{"id":44564,"date":"2025-05-06T10:10:27","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T14:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=44564"},"modified":"2025-05-07T11:41:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T15:41:11","slug":"maryland-department-of-natural-resources-launches-new-day-pass-reservation-system-in-select-state-parks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2025\/05\/06\/maryland-department-of-natural-resources-launches-new-day-pass-reservation-system-in-select-state-parks\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland Department of Natural Resources Launches New Day Pass Reservation System in Select State Parks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Required reservations to relieve backups at busiest state parks<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"People

Greenbrier State Park, photo by Ranger Sarah Rodriguez, Maryland Department of Natural Resources<\/p><\/div>\n

The Maryland Park Service is launching a new Day-Use Reservation System, which will go live May 19 for Greenbrier State Park and Sandy Point State Park, to be followed by several other parks later in the season. This new system requires all visitors to reserve their day-use passes in advance during peak times, to reduce overcrowding, limit traffic backups at park entrances, reduce the frequency of capacity closures, and ensure that every visitor knows they have a space before arriving. <\/span><\/p>\n

“<\/span>The goal of this new day use reservation system is making our parks more welcoming and accessible to all,\u201d said Maryland Park Service Director Angela Crenshaw. \u201cBy allowing visitors to plan ahead, we\u2019re helping families make the most of their time outdoors \u2014 with less stress and more confidence that they\u2019ll have a great day in our state parks.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reservations will be made through the Maryland State Parks website. The link to the new system with instructions will be available starting May 19; the first day that reservations will be required is Saturday, May 24 for Greenbrier and Sandy Point state parks.<\/span><\/p>\n

With the new system, advance reservations are mandatory on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day<\/b>\u2014 no same-day drive-up access will be allowed. Reservations must be made online <\/span>and can be made starting seven days in advance of a visit. <\/b>Reservations may be edited or canceled until 8 a.m. the day before the visit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Regular day-use fees will be paid at the time of reservation using credit or debit cards or other online payment methods.\u00a0<\/span>Visitors will check in with a QR code upon arrival at the park, and discounts will be validated for Maryland Park Pass holders, veterans and individuals with disabilities. Park staff may also adjust and require additional payment based on the actual number of visitors in your party.<\/span><\/p>\n

Later this summer, the system will also expand to other parks including Point Lookout, Newtowne Neck, and North Point State Parks. The launch dates will be announced in the coming weeks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The system is needed due to the influx of new visitors entering Maryland State Parks\u2013particularly parks with public swimming access such as on lakes, the Chesapeake Bay or ocean\u2013following the Covid-19 pandemic. Park visitation rates increased from an average of 10.8 million per year from 2010 to 2019 to an average of 18.7 million per year from 2020 through 2024. This has resulted in a significant corresponding increase in park capacity closures. These sudden closures can result in large backups at state parks and traffic issues on approaching roads as visitors wait in lines to enter the park, or in disappointment when park staff must turn away potential visitors due to capacity limitations.<\/span><\/p>\n

With a little bit of pre-planning, visitors can ensure they\u2019ll get to enjoy the parks they set out to visit on a weekend or holiday by using the new day-use reservation system.<\/span><\/p>\n

La versi\u00f3n en espa\u00f1ol est\u00e1 a continuaci\u00f3n:<\/em><\/p>\n

El Departamento de Recursos Naturales de Maryland lanza un nuevo sistema de Reserva de Pases Diarios en determinados parques estatales<\/b><\/p>\n

Las reservas son obligatorias para descongestionar los parques estatales m\u00e1s concurridos<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

El Servicio de Parques de Maryland est\u00e1 poniendo en marcha un nuevo sistema de reserva de pases diarios, que entrar\u00e1 en funcionamiento en varios parques, empezando por el parque estatal de Greenbier, y el parque estatal de Sandy Point el 19 de mayo. Este nuevo sistema requiere que todos los visitantes reserven sus pases de uso diario con antelaci\u00f3n durante la temporada alta, para reducir la masificaci\u00f3n, limitar las retenciones de tr\u00e1fico en las entradas de los parques, reducir la frecuencia de los cierres debido al l\u00edmite de capacidad, y garantizar que todos los visitantes sepan que tienen una plaza antes de llegar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEl objetivo de este nuevo sistema de reservas de uso diario es conseguir que nuestros parques sean m\u00e1s acogedores y accesibles para todos\u201d dijo la Directora del Servicio de Parques de Maryland, Angela Crenshaw. \u201cAl permitir a los visitantes planificar con antelaci\u00f3n, estamos ayudando a las familias a aprovechar al m\u00e1ximo su tiempo al aire libre, con menos estr\u00e9s y m\u00e1s confianza en que pasar\u00e1n un gran d\u00eda en nuestros parques estatales\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Con el nuevo sistema, se requiere una reserva previa los fines de semana y festivos desde el fin de semana del d\u00eda de los ca\u00eddos hasta el d\u00eda del trabajo<\/b>; no se permitir\u00e1 el acceso el mismo d\u00eda. Las reservas deben de hacerse por internet y <\/span>pueden realizarse hasta siete d\u00edas antes de la visita<\/b>. Las reservas pueden modificarse o cancelarse hasta las 8 de la ma\u00f1ana del d\u00eda anterior a la visita.<\/span><\/p>\n

Las tarifas est\u00e1ndar de uso diario se pagar\u00e1n en el momento de la reserva mediante tarjeta de cr\u00e9dito o d\u00e9bito u otros medios de pago en l\u00ednea.<\/span><\/p>\n

Las reservas se har\u00e1n a trav\u00e9s del sitio web de los parques estatales de Maryland. Los visitantes se registrar\u00e1n con un c\u00f3digo QR a su llegada al parque, se aprobar\u00e1n descuentos para los titulares del pase Maryland Park Pass, los veteranos y las personas con discapacidad. El personal del parque tambi\u00e9n puede ajustar y exigir un pago adicional dependiendo del n\u00famero real de visitantes en su grupo.<\/span><\/p>\n

A finales de este verano, el sistema se ampliar\u00e1 tambi\u00e9n a otros parques, como Point Lookout, Newtowne Neck y North Point State Parks. Las fechas de lanzamiento ser\u00e1n anunciadas en las pr\u00f3ximas semanas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

El sistema es necesario debido a la afluencia de nuevos visitantes que visitan los parques estatales de Maryland\u00a0 – en particular para parques que tienen acceso p\u00fablico a zonas de ba\u00f1o, como los de los lagos, la bah\u00eda de Chesapeake o el oc\u00e9ano – tras la pandemia de Covid-19. Los \u00edndices de visitas a los parques aumentaron de una media de 10.8 millones al a\u00f1o entre 2010 y 2019 a una media de 18.7 millones al a\u00f1o entre 2020 y 2024. Esto ha dado lugar a un correspondiente aumento significativo en los cierres de los parques debido al l\u00edmite de capacidad. Estos cierres repentinos pueden provocar grandes atascos en los parques estatales y problemas de tr\u00e1fico en las carreteras de acceso mientras los visitantes hacen cola para entrar en el parque, o provocar decepciones cuando el personal del parque debe rechazar la entrada a posibles visitantes debido al l\u00edmite de capacidad.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Con un poco de planificaci\u00f3n previa, los visitantes pueden disfrutar de los parques que se planteen visitar un fin de semana o un d\u00eda festivo utilizando el nuevo sistema de reservas de uso diario.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Required reservations to relieve backups at busiest state parks The Maryland Park Service is launching a new Day-Use Reservation System, which will go live May 19 for Greenbrier State Park and Sandy Point State Park, to be followed by several other parks later in the season. This new system requires all visitors to reserve their  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[957,12],"tags":[4797,3411,5205,4347,3621,3410,3332],"class_list":["post-44564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-appnews","category-parks","tag-angela-crenshaw","tag-greenbrier-state-park","tag-maryland-park-service","tag-newtowne-neck-state-park","tag-north-point-state-park","tag-point-lookout-state-park","tag-sandy-point-state-park"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44564"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44603,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44564\/revisions\/44603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}