Latest news with #MarylandParks
Washington Post
22-05-2025
- Washington Post
Two popular Maryland parks will require reservations during peak days
Maryland officials are hoping that if a new crowd control plan works, visitors to some of the state's most popular parks will not have to camp out before busy days as early as midnight. Starting Memorial Day weekend, visitors hoping to enter Greenbrier State Park in Western Maryland and Annapolis's Sandy Point State Park, which has a beach looking out toward the Chesapeake Bay, will need to make reservations on weekends and holidays. 'You'd have people lining up for, say, Greenbrier at 4 a.m., 3 a.m. and even midnight in some cases. We'd open up the gates, we'd let a certain amount of people in, then we would have to close the park to new visitors for hours at a time,' said Tim Hamilton, business and marketing manager for the Maryland Park Service. The day-use pass system went live Monday and is aimed at reducing crowds and traffic backups and ensuring spots for visitors. Reservations for these parks will be mandatory during the peak periods of weekends and holidays from May 24 through Labor Day. No same-day access will be allowed during those times. Admission will be $5 per person. At Greenbrier, out-of-state visitors will be charged $7. Visitors can book their spots online up to seven days in advance of a visit. Reservations may be changed or canceled until 8 a.m. the day before the scheduled arrival. Confirmation emails, along with a QR code that is scanned for admission at the park, will be sent to visitors who successfully reserve a spot. Discussions about implementing a reservation system statewide began as early as 2019, Hamilton said. Officials ran a pilot program that year of the reservation system at Rocks State Park, which houses Kilgore Falls, a picturesque 17-foot-high waterfall. Hamilton said it was chosen because it was a popular destination, with a small parking lot that caused backups for locals and pulled park rangers away from essential safety duties. 'We introduced the system kind of quietly,' Hamilton said. 'People were not thrilled with it because this was change, and change is difficult for everybody. 'But after two or three weeks, people started to grumble a little bit less and they found out, 'Oh, now I know whether or not I can get in off the bat. I don't have to go and wait in line only to be told I can't get in and I turn around and I burned half the day.'' The need for reservations became more pressing after a spike of visitors to parks following the start of the coronavirus pandemic, said Gregg Bortz, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, which manages the state's Park Service. 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, Bortz said. Bortz and Hamilton pointed to similar, effective reservation systems used by other agencies, including the National Park Service. They did not specify what officials have determined as the capacity limit for these parks but said that the caps can vary based on parking availability, events and other factors. Sandy Point is a popular destination for Maryland residents and out-of-towners who want to set up cookouts and get a look at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge along the roughly one-mile-long stretch of sand. Greenbrier, located in Boonsboro, houses campsites and hiking trails that surround a 42-acre man-made freshwater lake and a white sandy beach. They were chosen as the first to require reservations because they were shut down for capacity reasons fairly frequently, Hamilton said. Traffic at Greenbrier would stretch two to three miles. Traffic jams at Sandy Point, which sits at the foot of the Bay Bridge, would snarl traffic for those looking to cross over to other Maryland and Delaware beaches. 'Wherever you have water in Maryland parks, that's where people want to be,' Hamilton said. The reservation system will be rolled out to three other state parks this summer: Point Lookout, Newtowne Neck and North Point. But officials did not specify a timeline for when changes would take effect at those locations. Bortz said exact dates would be announced in the coming weeks. Hamilton said patience will be key for anyone looking to spend a day by the water at these Maryland state parks. That goes for him and his team, too. 'If there are some bumps along the first couple of weekends, which we expect there to be here and there, we are watching them carefully with the mind that we are going to react to that and make some changes if we have to,' Hamilton said.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- The Independent
Secret's out! The once-hidden U.S beach that's now so popular that reservations are needed
The secret is out. A Maryland state park with a beach once considered a hidden gem is now so popular that a reservation system has been introduced. From this Saturday, May 24, visitors to Greenbrier State Park will need to book a day-use reservation for weekends and holidays through Labor Day, the first Monday in September. Last year 504,262 people visited Greenbrier State Park, in the Appalachian Mountains, and lines to gain entry formed as early as midnight, according to with visitors desperate to secure a prime spot next to its 42-acre man-made freshwater lake and white sandy beach. A reservation system has also been introduced for Maryland's Sandy Point State Park, located along the northwestern shore of Chesapeake Bay. In 2024, it received more than one million visitors, its popularity partly down to the one-mile-long strip of sand there that offers views of Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Day-use entrance fees ranging between $3 and $7 for both parks are already in place. However, Tim Hamilton, Maryland Park Service marketing manager, told that "something had to be done" about crowds that sometimes ballooned to a point where they became a safety issue. Park rangers in place to keep an eye on hikers and swimmers ended up being stretched thin as they managed swelling visitor numbers. The Maryland Park Service said: "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." Maryland Park Service Director Angela Crenshaw said: "The goal of this new day-use reservation system is making our parks more welcoming and accessible to all. "By allowing visitors to plan ahead, we're helping families make the most of their time outdoors — with less stress and more confidence that they'll have a great day in our state parks." Reservations can be made up to seven days prior to arriving. The system at Maryland isn't a first, with Lake Tahoe's Sand Harbor State Park introducing a reservation process in April following a trial run in 2024.
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Daily Mail
'Secret' East Coast beach known for its dreamy white sand to require reservations days in advance
Travelers planning to spend a day at Maryland 's 'Secret Beach' will soon have to make reservations in advance. The Maryland Park Service is launching a new Day-Use Reservation System at Greenbrier State Park. The reservation requirement will take effect on May 24, and all visitors will have the chance to reserve day-use passes starting seven days before their visit. Guests will be able to edit or cancel their reservations until 8.00am the day before they arrive at the park. Greenbrier State Park's 42-acre lake and white sandy beach attract 500,000 visitors annually. With this system, the goal is to reduce overcrowding, shrink park entrance traffic, and decrease the chances of the area reaching full capacity. 'By allowing visitors to plan ahead, we're helping families make the most of their time outdoors — with less stress and more confidence that they'll have a great day in our state parks,' said Maryland Park Service Director Angela Crenshaw. The system will also launch for Sandy Point State Park on May 19 and expand to other Maryland parks later this year. Parkgoers will be required to make their reservations on the Maryland State Parks website. Once upcoming guests fill out the necessary information, they will need to pay at the time of their reservation. Greenbrier visitors are required to pay $3 per vehicle for a day pass for any day of the week. However, the price will increase to $5 per visitors on Saturdays and Sundays starting Memorial Day weekend. Visitors who aren't from Maryland will be required to pay an addition $2. Discounts can be applied to Maryland Park Pass holders, veterans and individuals with disabilities. Staff members may also adjust prices depending on the number of parkgoers per vehicle. Guests will be required to show a QR code at arrival when checking in with park employees. The goal is to reduce overcrowding, shrink park entrance traffic, and decrease the chances of the area reaching full capacity It comes after Maryland state parks experienced a significant boost in visitors. The parks with the most visitor growth feature public swimming access. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, around 10.8 million travelers visited the state parks every year from 2010 to 2019. Now, visitation for all Maryland parks is clocking in at an average of 18.7 million per year. This growth has caused increased traffic jams, and left some hopeful visitors disappointed when they have been turned away by park employees due to overcrowding. If the new reservation system works as planned, each attraction will be 'more welcoming and accessible to all,' said Crenshaw. The system launch date for places like Point Lookout, Newtowne Neck, and North Point State Parks will be announced in the next few weeks.
CBS News
07-05-2025
- CBS News
Maryland DNR launches day-use reservation system for park visits
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has announced a new day-use reservation system which will launch at several parks, beginning with Greenbrier State Park and Sandy Point State Park on May 19. The system will require all visitors to reserve day-use passes during peak times before their visit in an effort to reduce overcrowding. Ideally, the new process will ensure that visitors know that they have space before arriving at the park - a contrast from allowing visitors to drop in, which the Park Service says has led to an increase in capacity closures. How will the reservation system work? Under the new system, reservations will be mandatory on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. No same-day drive-up access will be allowed during these peak times. Reservations can be made starting seven days in advance of a planned visit through the Maryland State Parks website. Visitors must make their reservations online and pay the standard day-use fees at the time of booking using credit or debit cards or other online payment methods. Reservations may also be edited or canceled until 8 a.m. the day before the scheduled visit. When visitors arrive at the park, they should check in using a QR code. Maryland parks see rise in capacity closures According to the Maryland Park Service, the state's parks have seen a rise in capacity closures, which have led to traffic backups at park entrances and nearby roads - only for visitors to potentially be turned away when parks reach max capacity. State officials said they have seen a dramatic surge in park visits following the COVID-19 pandemic. Annual park visitation has jumped from an average of 10.8 million between 2010 and 2019 to 18.7 million from 2020 through 2024, the Park Service said. The link to the new day pass system, along with instructions, will be made avaialble May 19.
