Catoctin Trail itinerary
Every mile marker on the Catoctin Trail route, in order, with the distance and elevation change between each one, and which permit each stretch needs. To set alerts for your dates, go to the Catoctin Trail camping permit page.
Which permit covers this route
The Catoctin Trail. One reservation is an ordered sequence of nights at named sites, issued by reservation.
The permit is issued for a named entry point. Gambrill State Park (southern trailhead) and Mt. Zion Road (northern trailhead) are the ones on this list.
- Stops mapped
- 8
- Across the markers
- 26.6 mi
- Published route length
- 26.6 mi
How long it takes: 2 days. That is the figure the permit publishes. This page does not divide the route into days, because no source records which stop you sleep at.
The stops below are the route's published mile markers, in order, with the elevations recorded against each one.
Distance and elevation change on each leg are the difference between the two published figures either side of it, so the legs are arithmetic on the markers and nothing more.
The Catoctin Trail route, stop by stop
Mile 0.0
1,569 ft
Gambrill State Park (southern trailhead)
Entry point: the permit is issued for this trailhead
The Catoctin Trail's southern terminus; the trail crosses about 3.0 miles of Gambrill State Park.
4.6 miles · 297 ft down to Cunningham Falls
Mile 4.6
1,272 ft
Cunningham Falls
4.4 miles · 427 ft up to North Bob's Hill Overlook
Mile 9.0
1,699 ft
North Bob's Hill Overlook
3.6 miles · 313 ft down to White Rock
Mile 12.6
1,386 ft
White Rock
4.0 miles to Manor Area Campground, Cunningham Falls State Park
Mile 16.6
Manor Area Campground, Cunningham Falls State Park
The usual overnight stop for a 2-day backpack of the Catoctin Trail, around mile 16.6.
3.5 miles to Laurelcrest
Mile 20.1
1,724 ft
Laurelcrest
5.4 miles · 337 ft down to Bootjack Spring
Mile 25.5
1,387 ft
Bootjack Spring
1.1 miles · 46 ft down to Mt. Zion Road (northern trailhead)
Mile 26.6
1,341 ft
Mt. Zion Road (northern trailhead)
Entry point: the permit is issued for this trailhead
The trail's marked northern end, 1.3 miles north of Owens Creek Campground.
Getting a Catoctin Trail for the dates you want
Planning the route is the easy half. Catoctin Trail dates go fast, and the ones that come back are cancellations. They return to the booking system without warning and are gone again quickly. PermitSnag checks Catoctin Trail around the clock and alerts you the moment a date opens.