CAMPANAC.Powered by public lands intelligenceMore Than Just Parks

National Park Service · Catoctin Mountain Park · MD

Owens Creek Campground

Reservable, and full this SaturdayEvery one of the 47 sites on offer is taken this Saturday, and the record lists no site held back for a walk-up. read 16:52 UTC

We don’t think it should be. Every campground should hold some sites for whoever drives up.Tell your representative →

Watch for a cancellation Book on recreation.gov ↗

Right now: Taking bookingsSites offered on 18 of the next 18 nights read 16:52 UTC
A night: $30From, per site
Sites: 5150 on recreation.gov

Photos · NPS Photo

22 ftLongest rig

1,210 ftElevation

98 ftWater · an unnamed stream

3 miS of Highfield-Cascade, MD

90%Tree cover

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 13 notices

In the agency’s own words

Owens Creek Campground offers families and individuals enjoyable primitive tent camping. Located just five miles (8 km) from Thurmont, Maryland, in the rolling hills of Catoctin Mountain Park. Keep reading

Recreation

As a primitive camping area, Owens Creek encourages visitors to use healthy doses of imagination while surrounded by the natural landscape. Nature hikes and campfire circles are popular activities. Catoctin Mountain Park boasts 25 miles (40 km) of trails. The Deerfield Nature Trail connects directly to the campground and is a 1.5 mile (2.4 km) loop with a connection to the park's western system of trails. Browns Farm Trail is nearby in the Owens Creek Picnic Area and offers budding archeologists with a peek into the history of the area. This trail is also a youth friendly 'Track Trail'. For more information, visit the Catoctin Mountain Park - Browns Farm Loop Track Trail information on the Kids in Parks website.

Facilities

This campground offers 48 single campsites with a limit of five people, or immediate family, per site. There are no-hookups. Maximum trailer length is 22 feet (6.4 m) and maximum RV length is 30 feet (9 m). There are three pull through sites: #12, #39 and #43. Flush toilets, showers and drinking water are available and centrally located in the campground. All sites are equipped with a tent pad, picnic tables, and fire ring. All tents must fit on the tent pads. Firewood is available.

Natural Features

The campground is surrounded by a rolling landscape, perfect for hikes of any level from easy to extremely strenuous. Owens Creek flows past the campground providing a peaceful setting beside a bubbling brook. Whether blanketed in snow in winter months, brilliant with color in the fall or blooming with wildflowers in the spring, Owens Creek offers beautiful scenery all year.

Nearby Attractions

Catoctin Mountain Park is located near many historical and cultural sites: Appalachian National Scenic Trail (8 miles/13 km) Monocacy National Battlefield (18 miles/29 km) Antietam National Battlefield (26 miles/45 km) Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail (26 miles) Eisenhower National Historic Site and Gettysburg National Military Park (20 miles/32 km) Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park (28 miles/45 km) Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (37 miles/60 km) Other Attractions include Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo and Cunningham Falls State Park. For more information visit the Tourism Council of Frederick County .

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

What the agency tells you

Rule

Book Campsite reservations up to 6 months in advance online through Recreation.gov. No walk-in sites are available.

Rule

Campsites are limited to 5 persons (or the immediate family) and one vehicle, which must fit on the parking pad. Overflow parking spots are available at the campground entrance.

Rule

Trailers over 22 ft. (6.7 m) and Class A, B, C recreational vehicles over 30 ft. (9.1 m) are prohibited. The campground has no hook-ups or dump station. The closest dump station is located in Cunningham Falls State Park.

Everything else this campground posts · 10

Rule

Alcoholic beverages are prohibited from all park areas administered by Catoctin Mountain Park, unless authorized by a permit issued by the Superintendent.

Rule

The transportation of firewood into the park is not permitted. Dead/downed wood may be collected. Firewood is available in the campground. Fires must not be left unattended.

Rule

Pets are permitted in the campground. They may not be left unattended and must remain on a 6 ft. leash at all times. Additional pet restrictions may be found in 36 CFR Section 2.15 Pets.

Rule

Park Central Road may closed with short notice. Closures are posted on the Catoctin Mountain Park Alerts & Conditions web page. Please check before your visit to avoid any inconvenience or disappointment.

Rule

Quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

Rule

Reservation holders must vacate by 12:00 noon on the day of their scheduled departure.

Rule

Tents of any number, size, or combination must fit on the tent pad.

Rule

Hammocks may be used in areas where tent use would be suitable. Hammocks must be secured to trees using Tree Saver straps or other materials that will not cut into trees. Hammocks may not be set up in areas where natural resources could be damaged.

Rule

The utility sinks should be used for washing dishes. Please do not wash dishes or clothes inside the restrooms.

Rule

Don't Move Firewood: Help protect our forests! Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. Moving firewood is illegal in some states. Visit dontmovefirewood.org to learn more.

Read them on the agency’s own page →

Source: recreation.gov facility notices, quoted verbatim · Oct 1, 2026

Tents and rigs

Sites: 51
Hookups: None
Longest rig: 22 ft
Paved pads: All
Accessible sites: 3
Pets: Allowed
Campfires: Allowed, barring fire bans
Shade: Every site

Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Aug 23, 2026

Facilities

Toilets: Flush Toilets - seasonal
Drinking water: Yes
Firewood: Mentioned
Camp host: On site; recreation.gov lists “Host”
Stay limit: 14 nights; recreation.gov facility rule maxStay

Source: Stated in the agency description · Aug 23, 2026

Around the campground

On the water: Creek; Climbing; Fishing; Hiking; Historic site; Ranger programs; Swimming; Visitor center; Wildlife viewing
Night sky · 36th darkest of 62 in MD: Bortle 5
Fall color · reported 3 days ago, 27 km away: Minimal color

Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 2026

Night sky: VIIRS Day/Night Band annual cloud-free composite, VNL V2 2024 (Earth Observation Group, Colorado School of Mines), read at the published coordinate · Sep 8, 2026

Fall color: More Than Just Parks foliage tracker, joined to this campground by distance (27 km) · Oct 13, 2026

Full this Saturdayread 16:52 UTC

How full the weekend is nationally.

2 campgrounds have sites open within 30 miles, read 17:01 UTC. See them

OpenBooked

Every one of the 47 sites on offer is taken this Saturday. 44 are free on Tue, Oct 20. read 16:52 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t

Booking windowThrough November 2Bookable now through November 2, 2026, the end of the reservable season. On October 23, 2026 at 10 AM ET, availability opens through April 23, 2027.recreation.gov Add to calendar (.ics)

Max stay14 nightsthe facility record

A night$30plus $8 to reserve, once per bookingthe agency’s rate schedule

A weekend$68DerivedFriday and Saturday, everything includedours, from the lines above

If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservationrecreation.gov’s schedule

Runs itNational Park ServiceBooked through recreation.govthe agency’s record

Watch for a cancellation

Watch this campground

One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.

Tell me when the season opens

Watch for the season to open

One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.

Where there’s room this weekend Book on recreation.gov ↗

We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.

Every line of the receipt · 12

What you actually pay

The sign priceNational Park Service

A night$30

Standard Nonelectric$30

Rates for the season the campground is in now, Apr 24, 2026 to Nov 2, 2026.

The booking feerecreation.gov

Reservation fee, booked online$8

One fee per reservation, however many nights you book, and it’s non-refundable. $9 if you book by phone, $3 in person.

Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount.

What a stay costs

One nightDerived$38

A weekend, Friday and SaturdayDerived$68

Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $30 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.

If your plans changerecreation.gov

Change fee, moving to dates outside your booking$10

Cancellation fee$10

Cancelling the day before, or the day of$10 + your first night

No-show$20 + your first night

Who keeps the booking fee

The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →

How we know this receipt · 5

Sign price: recreation.gov facility rate schedule, quoted as the agency publishes it · Oct 1, 2026

Booking fee, change fee, cancellation fee, no-show: Rules and Reservation Policies, Recreation.gov, the published fee schedule, curated by hand into lib/reservation-fee-schedule.json (9 rows, each carrying its own verbatim sentence). The publisher states these policies were last updated September 2019. · Sep 9, 2026

The two totals: Derived by CAMPANAC by adding the agency’s own published nightly rate to recreation.gov’s own published reservation fee. Both components are cited above; the addition is ours and is shown only where every component is known. · Sep 9, 2026

Who keeps the booking fee: Recreation.gov facility policy text, Dead Swede Campground (facility 234221) · Not on the national policy page. This is agency policy text recreation.gov publishes on individual campground pages; this site holds it verbatim on 45 active campgrounds (campground_rules.cancellation_description, scripts/load-facility-rules.mjs). · Sep 9, 2026

The contract: Reservation Gods: Who Stole Our Campsites and Sold Them Back to Us, More Than Just Parks, April 2025 · Apr 1, 2025

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

Open within 30 miles this weekend · 2

Sites the agency is offering this Friday and Saturday that nobody has taken, nearest first. read 17:01 UTC

Antietam Creek CampsiteChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park · 22 mi · 4 of 40 site-nights open
McCoy's Ferry CampgroundChesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park · 26 mi · 4 of 26 site-nights open

Open this weekend: recreation.gov availability · derived by CAMPANAC: site-nights the agency offered this weekend that nobody has taken, within the radius, closures removed by the closure rule · Oct 15, 2026

recreation.gov availability, read 16:52 UTC · rules read Oct 1, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

The sites

51 sites · which ones have room · the site map

The sites, ranked

from 50 mapped sites

56 ftbetween you and the next site, typically

Most room30 148 ft42 98 ft07 93 ft29 90 ft10 84 ft

Least room21 37 ft23 37 ft24 42 ft

Source: Derived by CAMPANAC from recreation.gov per-site coordinates (nearest-neighbor distance) · Oct 12, 2026

All 51 sites

51 of 51 sites located

Standard50Type not stated1

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51

Aerial · Esri World Imagery

Sites: recreation.gov (RIDB), coordinates as published · Aug 23, 2026

Imagery: Esri World Imagery

Takes aUp to

The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 50 of the 51 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.


OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	01	standard nonelectric	22 ft		66 ft	324 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	02	standard nonelectric	22 ft		66 ft	278 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	03	standard nonelectric	22 ft		53 ft	299 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	04	standard nonelectric	22 ft		67 ft	233 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	05	standard nonelectric	22 ft		53 ft	295 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	06	standard nonelectric	22 ft		71 ft	295 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	07	standard nonelectric	22 ft	yes	93 ft	283 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	08	standard nonelectric	22 ft	yes	51 ft	311 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	09	standard nonelectric	22 ft	yes	51 ft	361 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	10	standard nonelectric	22 ft		84 ft	478 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	11	standard nonelectric	22 ft		84 ft	454 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	12	standard nonelectric	22 ft		43 ft	513 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	13	standard nonelectric	22 ft		43 ft	547 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	14	standard nonelectric	22 ft		78 ft	239 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	15	standard nonelectric	22 ft		62 ft	185 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	16	standard nonelectric	22 ft		62 ft	144 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	17	standard nonelectric	22 ft		63 ft	183 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	18	standard nonelectric	22 ft		63 ft	123 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	19	standard nonelectric	22 ft		50 ft	254 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	20	standard nonelectric	22 ft		46 ft	269 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	21	standard nonelectric	22 ft		38 ft	302 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	22	standard nonelectric	22 ft		46 ft	313 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	23	standard nonelectric	22 ft		38 ft	334 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	24	standard nonelectric	22 ft		42 ft	412 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	25	standard nonelectric	22 ft		42 ft	444 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	26	standard nonelectric	22 ft		46 ft	490 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	27	standard nonelectric	22 ft		62 ft	104 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	28	standard nonelectric	22 ft		62 ft	68 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	29	standard nonelectric	22 ft		90 ft	42 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	30	standard nonelectric	22 ft		148 ft	44 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	31	standard nonelectric	22 ft		52 ft	236 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	32	standard nonelectric	22 ft		52 ft	270 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	33	standard nonelectric	22 ft		44 ft	286 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	34	standard nonelectric	22 ft		44 ft	320 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	35	standard nonelectric	22 ft		44 ft	350 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	36	standard nonelectric	22 ft		58 ft	331 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	37	standard nonelectric	22 ft		56 ft	420 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	38	standard nonelectric	22 ft		56 ft	386 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	39	standard nonelectric	22 ft		76 ft	509 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	40	standard nonelectric	22 ft		47 ft	413 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	41	standard nonelectric	22 ft		47 ft	445 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	42	standard nonelectric	22 ft		98 ft	583 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	43	standard nonelectric	22 ft		59 ft	587 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	44	standard nonelectric	22 ft		45 ft	640 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	45	standard nonelectric	22 ft		45 ft	651 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	46	standard nonelectric	22 ft		47 ft	640 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	47	type not stated	22 ft			586 ft
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	48	standard nonelectric	22 ft		60 ft	571 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	49	standard nonelectric	22 ft		60 ft	599 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	50	standard nonelectric	22 ft		57 ft	565 ft	$30
OWENS CREEK CAMPGROUND	51	standard nonelectric	22 ft		56 ft	512 ft	$30

Price: Derived by CAMPANAC: each site takes the per-night rate this campground publishes for the site’s own site type (recreation.gov rate schedule). recreation.gov publishes no per-campsite fee, and a site whose type carries no published rate is left blank rather than called free · Sep 11, 2026

25 of 51 listed

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number

Coordinate39.66042, -77.48186

The mapSee it on the map

The driveDirections ↗

The phone301-663-9388

The agency’s pageOfficial page ↗

Where it is

Also near here

Poplar Grove Youth Group CampgroundCatoctin Mountain Park · 0.9 mi

Adirondack SheltersCatoctin Mountain Park · 1.1 mi

Camp Greentop Dining Hall and Rec HallCatoctin Mountain Park · 1.2 mi

Camp GreentopCatoctin Mountain Park · 1.2 mi

Camp Misty MountCatoctin Mountain Park · 2.4 mi

Camp Round MeadowCatoctin Mountain Park · 2.4 mi

Getting there

For GPS Use Only: The street address is 15882 Foxville Deerfield Road, Sabillasville, MD. This is not the mailing address. The Park mailing address is: Catoctin Mountain Park, 6602 Foxville Road, Thurmont, MD 21788. From

- From Washington, DC: Take the George Washington Memorial Parkway north to I-495 to I-270 north 27 miles (43.5 km) to Frederick, MD. Take Route 15 for 17 miles (27 km) north to Thurmont, MD. Take Route 77 West (the exit sign is marked Catoctin Mountain Park). Travel approximately 6 miles (9.6 km) west on Route 77 (you will pass Park Central Road and the park visitor center). Turn right onto Foxville-Deerfield Road. As the road forks, keep left and continue on Foxville-Deerfield Road for approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) and turn left into Owens Creek Campground.

- From Baltimore, MD: Take I-695 beltway to I-70 West to Frederick, MD. Take Route 15 North to Thurmont, MD. Take Route 77 West (the exit sign says Catoctin Mountain Park.) Travel approximately 6 miles (9.6 km) west on Route 77 (you will pass Park Central Road and the park visitor center). Turn right onto Foxville-Deerfield Road. As the road forks, keep left and continue on Foxville-Deerfield Road for approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) and turn left into Owens Creek Campground.

- From Hagerstown, MD: From Hagerstown, MD: take I-70 East to Route 66 North for 7 miles (11.2 km). Turn right onto Route 64 (East) for 1 mile (1.6 km) then turn right at a traffic light onto Route 77 East for approximately 4 miles (6.4 km). Turn left onto Foxville-Deerfield Road. As the road forks, keep left and continue on Foxville-Deerfield Road for approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) and turn left into Owens Creek Campground.

Directions: Driving directions as the agency wrote them · Oct 1, 2026

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

Today78°Partly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms70% rain

Tonight45°Chance Showers And Thunderstorms42% rain

Saturday49°Mostly Sunny6% rain

Saturday Night34°Clear

NWS forecast for Sabillasville, MD

Source: National Weather Service, LWX forecast office · Oct 16, 2026

Typical weather

Typical October night 46°F, day 65°F.

Coldest month of the year: typical January night 23°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.

90°32°10°

Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more

A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.

Measured at: CATOCTIN MTN PARK, MD (USC00181530), 1 mile away and 400 ft higher

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, monthly normals · Sep 8, 2026

The land, and who answers for it

who answers for it · a letter you can send

Who answers for this land

April McClain Delaney, official portrait

Owens Creek Campground is in Maryland’s 6th congressional district. Its representative, April McClain Delaney (D), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: A+. See every public-lands vote →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

Source: U.S. Census district boundaries and the MTJP Congressional Public Lands Score

Who can change it · 4

Write to somebody who can change it

Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.

The office that runs itCatoctin Mountain ParkNational Park Service unit
Open the contact page ↗
The member who votes the moneyApril McClain DelaneyU.S. Representative · Maryland’s 6th district
Open their contact form ↗Their record →
Your senator, on the same appropriationAngela D. AlsobrooksU.S. Senator · Maryland
Open their contact form ↗
Your senator, on the same appropriationChris Van HollenU.S. Senator · Maryland
Open their contact form ↗

Read the draft, or change the wording

For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.

To Catoctin Mountain Park

Asks the National Park Service to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up, and to post what that share is.

Subject Hold back a share of sites at Owens Creek Campground for campers who drive up

To the National Park Service, Catoctin Mountain Park:

I tried to camp at Owens Creek Campground in Maryland and couldn’t.

recreation.gov lists 50 of the 51 campsites the agency files at Owens Creek Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 47 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked.

1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Owens Creek Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule.

I’m asking for one specific thing: set aside a published share of the sites at Owens Creek Campground as first-come, first-served, and post what that share is so it can be checked.

Somebody who drives up has no way in, and no way to find out whether they might have had one.

Sent about Owens Creek Campground (Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland) via campanac.com

To April McClain Delaney

Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.

Subject Walk-up camping at Owens Creek Campground, Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland

Dear April McClain Delaney,

I’m a constituent in Maryland’s 6th district. I tried to camp at Owens Creek Campground, Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland, and couldn’t.

recreation.gov lists 50 of the 51 campsites the agency files at Owens Creek Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 47 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked.

1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Owens Creek Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule.

I’m not asking you to run Owens Creek Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund.

The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them.

Sent about Owens Creek Campground (Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland) via campanac.com

To Angela D. Alsobrooks

Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.

Subject Walk-up camping at Owens Creek Campground, Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland

Dear Angela D. Alsobrooks,

I’m a constituent in Maryland. I tried to camp at Owens Creek Campground, Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland, and couldn’t.

recreation.gov lists 50 of the 51 campsites the agency files at Owens Creek Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 47 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked.

1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Owens Creek Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule.

I’m not asking you to run Owens Creek Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund.

The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them.

Sent about Owens Creek Campground (Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland) via campanac.com

To Chris Van Hollen

Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.

Subject Walk-up camping at Owens Creek Campground, Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland

Dear Chris Van Hollen,

I’m a constituent in Maryland. I tried to camp at Owens Creek Campground, Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland, and couldn’t.

recreation.gov lists 50 of the 51 campsites the agency files at Owens Creek Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 47 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked.

1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Owens Creek Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule.

I’m not asking you to run Owens Creek Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund.

The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them.

Sent about Owens Creek Campground (Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland) via campanac.com

How we know this · 4

Contacts: Contact forms from @unitedstates/congress-legislators and the agency’s own unit page · Sep 9, 2026

The figures in these drafts: Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress (CRS Report RS20643) · Updated December 4, 2025 · “The ship’s final procurement cost was $13,316.5 million (i.e., about $13.3 billion) in then-year dollars.”

The figures in these drafts: Salary Table 2026-GS, Incorporating the 1% General Schedule Increase, Effective January 2026 (U.S. Office of Personnel Management) · Effective January 2026 · “Grade 5, Step 1: $34,799 (annual rate, before locality pay).”

The figures in these drafts: Update to Civilian Position Full Fringe Benefit Cost Factor, Federal Pay Raise Assumptions, and Inflation Factors used in OMB Circular No. A-76 (OMB Memorandum M-08-13) · March 11, 2008 · “the civilian position full fringe benefit cost factor needs to be adjusted downward, from 36.45 percent to 36.25 percent”

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from

Right now: recreation.gov is offering sites on 18 of the next 18 nights, which isn’t something a closed campground does.

Sites on recreation.gov: recreation.gov’s own month availability payload for this facility, asked for October 2026, November 2026 and July 2027. It names 50 of the 51 campsites the agency files here, and every one of them carries an answer either way. A campground nobody has read carries no answer at all, never a no. · Oct 11, 2026

Elevation: USGS 3DEP elevation point query at this campground’s coordinate · Sep 7, 2026

Tree cover: NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC), one 30 m cell at this coordinate, taken as the median across the 51 campsites here that carry a reading · Sep 9, 2026

Water: USGS National Hydrography Dataset, nearest perennial lake, reservoir, river or stream to this campground’s coordinate · Sep 8, 2026

Night sky: VIIRS Day/Night Band annual cloud-free composite, VNL V2 2024 (Earth Observation Group, Colorado School of Mines), read at the published coordinate: 1.9 mcd/m² of artificial all-sky glow, ranked against the 62 rated federal campgrounds in Maryland · Sep 8, 2026

Sky-glow model: Duriscoe, Anderson, Luginbuhl and Baugh (2018), a simplified model of all-sky artificial sky glow derived from VIIRS Day/Night band data, the National Park Service sky-glow model

Fall color: More Than Just Parks foliage tracker, joined to this campground by distance (27 km) · Oct 13, 2026

Reported by: USA National Phenology Network (Nature's Notebook), reported minimal color · Oct 13, 2026

Cell signal: the Park Service’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.

Nearest place of any size: Sabillasville, MD, 1.7 mi SSW (a census designated place). Straight line.

Nearest town: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 places, measured by CAMPANAC to the town boundary; population is the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimate · Sep 9, 2026