Waterfall Hero Hikes: Cunningham Falls (Catoctin)

Cunningham Falls, also called McAfee Falls, is an 78-foot waterfall on Big Hunting Creek in Frederick County, Maryland. The waterfall is located in Cunningham Falls State Park, though we accessed from Catoctin Mountain Park.

Hike Length: 2.6 miles
Estimated Time: 1 to 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: Cunningham Falls State Park
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Must be leashed
Features: Waterfalls (1)
Crowds: High
Warnings: The rocks around the waterfalls are very slippery.
Trailhead GPS: 39.63388,-77.44992
Waterfall GPS: 39.63165,-77.47090

Directions:

From Hagerstown, head east on MD-64 for about 8 miles and turn right on MD-77 east. Go 7.4 miles and turn left into Catoctin Mountain Park and then right into the main parking lot.

Map:

Hike Description:

Cross the park road to the overflow parking and pick up the Falls Nature Trail that leads just over a mile to Hog Run Trail. Turn left and cross MD-77 to pick up the accessible trail to Cunningham Falls. Note the parking here is handicapped only. The boardwalk trail leads to a view of the falls. There is an easier way to get here from the park, but this is the way we visited.