Cunningham Falls State Park — Attraction in Thurmont

20150609 Finally! The waterfalls have water!! My 4th time here and so happy to see so much water in the falls!! 😍 There is a parking at the trailhead to the falls. The easier trail is about 1/2 mile one way and it is all gravels. There's a slope up and one slope down, with gravels, be sure to wear shoes with traction. If you have stability concerns, walk with someone and rely on them for support. There are bugs in the trails, wear bug spray!! When you get to the falls, there is a short boardwalk that leads to the falls. This is the 3rd time I have been here and the falls is smaller than I had hope. Maybe after a huge rain storm, the falls would get bigger. Think the distribution of water at the top probably determines the size of the falls. If you look closely near the top, you will see several mini falls. It's still nice to see but I don't recommend making a special trip out just to see... Or unless you just want to take a hike and seeing the falls is just something extra. I didn't take the long trail back through the woods as intended, which I did the past 2 times, because one if my pups hurt her leg yesterday and was a little slow today. The trail through the woods was so worth the visit. There are huge rocks/boulders on the trail and you get to climb some. It's a great workout. Definitely come for the hike, not just the falls. Love this park. Has a lake where you can swim. I love the Cliff Trails. Upper Cliff Trail is the best because it is very rocky. Great work out. The Fall is disappointing. It is so small, hardly noticeable. This is the 2nd time we came, and both times, different season, the Fall was small. Fortunately, I didn't come for the water Fall; I came to hike the Upper...

This was supposed to be our 25th anniversary hike. Since we couldn't travel because of the current pandemic, we thought this would be a great way to get outdoors and still not have to be around others and be safe. We love being outdoors at this time of year. The autumn foliage is absolutely beautiful. We began by parking out on Route 77, at the hunter's parking spot, just down from the main entrance into Cunningham Falls Park. We hiked about 200 yards and got onto the Catoctin Trail, prior to the Camp Office on Campground Drive. We hiked past the Camp Office and got halfway to where the Catoctin Trail connects to the Cliff Trail. The trail does get pretty narrow in spots. There are also a lot of rocks and branches that are in the trail. But the park rangers cut most of the trees out of the way. This time of year, there are also many leaves that are freshly fallen from the trees. We made it half way because that is when my wife slipped and dislocated and broke her ankle. So the one thing to be careful of, is to watch your footing. Had to have a whole mountain rescue to get her off of the mountain. As soon as she heals, we will attempt to actually make it all of the way to the falls. I would definitely recommend taking a day to spend here and enjoy all of God's creation. There is also a campground but we do not camp. It is only $5 for cars to enter and spend...

I grew up in Maryland and now live in Pennsylvania and having the falls in your back yard being able to visit any time growing up and now since I have children of my own is great. Climbing the rocks however maybe a little dangerous but to be able to get a birds eye view of the falls and the surrounding area from the top is so much fun and being able to recently share it with my kids, priceless. I know the warning signs say that climbing is not advised, swimming is prohibited, crossing the stream degrades water quality and serious injuries may occur if you do not follow or break these rules however in my opinion as long as you don't trash the place, and are careful not to step on and or trample all over the wildlife while being careful as well you can have a awesome time exploring the falls and the forestry that surrounds them. The other thing about the falls are that there are different trails to get to them that range anywhere from beginner to avid hiker and even a handicap trail with a handicap parking area off of route 77 so access is not and issue for anyone. On our recent trip to the falls my wife and I and the kids had a blast and can't...