Creating your own state park at your home can provide a place to enjoy the outdoors, see more birds and butterflies, try new activities, and have plenty of fun! State parks in Maryland provide experiences that allow people to visit new places, connect with nature, be inspired, relax in a beautiful and quiet environment, and get refreshed and revitalized by the wonder of nature.
But remember, nature isn’t only found in state parks, it's all around and should be enjoyed from home, too. Now is a great time to get outdoors and learn something new!
Take the “Create Your Own State Park” challenge and use the list below to help you to turn your own home into a state park! Encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same! Enter to win prizes!
Activities now available in both English and Spanish!
Check back throughout the year, as new activities will be added! Remember- all “Create Your Own State Park” challenge entries are due by November 30, 2021.
Prizes for the Create Your Own State Park Program
After completing 10 (or more!) Create Your Own State Park activities and providing photo documentation you will be entered into the Create Your Own State Park Prize drawing. You must complete 10 or more activities and enter via this google form https://forms.gle/AwKtc9PoDCPwzSsbA
All valid entries will receive a complimentary park pass to a Maryland State Park of your choice (valid for one visit) and an official “Create Your Own State Parks” certificate from the Maryland Park Service with a packet of native plant seeds to use in your new park. All valid entries will also be entered in a drawing to win a variety of prizes ranging from complimentary visits for camping, cabin stays, or even a Maryland Park Service annual pass (valued at $75). Prize drawings will occur regularly through December 1, 2021. Only one entry per household, please.
*Photographers authorize the department to distribute their image(s) for non-commercial purposes with photo credits—including but not limited to education and news purposes—to other media, print, digital, and online services, and television for their use. Photographers retain copyright to these photos, the above agreed to permissions not withstanding.*
*Per our terms, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources may post photos online—including the department’s website and social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Flickr—after the contest. Do not embed any nonessential personal data into your files.
Questions regarding the "Create Your Own State Park" Program may be directed to: Ranger Melissa Boyle Acuti via email: melissa.boyle@maryland.gov (monitored Monday-Friday).
What people are saying about the “Create Your Own State Park” Program:
“Thank you for creating a safe program for our family to complete during quarantine. We stayed on our property completing each task and having so much fun. We love our State Park! The signs around our property are so perfect (Birding, Camping, etc). We are excited for the pandemic to be over to invite friends over to visit our State Park.” – The Britz Family, Hidden Creek State Park
“This was a perfect summertime COVID activity. We just moved into our new house, and this program helped give us focus to explore all of the great things we have in our backyard!” – Park Dixlit
