Point Lookout State Park

Point Lookout State Park has special appeal to two rather disparate groups - historians and anglers.

The 1,046-acre park, situated where the Potomac River meets the Chesapeake Bay, was the site of a Civil War POW camp for Confederate soldiers. Monuments mark where prisoners are buried, and an earthen fort built by POW labor has been completely reconstructed by the Friends of Point Lookout.

The Civil War Museum/Nature Center is open seasonally and offers interpretive exhibits.

The park is also a popular fishing destination. A 710-foot wheelchair-accessible pier is open seasonally and offers great bay fishing, with rockfish and blues among the likely catch. Anglers work the Potomac side as well. Seasonal crabbing is also practiced at Point Lookout.

During summer, rowboats, canoes and kayaks are available for rent. A swimming beach is located on the Potomac shore.

For seasonal campers, the park has 143 wooded campsites, of which five are wheelchair accessible and 26 have full hook-ups. There is also a camp store in the park that is open during the summer season as well.

Short trails lead around the park. Cyclist use park roads and state Route 5, which terminates in the park.