Submit your own Adventure of the Week or picture playing in the snow here and keep an eye out for your adventure to be featured in one of our next Weekly Outdoor Adventure Guides!
Weather (Click Here)
Before you hit the trails or set up camp, make sure to take a second glance at the weather for this weekend!
Today's Moon Phase according to NASA (Click Here)
First Quarter: "When half of the Moon's disc is illuminated, we call it the first quarter Moon. This name comes from the fact that the Moon is now one-quarter of the way through the lunar month. From Earth, we are now looking at the sunlit side of the Moon from off to the side."
Hiking (Click Here)
Gathland State Park, Frederick County
A large stone monument dedicated to the memory of Civil War correspondents is the outstanding attraction of this day-use park. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail traverses the park and passes the monument base. Gathland State Park was once the mountain home of George Alfred Townsend, a Civil War journalist. In the late 1800s, Gathland featured a unique collection of buildings and structures designed and constructed by Townsend. Two of the structures, the main hall and lodge, were partially restored in the 1950s.
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail passes through Gathland State Park. Visitors are welcome to hike the A.T. from Maine to Georgia or for just a few miles.
Those planning an overnight backpack outing can park at Gathland State Park for a few days. The Appalachian Trail is a footpath only. Mountain bikers can use the trails at Greenbrier State Park.
Overnight parking for the Appalachian Trail is permitted in the Arnoldstown Road parking lot. Please take any valuables with you.
Hunting (Click Here)
Be sure to consult your Maryland Guide to Hunting and Trapping for season dates and bag limits.
Rocky Gap State Park, Allegany County
Rocky Gap State Park is located in Western Maryland’s Allegany County. The park encompasses over 3,000 acres of public land for visitors to enjoy. Rugged mountains surround the park. The 243-acre Lake Habeeb is known for having the "bluest water in the state." The lake is fed by Rocky Gap Run, which winds its way through an impressive mile-long gorge, displaying sheer cliffs, overlooks and a hemlock forest dense with rhododendron and mountain laurel. Overlooking the lake is Evitts Mountain, named for one of the first European settlers in Allegany County.
Rocky Gap is one of Maryland's many state parks that allow hunting activities for the public. At Rocky Gap there are 1,451 acres of designated for hunting. This area can be accessed by walking from the parking area at the Touch of Nature Trailhead or by walking in from the campground or campground office parking lot.
A separate 300-acre tract of land between Pleasant Valley Road and I-68 offers bow only hunting. Parking is available at the amphitheatre on Pleasant Valley Road.
History of our State Parks (Click Here)
Chapman State Park, Charles County
For several thousand years before the arrival of Europeans, American Indians inhabited the area that is now Chapman State Park. In 1608, Captain John Smith passed here on his exploration of the Potomac River. During his riparian voyage, various tribal settlements were identified and maps of the area dated 1673 still showed Native American longhouses where Chapman State Park is now.
However, by 1750, with plantations becoming increasingly common along the Potomac River, Nathaniel Chapman acquired this land, then known as Grimes Ditch. Nathaniel Chapman was a prominent colonial businessman.
He was also a friend and business associate of both the American patriot and Founding Father George Mason and Augustine Washington, father of George Washington. The 165 years that followed the Chapman acquisition of Grimes Ditch brought an engaging history that included a tidewater plantation, a large and lucrative shad and herring fishery, the construction of the family’s Mt. Aventine manor, the gripping drama of the Civil War, a post-war farm, a Hungarian horse farm and eventually the creation of Chapman State Park.
Animal Cams (Click Here)
This week tune in to watch the Bison Calving Plains in Canada.
Beach Cam
In the winter months we all long for the beach. Take a look at whats going on at your favorite East Coast beaches right now.