Additional Maryland State Parks Requiring Day-Use Reservations; New Entrance Technology Starting This Weekend
Day-use reservations are now required on weekends and holidays at Greenbrier State Park, Point Lookout State Park, Newtowne Neck State Park, North Point State Park, Rocks State Park’s Kilgore Falls area, Rocky Gap State Park, Sandy Point Park, and Swallow Falls State Park through Labor Day.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources continues to expand its reservation and park entrance system to prevent long entrance lines, traffic backups, and unexpected capacity closures on busy weekends and holidays.
Beginning June 26, Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area is implementing a QR code-based payment system, in which visitors scan a QR code on signage to pay their day-use fee online. An honor box will remain in place for those who need to pay cash. Reservations are not required at Fair Hill.
In 2025, the Maryland Park Service began to use a reservation system created by Kaizen Labs at five locations experiencing parking overflow issues and significant traffic backups that impacted the surrounding community and limited visitors’ access.
After a successful pilot year and soft-opening at several additional parks in May and June, the system is expanding. Day-use reservations are now required on weekends and holidays through Labor Day at these Maryland state parks and areas:
Reservations can be made at parkdayuse.maryland.gov.
Same-day reservations can be made if parks are not at capacity. Visitors are also encouraged to check the Park Status Dashboard before leaving home for the latest park updates and operating statuses, especially after severe weather conditions have passed through the area.
Reservations can be made starting seven days in advance of each visit. Reservations may be changed or canceled until 8 a.m. the day before the visit.
Regular day-use fees will be paid at the time of reservation using credit or debit cards, or other online payment methods. Each reservation transaction includes a non-refundable service charge of about $1.50 per person, which varies slightly depending on the park’s specific day use service charge.
This service charge helps the parks maintain the reservation system, reduce lines at park entrances, and provides realtime information to visitors about parking availability. If a reservation is not available for a park on a specific weekend or holiday date, that is because the park has been fully booked already.
At some parks, reservations ask for a total number of guests in each party. If a user brings more people than indicated on their reservation, park staff may ask for additional payment at the park gate. If a guest arrives at the gate with fewer people than planned, refunds are not available.
Visitors who walk or bike into a state park–even those requiring reservations–can continue to do so for free without a reservation.
Visitors with Maryland Annual Park Passes, Golden Age Passes, or who otherwise qualify for free entry still need to make reservations, and will have their pass status verified by park staff upon entry to the park. When making a reservation, select “add special access pass” on the checkout screen, select a pass, and then hit apply. Make sure to bring the pass to the park, along with reservation information.
In the future, other parks and public lands are expected to begin using the system, either for day-use reservations or point-of-sale access..
In 2024, the Maryland Park Service experienced 166 capacity closures – parks would turn guests away, sometimes after a long wait, because there was no more space.
DNR contracted Kaizen Labs in 2025, directing the company to create a reservation system to help manage the state’s busiest parks and prevent such closures. The system worked – there were zero sudden capacity closures at those five parks in 2025.
DNR has now contracted Kaizen to expand its system during the next five years. This expansion includes adding parks to the existing reservation system, as well as additional strategies to collect revenue, such as a QR code payment option at parks that formerly only had cash honor boxes.
The goal in implementing the system, long-term, is to free up DNR staff so they can focus on park safety and sharing information about Maryland’s historical, cultural, and natural features, instead of directing traffic or operating a register.
This system also helps to reduce costs related to additional municipal, county, and state police presence, which was often needed to manage miles-long lines that formed outside popular parks and caused severe traffic issues in neighboring communities.
How the system works for current and pending parks
Cunningham Falls State Park: Visitors pay a staff member at the gate with fees displayed. A full advance-reservation system may be added at a later time.
Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area: The park is implementing a QR-code-based payment system, with which visitors scan a QR code on signage to pay their day-use fee online. An honor box will remain in place for those who need to pay cash. Reservations are not required.
Greenbrier: Advance reservations are required on weekends and holidays and are expected to sell out consistently through the summer. On weekdays, entry is processed on-site via the Kaizen system, with no advance reservations required. (cash or credit).
Gunpowder Falls – (Hammerman Area only): Advance reservations are no longer required on weekends and holidays for the Hammerman area. Entry fee payment is managed on-site via the Kaizen system (cash or credit).
North Point: Advance reservations are required on weekends and holidays and slots are expected to sell out consistently through the summer. On weekdays, entry is processed on-site via the Kaizen system, with no advance reservations required (cash or credit).
Newtowne Neck: Requires advance reservations on weekends and holidays, but the reservation is free since there is no entry fee.
Point Lookout: Advance reservations are required on weekends and holidays and are expected to sell out consistently through the summer. On weekdays, entry is processed on-site via the Kaizen system, with no advance reservations required. NOTE: The gatehouse is not always staffed on weekdays. When unstaffed, there will be an honor box or parking gate used for entry.
Rocky Gap State Park: Advance reservations are required on weekends and holidays. On weekdays, entry is processed on-site via the Kaizen system, with no advance reservations required. NOTE: The gatehouse is not always staffed on weekdays. When unstaffed, there will be an honor box or parking gate used for entry.
Rocks State Park (Kilgore Falls Area only): Advance reservations are required on weekends and holidays.
Sandy Point: Advance reservations are required on weekends and holidays and are expected to sell out consistently through the summer. On weekdays, entry is processed on-site via the Kaizen system, with no advance reservations required.
Seneca Creek: Visitors pay at the gate with fees displayed.
Swallow Falls: Advance reservations are required on weekends and holidays and slots are expected to sell out consistently through the summer. On weekdays, entry is processed on-site via the Kaizen system, with no advance reservations required.
Advance reservations can be made for three entry time slots, following typical use patterns and to assure parking is available for all visitors:
- Time slot A: 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- Time slot B: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- Time slot C: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Pending launch this season: Gambrill State Park will implement a QR-code-based payment system, replacing the cash honor box. Visitors will scan a QR code on signage to pay their day-use fee online.
The Park Service will make future announcements and updates to the website when parks are added to the system.
