Maryland State Parks and Other Public Lands Expand Traffic Flow and Park Entrance Technology

Weekend and holiday day-use reservations are now available for Gunpowder Falls State Park’s Hammerman beach area, Rocky Gap State Park, and Swallow Falls State Park

Rocky Gap State Park is among the parks now taking reservations for weekends and holidays during the busy season to better manage traffic and assure visitors can access the park. Photo by Ranger Sarah Milbourne, Maryland DNR

As summer crowds return to Maryland State Parks, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources is expanding its traffic flow management and park entrance system to help visitors avoid long entrance lines, traffic backups, and unexpected capacity closures on busy weekends and holidays. 

Some of the parks have also experienced parking overflow issues that have impacted the surrounding community and limited visitors’ access. 

Through this system, day-use reservations are currently required on weekends and holidays at Greenbrier, Point Lookout, Newtowne Neck, North Point, and Sandy Point State Parks, all of which introduced the system in 2025.

Additional state parks that are now accepting reservations for weekends and holidays include Gunpowder Falls State Park’s Hammerman beach area in Middle River, Rocky Gap State Park in Flintstone, Swallow Falls State Park in Oakland, and Rocks State Park’s Kilgore Falls area in Pylesville, all of which experience significant traffic backups or overflow parking issues during busy times.

Same-day reservations can be made if parks are not at capacity.

At these new locations, reservations will be required on weekends and holidays starting on the weekend of June 27 through Labor Day. Reservations can be made at parkdayuse.maryland.gov. 

Visitors are also encouraged to check the Park Status Dashboard before leaving home for the latest park updates and operating statuses, especially after severe weather conditions.

At Gunpowder’s Hammerman beach area, Rocky Gap, and Swallow Falls; the Park Service will continue to accept entrance fees in the form of cash until the weekend of June 27 as the public gains familiarity with the reservation system. Cash customers will be admitted as long as the parks aren’t already at capacity, otherwise those visitors will be asked to return when there is availability. Visitors with advance reservations will be guaranteed entry. 

After this June soft launch period, these parks will also only accept reservations on weekends and holidays.

Cunningham Falls State Park in Thurmont and Seneca Creek State Park in Gaithersburg have also installed new point-of-sale entry systems, which do not require reservations and will update the parks’ technology and decrease the administrative time needed by park staff to handle entrance gates. 

Reservations can be made starting seven days in advance of each visit or on the day of your visit if the park isn’t already fully-reserved or at capacity. Reservations may be changed or canceled until 8 a.m. the day before the visit. 

Regular day-use fees will be paid at the time of reservation using credit or debit cards or other online payment methods. Each reservation transaction includes a non-refundable service charge of about $1.50, which varies slightly depending on the park’s specific day use service charge. 

This service charge helps the parks maintain the reservation system, reduce lines at park entrances, and provide realtime information to visitors about parking availability. If a reservation is not available for a park on a specific weekend or holiday date, that is because the park has been fully booked already.

The overall reason for implementing this system is to protect the resources within these parks from damage caused by overuse. For those who wish to enjoy state parks and other public spaces without paying a service charge,many of Maryland State Park areas along with state forests, wildlife management areas, fishing management areas, and other locations, are free to enter. 

Visitors who walk or bike into a state park–even those requiring reservations–can continue to do so for free without a reservation.

Visitors with Maryland Annual Park Passes, Golden Age Passes, or who otherwise qualify for free entry still need to make reservations, and will have their status verified by park staff upon entry to the park. 

Park staff may also adjust and require additional payment if more visitors than the reservation accounted for arrive with the party.

In the future, other parks and public lands are expected to begin using the system, either for day-use reservations or point-of-sale access points.

DNR contracted system developer Kaizen to expand it to other public lands over a five-year period after a successful pilot year when the company installed and operated traffic flow technology and new entrance/day-use reservation systems at five popular state parks. Last year, none of the parks operating with the advance reservation system experienced unanticipated capacity closures. Those parks made up the majority of the 166 closures due to capacity that occurred at state parks in 2024.

The long-term goal of the system is to require fewer DNR staff having to manage traffic flow at park entrances so that they can be deployed inside the parks to assist visitors and provide information about the park’s historical, cultural, and natural features, as well as perform duties related to visitor safety.

This system also helps to reduce costs related to additional municipal, county, and state police presence DNR often needed to manage miles-long lines that  formed outside popular parks and caused severe traffic issues in neighboring communities. 

How the system works for current and pending parks

Sandy Point: Advance reservations are required on weekends and holidays and are expected to sell out consistently through the summer. On weekdays, entry is processed on-site via the Kaizen system, with no advance reservations required. Entry is cash only.

Greenbrier: Matches Sandy Point’s system: advance reservations on weekends and holidays, with weekday entry handled onsite via the Kaizen system (cash or credit).

Point Lookout: Advance reservations are required on weekends and holidays and are expected to sell out consistently through the summer. On weekdays, entry is processed on-site via the Kaizen system, with no advance reservations required.

North Point: Advance reservations are required on weekends and holidays and are expected to sell out consistently through the summer. On weekdays, entry is processed on-site via the Kaizen system, with no advance reservations required (cash or credit).

Newtowne Neck: Requires advance reservations on weekends and holidays, but the reservation is free since there is no entry fee. 

Gunpowder Falls –  (Hammerman Area only): Advance reservations are required on weekends and holidays for the Hammerman area specifically, not all of Gunpowder Falls. On weekdays, entry is managed on-site via the Kaizen system (cash or credit), with no reservations needed.

Rocky Gap State Park: Advance reservations are required on weekends and holidays. On weekdays, entry is processed on-site via the Kaizen system, with no advance reservations required. NOTE: The gatehouse is not always staffed on weekdays. When unstaffed, there will be an honor box or parking gate used for entry

Swallow Falls:Advance reservations are required on weekends and holidays and are expected to sell out consistently through the summer. On weekdays, entry is processed on-site via the Kaizen system, with no advance reservations required.

Advance reservations can be made for three entry time slots, following typical use patterns and to assure parking is available for all visitors:

• Time slot A: 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
• Time slot B: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Time slot C: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Rocks State Park (Kilgore Falls Area only): Advance reservations are required on weekends and holidays. 

Seneca Creek: Visitors pay at the gate with fees displayed. 

Cunningham Falls State Park: Visitors pay at the gate with fees displayed. A full advance-reservation system may be added at a later time.

Pending launch: Fair Hill, Elk Neck (Turkey Point Area), Gambrill State Park: These parks will implement a QR-code-based payment system, replacing the cash honor box. Visitors will scan a QR code on signage to pay their day-use fee online. 

The Park Service will make future announcements and updates to the website when parks are added to the system.