Photo by Winn Brewer, Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Starting this week, visitors planning to attend Greenbrier State Park, Point Lookout, Newtowne Neck, North Point, Sandy Point, and Swallow Falls State Parks for Memorial Day weekend are required to make reservations at parkdayuse.maryland.gov prior to arrival at the park 

The Maryland Park Service is using the same reservation system as last year to prevent sudden capacity closures and long entrance lines. Under the system, advance reservations are required on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day in most of the parks; Swallow Falls will require reservations every day during that time. 

Guests are encouraged to plan ahead when visiting Maryland State Parks by checking the online Park Status Dashboard, which confirms if a park is open or has any important information for visitors.

Reservations must be made online and the system is currently available to create reservations for Memorial Day weekend. Beginning Saturday, May 23, reservations can be made starting seven days in advance of a visit. Reservations may be edited 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. Visitors with Maryland Annual Park Passes, Golden Age Passes, or who qualify for free entry as veterans or individuals with disabilities still need to make reservations, and will have their status verified upon entry to the park. Park staff may also adjust and require additional payment based on the actual number of visitors who arrive.

Additional parks and public lands across the state will also be added to the system this year and will be announced as the system goes live at those locations.

In the spring and summer of 2025, the Maryland Park Service launched the new system that required visitors to make advance reservations on weekends and holidays for daytime visits during the summer season at five different state parks–Greenbrier, Sandy Point, Point Lookout, Newtowne Neck, and North Point. The results were overwhelmingly positive.

Between Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day 2025, more than 67,000 reservations came through the new system and the associated call center processed more than 4,000 calls. This resulted in a dramatic reduction of traffic backups at participating parks and zero unexpected capacity closures at parks where the system was installed.