Point Lookout State Park

Park Alert: To facilitate scheduling significant repairs of critical infrastructure, reservations for the Point Lookout State Park campground are currently suspended for the 2024 camping season. Repairs also require the closure of the Nature Center and Civil War Museum. Dates may change as construction plans are finalized and the work progresses.

Reservations

Contact: 301-872-5688
E-mail Point Lookout State Park

Park Headquarters
Point Lookout State Park
11175 Point Lookout Road
Scotland, MD 20687

Park Headquarters Hours:
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday

Hours of Operation

7 a.m - Sunset (May through September)
Special weekend hours (6 a.m. - Sunset)
apply for weekends/holidays between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend.
8 a.m. - Sunset (October through April)

This park's peaceful surroundings on a peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River in St. Mary's County belie its history as the location of a camp which imprisoned as many as 52,264 Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. A museum on site recounts this vivid history. A park map is available at park headquarters, the camp office, camp store and the Civil War Museum/Marshland Nature Center. The Point Lookout Lighthouse is currently closed for renovations.

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Opportunity for Public Comments

Point Lookout State Park – Upgrade to Existing Wastewater Treatment Plant

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Maryland Park Service and the Maryland Environmental Service are seeking Critical Area Commission approval to upgrade the existing wastewater treatment plant at Point Lookout State Park. The facility will be upgraded to membrane bioreactor (MBR) activated sludge treatment. Additional improvements include replacement pumping, screening, blower and mixing equipment along with upgrades to the electrical system and a new generator.

The entire project site is located within the Critical Area Buffer in areas that have already been developed. Stormwater management and mitigation for impacts to the Critical Area Buffer will be provided. The project is located entirely in the Critical Area on property owned by DNR. Project plans may be viewed here.

Comments on the project can be sent to LeeAnne Chandler at leeanne.chandler@maryland.gov or to her attention at Maryland Park Service, 580 Taylor Ave – E-3, Annapolis, MD 21401 above until Friday, August 2, 2024.

Information
Map
Day-Use Area and Beaches
Trails
Campground
Boating and Fishing
Summer Programs

Hunting
History
Historical Events
Point Lookout Lighthouse
Calendar of Events
Volunteer Opportunities
Point Lookout Strategic Management Plan

Blue and Gray Days

The earth works of a Civil War fortification still exist on the river shore near Cornfield Harbor. The barracks and officer quarters of the Fort and a portion of the prison pen have been recreated by the Friends of Point Lookout and are the focus of Living History weekends each year.

Point Lookout sponsors historic programs and demonstrations throughout the year. Contact the park for a current schedule of historic programs.

Popular annual festivities include:

April-- Park Days -- Join the Friends of Point Lookout as they work to maintain one of the only remaining earthen-walled Civil War fortifications remaining in Maryland.
June-- Blue and Gray Days -- Featuring artillery and infantry demonstrations, dress parade and evening programs in Civil War Fort #3.
September-- Artillery Weekend -- Living history volunteers show the different styles of artillery that were used during the Civil War.
October-- Invasion of Point Lookout -- Living history volunteers will shed light on Point Lookout’s importance during the War of 1812. Artillery and infantry demonstrations will take place throughout the event.