Cunningham Falls State Park

Very nice, quiet and many areas to hike. Bathrooms, handicap parking, nature house with turtles and wildlife. Very Very lovely place to visit.

I read an article entitled "Eight places in Maryland you need to visit" which listed Cunningham Falls State Park. It did not disappoint! Although I never found the Falls it was a perfect day. Even the weather cooperated, there was a respite from the typical late August humidity and temperatures.

The beach was not crowded at all. There's an area not far from the beach (walking distance) where families were grilling. And the mountain views were absolutely gorgeous!

Lots of great trails for hikers of all levels. There are also handicap parking/trail access areas. There is also a beach/lake area for boating and swimming.
Note that due to a lack of rain/snow the 2023 water levels are very low.

Perfect swimming hole, especially for young children since it's shallow and they have ropes to separate different depths. It's so beautiful out here just water and the mountains and the perfect place to disconnect since none of the family had cell service the entire trip. Believe it or not the kids didn't loose their minds not having service and thats how you know we all had a great time! Lol definitely recommend but plan on arriving early as they do fill to capacity. They have beautiful picnic areas and surprisingly clean bathrooms. The north side has a concession stand we all had funnel cake fries they were absolutely delicious they also have a playground but we were too busy fish watching in the water! They have kayak rentals as well we just didn't get a chance to check that out definitely next time

The handicap parking lot is a great way to see the falls if you have a handicap tag for your vehicle. It’s a short walk from the parking to the falls on a level boardwalk. Unfortunately at this time of year there are not many fall’s to see. We’ll probably come back in the Spring to check them out.

Great campground. Cleanly maintained showerhouses. Nice individual sites, some with electric, some without. There is a camp store if you forget anything but it was closed for most of our visit.

Gives you access to the lake, hiking paths, falls, and quick drive to the town of Thurmont for stores, supplies and ice cream.

**quick tip: the beach by the lake gets VERY busy in the summer time on a weekend. If you can manage to go on a weekday you’ll have a much more relaxing experience.

Very pretty trail to hike to the falls. Some areas were a bit steep, and there were wide steps in the hillside. The boardwalk takes you to the base of the falls. However, you could walk past the walkway and hike uphill to the top of the falls. Large rocks to climb, so wear appropriate hiking shoes. Road noise due to the road being nearby. Be cautious, crossing the road!

Very popular place to swim, canoe, kayak or boat. Fishing is also done here. People love to have picnics and cookouts here.

Great little piece of the world to visit. We had a beautiful day. The falls was nice. The trails were nice and easy to walk. The beach was quaint. Glad we visited!

I loved it here. Visited during a camping trip. The people that work here were friendly and encourage safety for the water activities. The area was clean, and included a playground.

We stopped by on a Monday morning in early spring. There were a few cars at the parking lot but we didn't encounter anyone along the way. It was a short and easy stroll from the carpark to the viewing platforms. We decided not to take the cliff trail as it was rocky and not everyone was wearing hiking shoes.

It was like being wrapped up in the season of fall! The hike we went on was terrific and the scenery is just something of a storybook! Very very neat place to visit!!

This is a nice easy walk especially with little kids with minimal elevation gain. You can make it a little longer and steeper by taking the alternate trail that parallels the lower trail. The falls are beautiful.
The trail was icey in spots this past week after the rain and sudden drop in temperature but still easy to navigate.

We got up to Cunningham Falls this morning, and the line to get in stretched down the mountain. It is a very beautiful place to go spend the day, cook out, swim, and make memories with your family, but make sure you are up there by 6 or 6:30 am. It fills to capacity very fast!!

We loved this place! During weekend Sunday, we have reached there around 4:30pm. Less crowded during that time, spend 2hrs! Restrooms are clean. Self peddle boat rides are great to explore, they close boat service at 5pm. Guards watch beach area until 6pm, after 6pm swim on your own risk. If you would like to visit the beach area, use “Parking Spot At Cunningham Falls” in google maps which would take you to parking lot right in front of the beach!

Camping experience: Clean bathrooms, quiet in off season, great staff. Wood is $9 a small bag. Some sites more private than others. Overall very nice. Not sure I'll return though as trails and lake is NOT in walking distance to the campground. I don't want to drive to do a hike.

We had a great time. The beaches are clean. Bathroom could use an enzyme spray or kennel cleaner to get rid of the urine smells. But the park itself is really nice. They have grills, picnic tables, Grass areas, paddleboards, etc.

The park is so clean and very peaceful. Had a great just relaxing.

We are from out of state, and came for the Falls... but we most enjoyed the lake. The Falls were OK. I'd say Bushkill in the Poconos is nicer, though this was very accessible via a lower path. The other trails we did were fine. Not bad, but not amazing.
The lake and beach were really fun, though. Like a giant pool. Plenty of shallow areas for the kids, and more than enough space. We were there 2 weekdays over 90 degrees and it was not too busy - busy, but it didn't feel crowded.
Add in all the picnic areas, shade from trees just off the sand, and a place to rent paddle boats and you can definitely make a full day of it.

Its a beautiful park and we enjoy walking on the trail going to the falls. Entrance is $5 per Car, not per person. They have different parking lot for whereever you want to go. You can choose what level you want to go and we decide to take the easy lower level of the falls which is .5 miles and it was still nice, and you can climb more and choose diff path to take.