Poplar Grove offers youth groups and organizations enjoyable year-round primitive tent camping. Located just steps away from the Catoctin Mountain Park portion of the Catoctin National Recreation Trail in the rolling hills of Thurmont, Maryland. Poplar Grove allows youth groups to experience traditional wilderness camping in a beautiful, natural setting.
Poplar Grove allows youth to connect with nature by offering limited comforts of home. Pit toilets and drinking water are provided. Three expansive sites can accommodate up to 25 visitors each, and multiple sites may be reserved for larger groups.
Reservations may be made 6 months in advance
Sanctioned youth groups/organizations only
Hike-in only from November through March.
Orientation and check-in by Park Rangers is required before entrance.
Please check in at the Catoctin Mountain Park Visitor Center between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m., or call 1-866-677-6677 to arrange check-in with a ranger.
One vehicle is allowed per site. Additional parking, located 1 mile from the campground, is available for vehicles in Camp Round Meadow.
Firewood: The transportation of firewood into the park is not permitted. Dead/downed wood may be collected. Firewood is available at Poplar Grove for a requested $5 donation.
Shared facilities include two (2) vault toilets, waste dumpsters, potable frost free water spigot, and pavilion.
No handwashing facilities are available in Poplar Grove.
Poplar Grove offers flat tent areas to accommodate group activities. The campground is surrounded by a rolling landscape, perfect for light hikes.
Whether blanketed in snow in winter months or blooming with wildflowers in the spring, Poplar Grove offers beautiful scenery all year. Since the site is located in a remote area, it is accessed by a gravel road during summer months, and is a hike-in only facility during winter months.
The Catoctin Mountain Park Visitor Center is located four miles away and offers interpretive programs. Just three miles away, visitors can enjoy fishing and canoeing at Cunningham Falls State Park. Cunningham Falls charges a daily entrance fee.
As a primitive camping area, Poplar Grove encourages kids to use healthy doses of imagination while surrounded by the natural landscape. Nature hikes and campfire circles are popular activities. Catoctin Mountain Park boasts 25 miles of trails for additional hiking opportunities.
6602 Foxville Rd Thurmont MD 21788
For campground inquiries, please call: 1 (301) 663-9388
Learn more about gear rental options for your trip
Poplar Grove is located on Manahan Road in the western portion of Catoctin Mountain Park. From Route 15, exit at Catocin Mountain Park/Route 77. Travel approximately six miles west, passing the Visitor Center and Park Central Road. Turn right on Foxville-Deerfield Road and bear to the right onto Manahan Road at the fork. Poplar Grove is located about a mile ahead on the gravel road.