Maryland's highest cascading waterfall at 78 feet, reachable by a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk or a longer loop through the Catoctin Mountains.
Cunningham Falls drops about 78 feet in a cascade, making it Maryland's highest, inside the state park of the same name in the Catoctin Mountains near Thurmont. Two very different routes reach it: a 0.2-mile boardwalk built for visitors with limited mobility, and a roughly 1.2-mile loop through the surrounding forest for those who want more of a walk.
The park sits beside the National Park Service's Catoctin Mountain Park and shares the same ridge of rugged, wooded terrain, with longer routes like the Catoctin National Recreation Trail available for a bigger day. Maryland charges a modest per-person entrance fee that's higher on weekends and holidays and for out-of-state visitors; check current rates before arriving.
Know before you go
Cunningham Falls State Park, 14039 Catoctin Hollow Rd, Thurmont, MD.
Year-round.
A 0.2-mile accessible boardwalk, or a roughly 1.2-mile forest loop.
Small per-person fee, higher on weekends/holidays and for out-of-state visitors.
The short boardwalk route is built for limited-mobility access.
2026-10-11. Conditions and requirements can change; confirm with the land manager before travelling.
Sources & further reading
- Maryland DNR — Cunningham Falls State Park, Hiking ↗
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) ↗
This is a researched visitor guide, not a claim that our editors have personally visited. Trail conditions, permits, and access can change.
