By state · MD

National Parks in Maryland.

Maryland's NPS network at a glance — units, designations, visit totals, and what shapes the visiting season.

By Nicholas Major · Last updated

Maryland has more than ten NPS units, anchored by Antietam National Battlefield, Assateague Island National Seashore (jointly with Virginia), the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park (184 miles along the Potomac), and Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine (the birthplace of the Star-Spangled Banner). Other units include Catoctin Mountain Park (which contains the Presidential retreat Camp David), Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, Hampton National Historic Site, Monocacy National Battlefield, Clara Barton National Historic Site, Greenbelt Park, the C&O Canal visitor cluster, and Thomas Stone National Historic Site. Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) is the dominant anchor; Reagan National (DCA) is closer to the southern parkway units. The state's NPS network skews heavily Civil War, Federal-era, and Chesapeake-watershed; winter operations are reduced but the coast and canal stay accessible.

Every NPS unit in Maryland.

Maryland's 27 NPS units: 6 Parks · 4 Others · 3 National Historic Trails · 3 National Historical Parks · 3 National Historic Sites · 2 National Battlefields · 2 National Scenic Trails · 1 National Seashore · 1 Parkway · 1 National Monument and Historic Shrine · 1 Memorial Parkway. Combined 5-year-average annual visits: 22,539,712 (multi-state units count their full visits in every state they touch — see methodology). The most-visited unit is George Washington Memorial Parkway at about 7.03M annual visits.

UnitDesignation5-yr avg visitsBusiest month
George Washington Memorial Parkway Memorial ParkwayGWMP 7,025,042 August
Appalachian National Scenic Trail National Scenic TrailAPPA 6,215,118 July
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park National Historical ParkCHOH 4,552,595 September
Assateague Island National Seashore National SeashoreASIS 2,392,510 July
Fort Washington Park ParkFOWA 496,919 July
Catoctin Mountain Park ParkCATO 448,938 October
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park National Historical ParkHAFE 434,030 October
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine National Monument and Historic ShrineFOMC 296,240 July
Piscataway Park ParkPISC 282,917 July
Antietam National Battlefield National BattlefieldANTI 147,614 September
Monocacy National Battlefield National BattlefieldMONO 125,986 July
Greenbelt Park ParkGREE 76,887 May
Hampton National Historic Site National Historic SiteHAMP 19,296 May
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park National Historical ParkHATU 14,913 July
Clara Barton National Historic Site National Historic SiteCLBA 5,908 August
Thomas Stone National Historic Site National Historic SiteTHST 4,799 May
Baltimore-Washington Parkway ParkwayBAWA
Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail National Historic TrailCAJO
Chesapeake Bay CBPO
Civil War Defenses of Washington CWDW
Fort Foote Park ParkFOFO
Glen Echo Park ParkGLEC
Harmony Hall HAHA
Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm OXHI
Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail National Scenic TrailPOHE
Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail National Historic TrailSTSP
Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail National Historic TrailWARO

Methodology

Unit list and per-unit visit counts come from the official NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025. The "5-year average visits" column is the mean of 2021-2025 Recreation Visits. Multi-state NPS units (Yellowstone, Death Valley, Great Smoky Mountains and others) are listed under every state they touch; the per-unit visit count is the unit's total, not a per-state share. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.

Independence

Independent site. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Data comes from the official NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025; editorial analysis is ours. The NPS Arrowhead and other NPS marks are not used.

Last updated · 2026-05-19