Photo courtesy Maryland Department of Agriculture
ANNAPOLIS, MD— Maryland’s Best, Maryland’s statewide marketing program connecting consumers to farmers, and Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Atticks officially kicked off the 2025 Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail at Misty Meadows Farm Creamery in Washington County. Announcing new additions to the trail and new prizes for participants, the Secretary and Maryland’s Best team members celebrated the start of this popular summer tradition over farm fresh ice cream!
After receiving feedback about how to locate and track creameries visited on the trail, Maryland’s Best is excited to announce a streamlined digital check-in experience to help consumers document their ice cream adventures! Consumers can download the Let’s Rallie app on Apple or Android phones for free to see all locations available on the trail, each featuring a unique QR code to scan and check-in. New prizes are up for grabs for check-ins as well as the ultimate prize, the 2025 Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trailblazer, awarded to a winner completing the entire trail.
“With 14 stops this year, I am going to need a bigger freezer!” said Secretary Atticks. “These types of trails are more than just fun, they also allow dairy farms to be more profitable by giving farmers an option to build markets for their value-added products. I encourage all Marylanders and out-of-state visitors alike to download the app and start checking-in today!”
Once again in 2025, MDA has partnered with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources by encouraging consumers to get out and hike before or after their ice cream treat at state trails located near each creamery location. Check-in for hikes using the Let’s Rallie app will have access to separate prizes and anyone who also completes all 14 hikes and ice cream trail stops together will be entered to win an annual State Parks pass.
“Whether you want to explore the mountains of western Maryland or the coastal plains of the Eastern Shore, we’ve done the work to help you find a hike near these wonderful creameries,” said Department of Natural Resources Sec. Josh Kurtz. “One of the best ways to motivate your kids–or your friends–to join you on a hike is to let them know about the ice cream you’ll enjoy afterwards. We look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful parks and natural areas.”
In addition to tracking stops on the Let’s Rallie app, Trailblazers may still participate by taking photos at each location and sending them to icecream.trail1@maryland.gov once the entire trail has been completed. Participants are encouraged to share their progress on social media by tagging Maryland’s Best (@mdsbest, @mdsbestag) and the location they are visiting.
The 2025 Ice Cream Trail features 14 on-farm creameries stretching more than 145 miles from Maryland’s mountains to the Eastern Shore, producing and selling their ice cream directly to consumers. Each stop offers insight into the Maryland dairy industry and the important contributions of Maryland’s nearly 300 dairy farms. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture 2022 Census of Agriculture, Maryland dairy farms produced 101,910,631.39 gallons of milk!
2025 Ice Cream Trail on-farm creameries include: Prigel Family Creamery (Baltimore County), Deliteful Dairy (Washington County), Glamourview Creamery (Frederick County), Happy Cow Creamery (Frederick County), Moo Cow Creamery (Frederick County), South Mountain Creamery (Frederick County), Rocky Point Creamery (Frederick County), Broom’s Bloom Dairy (Harford County), Lockbriar Farms (Kent County), Keyes Creamery (Harford County), Woodbourne Creamery at Rock Hill Orchard (Montgomery County), Misty Meadow Farm Creamery (Washington County), Miller Farms (Prince George’s County) and Chesapeake Bay Farms (Worcester County).
Those completing all 14 check-ins via the app or e-mail will then be entered to win the “2025 Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trailblazer” prize pack including a $50 gift certificate to the on-farm creamery of their choice, a copy of the children’s book “Tales of the Dairy Godmother: Chuck’s Ice Cream Wish,” and the 2025 Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Champion Trailblazer trophy. More information is available at Maryland’s Best.
The Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail’s 2025 season officially began on May 22 and will run through September 1.
To learn more about the critical role dairy farming has in Maryland and the Northeast, please visit americandairy.com.
