Maryland’s new day-use reservation system for state parks, launched in 2025, successfully eliminated capacity closures and nearly ended traffic backups at five high-visitation parks during the peak summer season, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The system requires advance reservations for weekend and holiday daytime visits at Greenbrier, Sandy Point, Point Lookout, Newtowne Neck, and North Point state parks.
The Maryland Park Service implemented the reservation requirement starting Memorial Day weekend 2025 at Greenbrier and Sandy Point, with the remaining three parks added on June 19. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the system processed more than 67,000 reservations. The associated call center handled over 4,000 calls. No capacity closures occurred at the participating parks during this period, compared with 166 closures statewide in 2024. Traffic lines that previously extended for miles, including a documented 3.1-mile backup on U.S. Route 40 at Greenbrier on July 4, 2024, were nearly eliminated.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources Assistant Secretary of Land Resources Paul Peditto stated, “This first-ever statewide park reservation system is about putting people first. By eliminating long lines and modernizing access, we’re making Maryland State Parks more welcoming, more equitable, and more efficient—so visitors can spend less time waiting in line and more time enjoying the outdoors.”
Nearly 8,000 reservations utilized Maryland Park Service Annual Park Passes or the Military and Veteran free pass. The initiative followed a surge in visitation that began in 2019, when 14 million people visited Maryland state parks, a record at the time. The COVID-19 pandemic drove a further increase, with more than 21.5 million visitors in 2020, a 45 percent jump. Subsequent years maintained elevated levels, leading to frequent early-morning lines, hours-long waits, and widespread turnaways at capacity.
The five parks were selected based on high visitation, safety concerns from vehicle backups, and impacts on neighboring residents and highway users. The department chose Kaizen Labs as the technology vendor under a per-booking fee contract after reviewing proposals. Staff training and extensive media outreach preceded the launch. Maryland Park Service Deputy Director Rachel Temby said, “It was a big change and we knew it would take time for visitors to adapt to thinking ahead to secure their reservations, rather than waiting in long lines.”
Initial rollout at Sandy Point and Greenbrier on Memorial Day weekend included extra staff, including Spanish translators, to assist visitors with on-site reservations via phone. Visitor adaptation occurred quickly as the benefits of guaranteed entry became clear, leading to steady increases in advance bookings. The system drew from successful models used by other park agencies, including the National Park Service.
The pilot program ended on Labor Day 2025 with positive feedback, as reservations removed uncertainty and reduced entrance waits. As of January 8, 2026, the Maryland Park Service is reviewing data to refine the process for the 2026 season and considering expansion to additional busy parks. The agency is also preparing to introduce a new camping reservations vendor in late February 2026 with enhanced features.
Peditto added, “This new reservation system truly modernizes how people experience Maryland State Parks. We are looking forward to building on the foundation created by the success of this pilot program.”
Relevant to Southern Maryland, Point Lookout State Park in St. Mary’s County and Newtowne Neck State Park, also in St. Mary’s County, participated in the pilot. These parks experienced the same benefits of eliminated capacity closures and reduced traffic strain on local roads during peak periods.