[Coronavirus review] Maryland is a diverse state, and frankly this is the least interesting region of it, lacking the grace and and beauty of shale infused mountains to the west, the richness and peace of the waterside, or the dynamism and diversity of the more urban areas, Central Maryland is mostly known for farms and horses, which are nice enough but not something I drive to. This park does have some things to offer, and it is a viable destination during corona time. Parking in the "rapids" (I discerned nothing approaching white water on the lazy stream running by) is free, but yields a significant uphill climb up stairs that look like they might lead up to Shelob's lair. The park lives up to its name. If you're looking to shed some corona pounds, the trails are not long, but the changes in elevation make for a workout. The most picturesque rock outcropping challenged my fear of heights and I got the best shots I could. A wetland on the other side was a nice change of pace. I'm not a huge fan of parks that have different sites under one name, but in this case, the satellite Rocks Park sites, including Hidden Valley and a waterfall both to the north, provide a combined experience which makes the drive more worthwhile. I got a couple of hours of hiking out of the main location, but a solid half day including the other two sites, so if you're going to drive up here, you might as well check everything out. read more

See all

This review is specifically for the King and Queen Seat Loop (white trail). Came at 10am on a Sat AM in Feb (30 deg, windy). Had no trouble parking at what I assume is the Rapids Parking Area prob 0.1 miles down from the Park HQ. The spot I parked at had about 5-6 spots, did not cost $, and there were not many people there that day at all. The tree blazes are well marked and visible with the different colors and there are plenty of signs on the trail for guidance (some of them were a bit convoluted). Well kept trails, with plenty of mossy rocks (true to name) and running next to a river/creek. I'm sure there would be much more greenery and plant life in the spring and summer. For the King and Queen Seat Loop (white trail) specifically: - at the trailhead, turn left to get the whole 3 mile loop experience (turning right leads you straight to the rock/view which isn't very rewarding). At some point you run into the blue loop which you can take for a small detour before coming back to the white trail. - as someone who works out and runs regularly, the loop is easy to mild moderate. Not too much incline. Great for a nature walk with some terrain and nice views. - the view at the King and Queen Seat is great! Hawks also perch and fly around there so you can see them pretty closely! Overall, a very nice park! I would come back again another season when more plants are back to life and also to check out Kilgore Falls close by. read more

See all

Three and a half stars for the lowest budget park I've seen. Free admission and several parking lots attached to the park, with map copies in a mailbox outside park headquarters (which is a glorified construction trailer). The actual trail map is a bit outdated, with certain sections of trail overgrown with ferns and thorny plants. White Trail was moderately invigorating, thanks to rocky, steep, and root-invaded sections; didn't get a chance to check out the Blue Trail nature loop. Bench/rock seats available every mile or two; flat areas near the picnic area are laid with gravel. The highlights of the park and nearby affiliated waterfall are fairly swarmed by locals. King and Queen's Seat offers an alright vista of forested valley, and some fun rock climbing opportunities along the northeastern cliff. Beware broken bottle glass littering the loamy trail directly underneath. Thanks to decent offical directions online, we moved to a short trail leading to Kilgore Falls five miles north. Gets muddy for that last half-mile, what with everyone dripping back to the cars. If you can deal with half-naked adults medicating themselves from red solo cups, swimsuit-clad teenagers blasting crap music on boomboxes, and a bunch of barking dogs off their leashes, then the Falling Branch area is worth a trip (and you're a better human being than me). Rounding up to be fair, since I'd consider a return visit if I could repress homicidal tendencies. read more

See all

The trails are not long. However, you have many to choose from. Easily marked. Great picnic areas .Arrive early in order to get parking we had to wait about half an hour to find parking. read more

See all

We love this park! We enjoyed 2 hours of shady hiking with a beautiful view of the king/queen seat once we got to the top! The trails are nice and wide and the temperature was at least 10 degrees cooler due to the shade of the trees just a perfect day of hiking around.I would hike here again. read more

Amazing trail .stunning view. If you are not afraid of height you can hike all the way up and see the whole Pennsylvania . Also it's great if you are a rock climber. Just make sure you are all hired up. read more

See all

Looking for seclusion, great trails and nice waterfalls? Rock State Park has it all for a nice small family friendly park. It is a very nice place for photography also a great lace to kick back and relax with your significant other. My girlfriend and I got some lovely pictures and it was a very nice place to just relax and enjoy each other, read more

Rocks State Park - Rock State Park waterfall! - Parks Near Me - Jarrettsville, Maryland

Beautiful. Peaceful and I love every area. Have gone in every season, I think fall is my favorite because of the weather and the beautiful trees. read more

Beautiful area to hike and enjoy. Gorgeous photos, but definitely not a day drinking place. Safety is necessary on the hills as many have taken lethal falls. If you wanna day drink with the pups, stay in the water. read more

This place was gorgeous! I went here for a July Fourth hike with my dog, family and friends. Lovely place despite the fact that it was raining pretty hard in the morning. This place opens at 9AM, if you get there before then you cannot wait At the entrance, the park people will ask you to move your vehicle elsewhere. Which we oblige. I went to the Wilson's picnic area. ( I'm pretty sure they changed the name of the road to turn into this place. Go past Knopps Rd. And make a right at St. Mary's) It has grills, trees, green grass, clean restrooms and a playground. It's a fairly quiet picnic area despite the fact it was July 4th. The admission was $3 per a person, $2 for non-holidays. I used the white trail to get to King and Queen seat. It wasn't that hard to get there, you can get to the top within 30-45 minutes? Nice view according to my family and friends. I couldn't go see since my dog had some spat with other dogs near the rock. All of the dogs here are friendly though! Some dogs were off leash on the trails. It's a mix of small dogs and large dogs. Not many kids were on the trails, mostly adults. Kilgore falls is just down the road; four miles. Small falls but pretty (there are directions on how to get there on the State park website) All and all, this park was quite nice And I do plan to come back. read more

Rocks State Park - White trail. - Parks Near Me - Jarrettsville, Maryland

See all

Awesome view from the rocks at thw peak. Be cautious. Before going out to the tip of the rocks I decided to climb around inland a bit. I was shocked to find directly on the other side of the rock inland was a pretty significant drop straight down. It is an amazing view. Pictures dont do the view or the drop any justice. Its not a long hike to the top but it is fairly steep at spots. Be sure to have your footing before taking your next step. Go and see for yourself. It was a fun rewarding hike. See my pics read more

See all

I love it here, but wish it wasn't so crowded all the time. It's a great hike with beautiful views, but the crowds make it so I don't even want to go. read more

Went to Rocks State Park recently for the first time. Having been to a few other parks throughout Maryland this was the first that I could hike to a higher elevation... THE GOOD... -the king/queen seats were kinda cool, from what I could actually see -pretty good hike with some nice incline -dog friendly -pretty good photo ops THE BAD... -parking situation was weird....not a ton of parking, but apparently there are other lots around the park (signs weren't helpful) -hard to take pics at times because it was a bit overcrowded -didn't see any trash cans near the parking lot I was parked in Overall, it was cool checking out Rocks State Park for the first time, but I don't think I saw everything. Based on what I saw it was ok. I'd consider going back to experience more of the park. Perhaps it'll be less crowded... read more

One of the prettiest state parks I've been to! Lots of creeks and rivers running through the park along with gorgeous views. Make sure you head to the trail with the King & Queen seat. It looks out over the whole park. A real pretty view during the fall when the leaves are changing colors! read more

Rocks State Park - King and Queen seat - Parks Near Me - Jarrettsville, Maryland

Great trails. Overall great hiking place, trails are nice and clean with easy directions!!

Great place to spend the day with or without the kids. Beautiful, peaceful, and lots of fun. read more

Rocks State Park - Parks Near Me - Jarrettsville, Maryland

Beautiful, scenic, free-of-charge, located 1 hour away from inner city Baltimore. Definitely worth the drive. There are two must-see areas within this park. First of which is the King & Queens seat. It is about a 15-20 minute hike up to this location, where you can go rock scrambling until you reach the "seat". The seat is basically a ledge that juts out and provides a feeling of trepidation for those who fear heights, in addition to a pretty view. Second must-see area, is a 10 minute drive away, known as Kilgore Falls. Also located within the park, it is a 10 minute hike from the parking lot. Very pretty, clear water, and mini water fall. You can take yourshoes off and wade in the fresh water. There are also little rocks that jut out at the base of the water fall, that you can hop on. Overall, super fun. Recommend for families and friend trips. read more

Great park, great trails, beautiful views! Worth the trip, we'll definitely be back to explore the falls and other trails. read more

See all

On our quest to hit all the state parks this year (which is starting to seem like a huge feat, as there are so many!) we found ourselves at Rocks State Park. After a quick visit to the Park office, which the staff was WONDERFUL and had great suggestions, map in hand, we started on our way towards the King and Queen seat. We decided to go the longer route (white to red trails, versus white all the way) just to check out the scenery. They call this ROCKS for a reason! The trail was rugged rocks and pieces of rocks. I was amazed to see so many people in flip flops, as my trail running shoes still felt like I was standing on the pointy rocks. The actual King and Queen seat was pretty awesome, but I was the squeamish mom who was terrified her clumsy son would be the one to fall off of it. On the way back, we wandered down the white trail back to the park office, and it was def steep! I think that it would have been a harder walk had we opted for this route. From here, we drove to Kilgore Falls, and how come no one is talking about this wonderous place?? We parked and walked the short way to the falls. Of course, my teenager could not wait to play in the water, even though he had no extra clothes or shoes. Watching him play was almost too much to bear, so I wandered in up to my knees. Watch out for the super slippery and sometimes sharp rocks. Watching him play in the water was wonderful, because the fun he was having, could not be bought. We will be back with water shoes to navigate the rocks better. read more

If you're looking for a place to take in fresh air, get a good workout, and see nature at its best- then this is the place. My friend and I came here early on a Saturday morning. We made sure the weather was going to be good- and it was, which I feel makes all the difference. We had never been here before so we basically jut drove here and hoped for the best. We are wild like that ;-) We ended up finding the "white trail" which is about 3 miles one way ( at least the what it felt like). There is a small area for parking and it's best to start your hike on the left side- that way you can finish off your hike at "The King and Queens Seat" which basically is a huge rock formation that overlooks the park. It's a good place to sit down and get some nice pics.I believe people rock climb off of these rocks because there were people here with hiking equipment. The trail itself is marked and easy to follow, so its hard to get lost. Good hiking shoes are preferable. I would say the hike is moderately hard. I did huff and puff at some points along the trail. I was a little (okay, a lot) disappointed that there were no water views along this route. However, my friend and I decided to drive a little down the road to a little water spot we noticed as we drove in- which was beautiful!!! Like I said, the weather was beautiful, and that makes all the difference! It's was a nice spot to chill and take nature in! Overall this is an awesome park. I would definitely do some research before you come here so you know where to go. There are lots of activities to do here which I wished I knew more of. Make sure you take plenty of water. Great park, beautiful sights. Try it, you'll like it! Just make sure the weather is good! read more

See all

Awesome park from summery can go tubing or rafting or swimming it's a great place overall. . . read more

Hiking up the mountain (where the most parking is located at its base) is a fantastic aerobic workout. Until the weather gets really super cold, I plan to incorporate hiking up the mountain every other week as part of my exercise routine. When you reach the top (not for a beginner hiker), the view is spectacular from the king and queen rock seats and you get that peaceful, runner's high from continuous exercise which is the best for relaxation and physical fitness. Enjoy! read more

My colleagues and I have produced a cinematic feature that delves into the majesty of Rocks State Park and the surrounding area of Harford County. Enjoy, Samuel Oddo "Rock State" https://vimeo.com/84643534 read more

Take an easy hike with the kids, or add a couple loops on for a longer and more challenging hike. If you're into repelling, there's a nice rick outcropping called the King and Queen's Seat that's an easy 5-10 minute walk from the parking lot. read more

Used to love going to Rocks but now the DNR doesn't let anyone swim in the cool places. As kids we used to hold each other under the waterfall until we passed out. King and Queen seat is cool but I'm too out of shape to walk up the hill and too cheap to pay to park at the top. I wish they would lower prices. read more

This is a treasure of a park! Great secluded trails and just beautiful in every way. There are so many facets to explore. If you remember the movie Tuck Everlasting then you will know the beauty of this park. Some of the movie was filmed there! It is, as all Maryland parks are, very clean and well maintained! Enjoy!!! read more