trail was well-shaded so folks should not have too much of a problem with direct sun until hitting the beach. I thought this trail was pretty easy, and almost anyone from multiple age groups could complete this hike. The beach is a bit on the smaller side; however, we did not venture too far from the point where you complete the hike. So, maybe there are more spots on the beach. We though that the park was very dog-friendly. Although the park is dog-friendly, please keep your furry friends on a leash especially since families with young children use the Red trail. A couple of tips: -The park is trash-free so whatever you bring to park, you will have to dispose of it once you leave the park. I wished that the park had a few trash receptacles at the beginning and end of the trails. But I get that having these receptacles might result in visitors overfilling the receptacles with waste and/or the local wildlife eating things that they should not. -Although I'm not 100% sure, I think the entrance fee is cash only.

My son has been really into fossils lately so we went on a hike to the beach. Had a great time!…read more When you arrive, there will be a cash box to pay in. Parking wad easy! There are restrooms to use before going on your hike! Also a playground which was a huge bonus. We hiked the red trail which was 1.8 miles to the beach. Easy to find and walk! There were benches to sit and rest along the trail. I saw some families with strollers which was cool! Tons of wildlife on the walk! We saw snakes, bull frogs, turtles, cardinals, butterflies and eagles. When we arrived to the beach it was amazing! There was a big box with tons of toys to use to dig to find fossils. Loved all the educational information too. We laid down a blanket, pulled out the toys and had such a fun afternoon! Very very peaceful hike and location.

Came here on a Saturday night about two hours before sunset. Wonderful chill place to dip your feet…read morein. You can almost miss the turn if you're not careful. I was the only one there for most of my two hour time.

A quiet small waterfront with a short pier that is great for fishing. Wonderful views of the…read moreNanticoke River.