Catoctin Mountain Park · Maryland

TR-1 Chimney Rock/Wolf Rock Trail

3.3 mi of trail, end to end · 8-Mile Loop Trail: 8 mi loop in the Service's write-up · about 1,000 ft of climbing · 823 ft–1,513 ft · native surface · trail class Moderately Developed · hiking

1,383 ft 1,478 ft · 0.8 mi high 1,478 ft

Trailheads Chimney Rock / Wolf Rock Trailhead 1,138 ft Drive there · Visitor Center Trailhead 933 ft Drive there

8-Mile Loop Trail 8 mi loop · the Park Service's write-up

4-6 Hours · dogs allowed · Spring, Summer, Fall · season This loop contains the most strenuous trail in our park as the trail is steep, narrow and at times can be slippery. It is also the longest trail network in the park.

Start 8-Mile Loop

A large rocky outcrop overlooking a summertime forest.
Summer foliage at Chimney Rock. Photo: NPS Photo/John Zuke

Visit All of the East Side

This loop is a combination of all of the three major loops in the park and completes an 8.5 mile loop. The loop makes a complete circle back to any of these access points. While hiking this loop visitors will experience Cunningham Falls, Hog Rock, Blue Ridge Summit, Thurmont Vista, Wolf Rock, and Chimney Rock. This loop combines moderate and strenuous trails for a great day of hiking. Smaller trail loops can be incoporated on this lager loop to extend the hike.

Please use caution when walking along rock surfaces. These areas can be slippery. Closely supervise children at all times. Watch for rattlesnakes in the areas of Chimney Rock and Wolf Rock. Wolf Rock, Chimney Rock, & Hog Rock formations are pet free areas.

Accessibility Chimney Rock Trail This trail is not wheelchair accessible. Thurmont Vista Trail This trail is not wheelchair accessible. Hog Rock Trail This trail is not wheelchair accessible. Cunningham Falls Nature Trail This trail is not wheelchair accessible.

This hike on nps.gov

Hike to the Falls and Hog Rock: The Yellow Blazed Trail 4.6 mi loop · the Park Service's write-up

2-4 Hours · dogs allowed

Start Yellow Loop Trail

A white, cascading waterfall flowing through boulders in a forest.
Cunningham Falls is the largest cascading waterfall in Maryland. Photo: NPS Photo/John Zuke

Visit Cunningham Falls, Hog Rock, & Blue Ridge Summit

This trail provides hikers the opportunity to experience the majesty of Cunningham Falls cascading down 78 feet, and the mountain vistas from Hog Rock and Blue Ridge Summit., completing a 4.6 mile loop.

Marked by a yellow blaze, this trail varies in difficulty from moderate to strenuous, circling across the mountainside through the thick second growth forests and impressive geological formations. The viewpoints from the highest summits in the park are well worth the hike.

Accessibility The Yellow Loop Trail is not wheelchair Accessible. Handicap Parking is available at the boardwalk to the base of Cunningham Falls off of MD Rt. 77

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

Other trails from the same trailheads

All 18 trails in Catoctin Mountain ParkFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.