Reservations Now Available for Holly Beach Farm Natural Resources Management Area on the Chesapeake Bay

Holly Beach Farm Natural Resources Management Area. Maryland DNR photo

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is now accepting reservations for outdoor recreation activities at the new Holly Beach Farm Natural Resources Management Area in Anne Arundel County. Reservations are available using DNR’s MD Outdoors website. 

Permitted outdoor recreational activities include hiking, bird watching, fishing, and crabbing. Hunting is already allowed via reservations, which are made separately from other outdoor activities.

Formerly a private estate that has long been held for conservation, the 293-acre waterfront property consists of forested areas, open fields, a 9-acre freshwater pond, and beaches on a peninsula along the Chesapeake Bay and Whitehall Bay. The department took ownership in 2024 and is planning to expand responsible public access to Holly Beach Farm NRMA in the future with a focus on access via boats.

Currently, fishing and crabbing can be done from the shoreline of Whitehall Bay or the Chesapeake Bay, and fishing is also allowed in a freshwater pond. Recreational opportunities may expand as DNR will be adding some infrastructure, including a new fishing pier.

There is no fee to access Holly Beach NRMA, however space is limited to protect the ecologically sensitive areas of the peninsula. 

Visitation slots are available year round from 7 a.m. to sunset every day.

The daily maximum number of outdoor recreational users will vary seasonally. Limits and hours may be subject to change. Currently, hours and maximum capacities are:

• September through February: 10 maximum reservations per day 
• March through August: 20 maximum reservations per day 
• Sundays, year-round: 20 maximum reservations per day

Visitors can make reservations online through the MD Outdoors website (reservations are not currently available through the app). Reservations may be made one calendar day in advance or same-day; there is no fee to make reservations. 

New users of MD Outdoors will need to create a free account to establish a DNRid number. Anyone with a fishing or hunting license or boat registration would use their existing DNRid.

Once on the MD Outdoors website, users can search for a box titled, “Participate in our Public Lands Hunting Reservation Program” or “Reserve Your Hunt.” Users would then follow the prompts to make a reservation by searching for “Holly Beach Farm NRMA – Non-Hunting Outdoor Recreation.” 

Each individual visiting the park must have a reservation. Children in car seats who are accompanied by an adult do not need a reservation. 

A gate code will be required to enter the property. Gate codes are provided automatically after a reservation is made.

More information is available on the Holly Beach Farm NRMS website.