Catoctin Mountain Park Adirondack Shelters

Catoctin Mountain Park, National Park Service (near Thurmont and Sabillasville)

Catoctin Mountain Park, the National Park Service land on the mountain west of Thurmont, has two three-sided shelters on a wooded hilltop that you can reach only on foot. Recreation.gov calls the trip “a moderate three-mile uphill hike over rocky but generally gently rolling terrain.”

It’s a short overnight; The Outbound suggests it for testing gear or getting in shape.

The hike

Overnight parking is in the Camp Round Meadow gravel lot on Manahan Road, off Foxville Deerfield Road west of Thurmont, according to Recreation.gov. Vehicles and bicycles can’t reach the shelters, and overnight vehicles have to stay in the trailhead lot.

The Outbound’s Ashley Stimpson describes one route from the lot: take the Browns Farm trail to the Owens Creek picnic area, head toward Foxville Deerfield Road, turn right, and after about 100 yards bear left onto a horse trail that passes near Owens Creek Campground. The trail climbs gradually, briefly joins the Catoctin Trail, then splits off for a final push to the shelters. That writer puts the round trip at 3.5 to 4 miles, depending on the trails you choose, with about 1,200 feet of gain, while Recreation.gov describes three miles each way. Get a map at the visitor center or from the park’s hiking page before you go; Recreation.gov also warns that hills and tree cover can block satellite signals, so carry a backup for navigation.

The two shelters sit several hundred feet apart, and shelter #2 is visible from shelter #1. The Outbound’s writer, who went on a summer Saturday in late July, met no other hikers in the backcountry and says the shelters stayed dry through a night of heavy rain.

The Catoctin Trail, which the shelter route briefly follows, runs about 26.6 miles along Catoctin Mountain from Gambrill State Park north to Mt. Zion Road, according to Wikipedia. Along that trail, camping is allowed only at established campgrounds (Rock Run in Gambrill, Manor and Houck in Cunningham Falls State Park, and Owens Creek in Catoctin Mountain Park). The Adirondack shelters, reached by their own short route, are separate from those.

For a longer Maryland trip on the next ridge west, see the Appalachian Trail from Pen Mar to Turners Gap.

Tips

Reserve ahead. Reservations are required, can be made up to six months out, and can’t be made inside the park.
Carry all your drinking water. Recreation.gov says there’s no potable water.
Leave the tent at home. Tents aren’t allowed in or around the shelters.
Leave pets and alcohol behind. Neither is permitted.
Bring a backup for navigation. Tree cover can block GPS signals.

Camping

There are two three-sided shelters, each for five campers, and groups can book both, according to Recreation.gov. They’re open year-round, reservations are required, and walk-ins aren’t accepted. The site has campfire rings and one rustic pit toilet. Tents and other temporary structures aren’t allowed in the shelters or the surrounding area, and you must pack out everything you bring. Questions go to the park at 301-663-9388.

Inside Intel: The Outbound’s writer liked that the two shelters are far enough apart for privacy but close enough to see friends across the way, and found a small creek behind shelter #2 useful for filtering water and cleaning gear. Recreation.gov still says to bring all your drinking water.

Trail facts

Distance: About 3 miles each way (Recreation.gov); 3.5 to 4 miles round trip (The Outbound)
Route type: Out and back
Difficulty: Moderate, mostly uphill on the way in
Campsites: Two three-sided shelters, five campers each
Water: No potable water; carry it in
Permits: Reservation required on Recreation.gov; no walk-ins
Fires: Fire rings provided
Dogs: Not permitted
Trailhead: Camp Round Meadow lot, 14840 Manahan Road, Sabillasville
Last verified: October 17, 2026

The Lowdown

Tents stay home at Catoctin:

Tents aren't allowed at the Adirondack shelters, so a wooden floor is your bed for the night. See the sleeping pads testers rate.

See the picks →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.