Five State Parks Await Outdoor Enthusiasts
Greenbrier
State Park Website Circling a 43-acre lake that provides
swimming, fishing and boating. This popular park also offers picnicking,
camping, interpretive programs, nature trails and concessions. The park is
conveniently located eight miles east of Hagerstown off of U.S. 40. For
information call 301-791-4767.
Gathland State
Park Website This park is an excellent choice for the
nature lover offering picturesque hiking trails and many picnicking sites.
Visitors can view a century-old stone monument dedicated to war correspondents.
Gathland is located one mile east of MD 67 on Gapland Road south of Boonsboro.
For information call 301-791-4767.
South Mountain
State Park Website This state park runs along the ridge of
South Mountain from Pen-Mar to Weaverton, linking many of the local parks and
the Appalachian Trail. Camping is limited to shelters along the trail. For
information call 301-791-4767.
Washington
Monument State Park Website This park is home to the first monument
built in honor of George Washington in addition to offering camping for youth
groups, picnicking, and shelters. Located four miles east of Boonsboro, the park
also has access to the Appalachian Trail. For information call 301-791-4767.
Fort Frederick
State Park Website The focal point of this state park is the
restored 1756 fort used during the French and Indian War, providing visitors
with a historical perspective of that time period. The nearby C & O Canal
runs through the park complementing such activities as hiking, biking, camping,
boating and picnicking. Other services include interpretive programs and
concessions. For information call 301-842-2155.
Other Area Parks
Hagerstown City Park Website 301-739-8577, ext. 169 Often called ``America's second most
beautiful municipal natural park," the park's centerpiece is a 50-acre lake,
home for more than 250 waterfowl. Home of the Jonathan Hager House, Mansion
House Art Center and Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. Fitness
trails. Call for information on other city parks and playgrounds.
Woodland Way County Park 240-313-2700 Park site with picnic tables and
ballfields.
Hager Park
Frederick St. at
Memorial Blvd.
Camp
Harding County Park 240-313-2700 Named after President Warren G.
Harding who, along with notables such as Harvey Firestone, Thomas Edison and
Henry Ford, camped here in the 1920s.
C & O Canal National Park Website 301/739-4200 42% or 77+ miles of this 184-mile
park along the Potomac River, extending from Georgetown in Washington, D.C. to
Cumberland, MD, are in Washington County. Many historic locks and
aqueducts remain. The Williamsport boat basin is rewatered.
Clear Spring County Park/Recreation
Area 240-313-2700 Located at the former Clear Spring High School site, this park offers
softball, baseball, football/soccer field, tennis courts, a picnic pavilion,
restrooms, parking and a play area.
Devil's Backbone County Park 240-313-2700
Scenic park along the Antietam Creek, featuring a waterfall. Park also
contains picnic pavilion and walking trails.
Doub's Woods County Park 240-313-2700
Heavily wooded park with performing arts pavilion, picnic areas, picnic
pavilion, swings, and outdoor chapel.
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Website 304/535-6298 A
beautiful park that occupies three states. Site of John Brown's Raid. Town
portion offers interpretive programs and private shops. Open year
round. Admission.
Martin
Snook Memorial Park 240-313-2700 Named after the late Wash. Co. Commissioner. Site of Halfway Park Days
in May. Contains Par Fitness Trail, tennis courts, playing fields and
lighted ballfields. Swimming pool open Memorial Day to Labor Day, 12:30-8
p.m. daily. Admission to pool.
Mt. Briar
Wetland Preserve 240-313-2700 Located on Millbrook Road off Rt. 67, this extraordinary environmental
site is one of the most unique, non-tidal wetland areas in Maryland.
Floating boardwalk allows for walking through the park.
Pen Mar
County Park 240-313-2700 Buildings & Grounds 240-313-2805 Recreation
Department This
redeveloped 42-acre park provides a panoramic view of the Cumberland
Valley. An amusement park in the early 1900s, it includes pavilion sites
for dances, concerts and other entertainment on Sundays throughout the summer,
including Everybody's Day in August. For information about the Pen Mar Concert
Series Schedule see Calendar
of Events.
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