Maryland's New Germany State Park (aka the "Maryland Alps") is such a gem. Beautiful! Well maintained. Friendly and knowledgeable staff in the Lake House (where they also rent cross-country skis). Lots of fun events in winter. We came here to cross-country ski. The snow was very good on January 14, 2024, but it was very cold. Despite the cold, thanks to the sunshine, we thoroughly enjoyed it. Very nice trails where you ski along a stream. The sound of flowing water was really soothing. They have one dog friendly trail; gonna have to try it next time. read more

See all

I loved going here as a kid, but now instead of swimming I like to walk the trails. It's great to bring my dog so he can sniff to his heart's content. The park is really beautiful and quiet most of the time. It's really just a great place to relax in nature and take a moment. read more

See all

Some friends and I went to a park of the park with the small beach and a mostly unpaved surprisingly hilly half-mile trail through the woods. Cell service: There is no service from Verizon or AT&T in this area of the park so I couldn't check in on Yelp or use my bird or plant apps to identify nature and wildlife. Photo ops: There are no picturesque views along the trail. Right before you get on the trail are a small dam, bridge, and creek. Wildlife: We spotted snakes, newts, frogs, and crayfish, in addition to plenty of deer tracks during the brief, mostly shaded hike. Stopping points: No places to sit and pause like large boulders, felled trees, or stumps. Crowdedness: The trail was empty of people apart from us during mid-day on a Wednesday. People were on the beach part, most not wearing masks. read more

Gross! If your looking for cleanliness to shower or use the restrooms look further because the restrooms/showers are never clean. The swim area will leave a brown residual stain in your swimwear and on your person. You will have to scrub multiple times to get clean. The Lack of rangers presence has given the campground a free for all nonsense ability to the campers. The traffic in the area and the dog who belongs to a near by residence that barks at all hours Will keep you from getting a peaceful night's sleep. Good luck finding anyone when you have concerns after 10pm thier answer is call dnr or the police but good luck with that as well because you will drive for miles before you can call out. The coming "upgrades" will be eliminating the separate dog area campground so you will then also have the dogs mixed in on the main campground which then is another inconvenience. read more

Amazing Park. Love coming here to put my toes in the white sand beach and taking a dip in the crystal clear water which is cool and refreshing after a day of hiking. Keep an eye out for the dangerous wolverines roaming throughout this park. No matter how cute you think they are please remember they're still a wild animal. read more

New Germany State Park - A beautiful wolverine spotted while hiking. - Parks Near Me - Grantsville, Maryland

Came tent camping in here in the summer. Main tent campground has two connected loops that share one clean bathroom. Sites are wooded, private, flat, and pretty. As far as we could tell, none have a view of the lake, but they were not buggy either as a result. Note that no alcohol is allowed, and we did have a ranger come to our campsite to say hi his first night, so there's some chance you could get caught if you ignore this rule. Drinking is allowed, however, in cabins and in private campers. The lake is beautiful but very cold. Worth a dip in the summer, plenty of kids playing on a Saturday. The beach is hard sand, and has some shade depending on the hour of day. Lifeguards were on watch when we were there. Hiking trails are clearly marked by actual maps at points where trails cross. The trails are mostly 1-2 mile loops that can be combined for a harder trek. Many run along a small creek, all are wooded and shady. read more

My husband and I got married here on August 13, 2011. A beautiful setting, and so very cheap! Such a great decision. The staff were so awesome and helpful, and we had great weather! Many thanks to everyone at New Germany. Also, cabin #1, recently was renovated and is somewhat luxurious. Great place to stay for Andy and me! read more

See all

Lovely! Easy and beautiful fall walks. We just stopped on our drive home for a break and to soak up the season on a gorgeous day. It's now on my list of places go back to. read more

Always a great time and fun to be had! enjoy going for walks and fishing.

Love to camp? Gotta go to NGSP. It is hard for me to review some things and NGSP is one of them. Why? Because I am afraid a bunch of people will read this review and decide to go camping there and then my husband and I will have trouble getting in and that would suck. However, it would be a disservice to my fellow campers (and the fine folks at NGSP) if I didn't write about the park, with a focus on the camping. First - Answers to the most important questions about a state campground: 1. What's the toilet situation? Flush toilets, hurrah! 2. Will I have to bathe in a frigid mountain stream? Please don't, you'll scare the fish. And there are hot showers in the bath houses. (Two loops share one bath house, there's another at the pet loop and there's also showers in the lake/ski house.) 3. What are the chances it will rain during our visit? Well, NGSP is on the west side of a mountain and to get over the mountains clouds pile up and then drop water to gain altitude so ... 100%. 4. What are the chances that I will be miserably hot? Here's a hint - When it gets up to 80 (just plain 80) people say things like "Hot enough for you?" and we say: "We're from D.C., this is not hot." So ... If you're from D.C. 5% 5. Are there electric sites? Only if you're a camp host. 6. Can I bring my dogs? I just said there is a pet loop. 7. Can I bring my really, really, really yappy dog that barks constantly? Sure, but you may be asked to leave. 8. Can I stand around waving a beer bottle and/or drunkenly shouting the words to Moves Like Jagger? Sure, and a duly appointed law enforcement officer will arrest you. We have been to state campgrounds in several states and this is by far our favorite. We have only camped in the White Oak loop but there are two other loops so you have a choice of how much sun, shade, privacy, proximity to the toilet, you have. (There are also cabins.) We have tent camped here and now camp in a little tear drop trailer and we think the lack of electric/water hook ups keeps this park on the quieter side. People do come in RVs, but not the ginormous ones and the majority of people are in tents any way. (The tear drop is essentially a wooden tent on wheels.) There are several Tent Only sites. A word about the camp hosts: One of the things that makes this park stand out are the camp hosts. I wish someone would make them the standard for parks but can't have everything. They keep the place spotless. The minute someone leaves, they clean the fire rings and rake the site. The state cleans the bathrooms once a day, the camp hosts go in there at least twice a day and clean some more. They're very friendly and yeah, they keep the peace. Those of you who have camped places where the camp hosts just sit there (or aren't there at all) know what a huge difference this can make. Other things to do in the park: Move them feet. They keep the cross-country trails cleared in the summer so there are a lot of nice walks/hikes in the park. Hit the lake: Swim, fish, paddle (bring your own boat or rent one), watch the clouds roll over the mountain. Nature stuff: There's a cute little nature center and they've stepped up the number and variety of programs for kids and adults. On the latest visit we realized that unlike other parks, you can walk to everything. There's also a lot of other things to do around NGSP but this review is long enough as it is. Go. Have fun. Just don't all go on the weekends we want to go. read more

So at the end of the last millennium my partner decides after a visit in Vermont with a grad school friend who cross-country skied competitively in high school that we too should take up this sport and buy our own skis. Okaaaaay, I said but we don't live in a place that gets a lot of snow like New England, where you're from. So what, he said, we can always drive to where there's snow. And this is why I love this man. His mind just goes off in a non linear fashion and lo and behold we end up pursuing an activity that we both now love that has become a reason to venture out of the city in the dead of winter to beautiful venues like New Germany State Park. New Germany is about three hours from Washington, DC in faaaaaaaaaaaar western Maryland. (We were so far out that I could not get a GPS signal to "check in" using my Droid at any place we went!) Driving out there as the elevation rises to 2,700 feet, the temperature can also be 15 degrees less than in Washington. I suppose New Germany is beautiful in the summer with its lake, cabins, and hiking trails, but I've only experienced it in the winter when the crowds are relatively few and the trails are covered with snow as we do our weekend warrior thing gliding through the woods on our skis. I LOVE cross-country skiing because it is such a beautiful, peaceful way to enjoy the outdoors in winter. And because cross-country skiing is such a vigorous activity, I necessarily have to stop every so often to rest a bit and take in the pristine snow covered beauty of the woods and listen to the icy babbling brook with tufts of snow that look as soft as cotton. There are trails here to suit every level of skier, from beginner to experienced. If you want to stay on the flats there's plenty to accommodate. If you'd like to go up into the mountain and ski down, there's plenty for the adrenaline junky too. The flat trails are groomed with parallel tracks on either side so there's ample room for those coming and going. The ramshackle lodge has a couple of wood-burning stoves, hot soup and chili for sale, and skis, poles, and boots for rental. The family that manages the kitchen and the ski rentals is extremely welcoming and helpful if you'd like to take lessons or need a recommendation for a good place to stay the night. Having just returned from New Germany over MLK weekend, we're now planning our next weekend getaway and possibly renting a cabin so stay tuned for updates. read more

See all

We've come here two years in a row to go cross country skiing and have a great time when we come. Complete rentals are $15 for 2 hours $25 for a full day and 40 for two days. We've always rented for two hours, played hard and then we're ready to be done. Rangers are very helpful and rentals are in good shape. They also rent snowshoes. This is a great place for families and those new to cross country skiing. There are several maintained trails of varying lengths and difficulty. The lodge has tables if you want to bring a lunch. You can also buy food from a small café. They have a large open fire pit going in the lodge and I keep meaning to bring hot dogs to see if they will let me roast them. Go to The Cornucopia Café (a short drive) if you're looking for some delicious food after your adventure. read more

Awesome place for cross country ski or snowshoe rentals! Much cheaper than other options nearby (Savage River Lodge, Wisp Ski Resort), and not as packed as those might be. Lots of great trail options, helpful staff, and the best part is the cozy lake house/warming hut when you're tired and cold after being outside. We had planned to drive somewhere for lunch afterwards but the chilli, chicken noodle soup, hot dogs, hot drinks were more than satisfactory while sitting around the huge fire. They even have board games! Definitely a great place for a weekend getaway in the DC/Baltimore region, we plan to come back to check out the lake and cabins in the summer. read more

Cross country skiing is great when there has been recent snowfall....rentals available....call first...beautiful woods/trails....call and find out the schedule for grooming of the trails read more

New Germany State Park - Welcome - Parks Near Me - Grantsville, Maryland

See all

I'm a bit biased in that it's hard for me to find a state park I don't like, but I really loved this one. Extremely well organized. My family and I came here to walk along the trails over Columbus Day weekend. The park was practically empty as it was a bit chilly out, but it's incredibly beautiful. The trails are very effectively organized such that many of them overlap so you can add as much miles to your trek as you'd like. Maps are easy to find along the way and indicate the mileage and difficulty level of each trail. And the trails are INCREDIBLY well-marked with blazes - of all the state parks I've been to, I've never seen one with the trails as easily identified as here. And they were very well-maintained. The lake area is a bit on the small side but still beautiful. Saw a bit of the campground and it looked very nice. Definitely plan to return here. read more

This is one of our favorite family spots. We meet family from three states here every summer and the park never fails to please everyone! The cabins are clean and comfortable; the park is beautiful; the rangers are amazing. We always hate to leave! Everyone has their favorite part of NGSP: the kids love the salamandars, my husband loves the lake, and I love the trails. read more