Anglers will find brook, brown, and rainbow trout in Big Hunting Creek, a stream that has played a prominent role in the development of recreational trout fishing in Maryland. Long popular among fly fishermen, Big Hunting Creek was the first in the State of Maryland to be designated as a fly-fishing-only stream, and later became Maryland's first catch-and-return trout stream.

Archeologists have found evidence of rhyolite quarry sites and base camps related to hunting or kill sites in Catoctin Mountain Park. The mountain's resources provided Native Americans with materials for tools, animals for food and clothing, and a variety of nuts and berries that were gathered as an additional food source.

Catoctin Mountain Park was originally submarginal land purchased by the government in 1936, to be developed into a

recreational facility, whose purpose was to demonstrate how rough terrain and eroded soil could be turned into productive land again. The New Deal's Works Progress Administration, WPA, began the work in the newly created Catoctin Recreational

Demonstration Area, joined by the Civilian Conservation Corps, CCC, in 1939.

Nearby attractions: Cunningham Falls State Park is directly adjacent to Catoctin Mountain Park and offers camping, fishing, hiking, and a lake with a swimming beach. Entrances are on Route 15 and on Route 77 west. The Catoctin Mountain Zoo is located nearby on Route 15.