(Gallery Has Six Pictures)	Go to Top

This parking lot, right off Gambrill Park Road, is the trailhead of all the trails in Gambrill State Park, as well as the southernmost trailhead of the Catoctin Trail. All five of the Gambrill Park trails loop, that is they begin and end here, so you can set off on a hike on one of them, and end up right back here. Each of these five trails are marked with distinctive colored blazes (marks on trees), as follows:

• Black ... Black Locust Trail
• Red ... Red Maple Trail
• Green ... Green Ash Trail
• Yellow ... Yellow Poplar Trail
• White ... White Oak Trail

The White Oak Trail has both of its trailheads shown entering and emerging from the woods in this picture. The other four Gambrill Park trails enter the woods here, loop about the park, and then descend the hill from High Knob to emerge from the woods across the street from the parking lot.

The Catoctin Trail does not loop, but continues generally northword, and is blazed with blue blazes along its entire length.

Note the bulletin board toward the right side of the parking lot.

This bulletin board provides a map of Gambrill State Park and various park notices. To the left of the bulletin board is one of the White Oak trailheads, and to the left of that is the Green Ash trailhead. The Green Ash trail leads to and temporarily joins the Catoctin Trail further north. Just to the right of the bulletin board is a trail that combines the Catoctin Trail, the Black Locust Trail, and the Red Maple Trail.

Here is the trail marker for the southernmost trailhead of the Catoctin Trail. Although this trail geneally wends northward, it turns and twist at various points. Note the blazes on the tree: blue, black, and red. Each of these trails share this section of trail here, but at a later point they will go separate ways. The sign in the distance says that the red trail is maintained by the employees of the Trail House Frederick MD

Just to the right of the Catoctin Trail marker is this marker for the trailhead of both the Black Locust and Red Maple Trails. In the distance you can see the first blazes painted on a tree, indicating that all three trails are colocated on this trail, but this will change, as they peel away from the Catoctin Trail.

This trail sign is for the trailhead of the Green Ash Trail, which is maintained by the Wheelbase Bike Club. This trail will eventually join the Catoctin Trail, but then peel off. Many of the trails in this area are biker-friendly like this one.

Here is the trailhead of both the Yellow Poplar Trail, which goes straight ahead, and the White Oak Trail, which goes off to the right. As indicated by this sign on the right, the White Oak Trail is only for hikers. There is a sign on the left, difficult to see from here, that the Yellow Poplar trail is maintained by M.O.R.E. -- The Mountain Bike Club.