Catoctin National Park / Cunningham Falls State Park (Rating: C / D)
Details
You must read the following NVHC Sign-in Sheet Statement/Liability Disclaimer, https://nvhc.com/signin.pdf and then answer the question that you will see when you RSVP with "I accept" to be permitted on the hike.
Hike description
We’ll start at the Peniel Parking Lot off of Route 77 (Foxville Rd) in Thurmont, MD, cross the road and hike up to Chimney Rock and Wolf Rock in Catoctin National Park. Route 77 does not have a good crossing area, so we’ll need to take care while crossing, likely walking on the side of the road for 20 feet while watching for cars.
The D version of the hike will end at the 3.4 miles point, after we have hiked back down and crossed Route 77 to be back at the parking lot. This version of the hike has 760 feet of elevation gain
The C version of this hike will continue up to Cat Rock in Cunningham Falls State Park, for an additional 2.1 mile and 690 feet of elevation gain (total 5.5 miles and 1450 feet).
There are no bathrooms on this hike.
We’ll hike at an approximate pace of 2.0 mph when moving.
Dogs are permitted on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy: https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy.
Leader: Ron Krifcher 703-856-7557 (C)
No park entry fee.
Meet
Meet at 8:30 am at the Peniel Parking Lot (Cat Rock Parking) off of Route 77. GPS Coordinates: 39.625981, -77.440861. There is another smaller parking lot on the opposite side of Route 77 which can also be used.
Carpools
Neither the Club nor the hike leaders are responsible for coordinating transportation to/from the trailhead. Hikers are not guaranteed to get a ride to the trailhead from a carpool location. Carpooling is organized by the participants and they participate at their own risk. Feel free to arrange a carpool in the comment section below.
Alltrails Map: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/catoctin-cunningham-falls-chimney-rock-wolf-rock-cat-rock-c29edec?u=i&sh=r3znix
You must be experienced in hikes of this distance, pace and elevation gain.