OPERATING HOURS
The Catoctin Mountain Park Visitor Center is open daily from 9 AM to 4:30 PM except when closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Keep in mind that times can always change, so before making travel plans be sure to visit the National Park Service’s official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for Catoctin Mountain Park.
AMENITIES
- Ranger-staffed information desk where you can pick up a free park brochure and trail maps
- Souvenir store
- Exhibit area
- Electric vehicle charging station in the parking lot
- Restrooms
EXHIBIT AREA
The exhibit area at the Catoctin Mountain Park Visitor Center focuses on the human history of the park going all the way back to the Indians who first settled the area roughly 2,500 years ago. Other topics include the industries that flourished in the Catoctin Mountain area (iron production and lumber), the Office of Strategic Service’s (OSS) occupation of the park during World War II, and the history of the park itself, which started as one of 46 Recreational Demonstration Areas (RDAs) created in the 1930s and early 1940s by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), two organizations designed to get men back to work during the Great Depression. President Franklin Roosevelt felt that people in cities did not have the opportunity to enjoy nature, and thus he began the RDA program.
There is one natural history exhibit about the geology of Catoctin Mountain that consists of a collection of the type of rocks found in the park.
Collection of rocks found on Catoctin Mountain on display at the Catoctin Mountain Park Visitor Center
SCHEDULING YOUR TIME
Allow 10 minutes to speak with a park Ranger about what there is to do in the park and pick up a trail map (hiking is pretty much what there is to do). Reading all of the information in the exhibit area, if you are so inclined, takes an additional 15 minutes.
With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.
Last updated on January 30, 2023