Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway
Catoctin Mountain Park, MD

In the 1930s, after years of making charcoal to fuel the Catoctin Iron furnace, the land at this national park was purchased for transformation into a productive recreation area in order to create jobs during the Great Depression. Government programs, such as the WPA and the CCC, started constructing recreational camps for federal employees, which are now listed in the National Register of Historic Places. One of the camps eventually became the Presidential retreat, Camp David. The Presidential retreat is not open to the public, but the park has many other attractions for visitors, including a wealth of scenery, wildlife, wildflowers, historic buildings, hiking trails, scenic drives, camping, and fly-fishing.