Cunningham Falls St. Park

Cunningham Falls State Park, in the Catoctin Mountains near Thurmont, Maryland, hosts QOC orienteering out of the park's Manor Area.

The terrain here is more rugged than at many of QOC's other venues, mixing wooded hillsides, open fields, and waterways, and is dotted with numerous charcoal platforms, flat round clearings left behind from a historic era of charcoal-making in the park. The map is based largely on LIDAR data and isn't as thoroughly field-checked as QOC's standard orienteering maps, so some features on the ground go unmapped. The campground area and Highway 15 are both marked out of bounds. QOC typically sets a full range of courses, from beginner-friendly White through advanced Blue, with advanced courses typically starting some distance up the mountain from the main area.

The rugged, technical terrain makes Cunningham Falls a good match for orienteers looking for a physical challenge, though it's not a venue to move up a course level at — the shorter distances reflect the terrain's difficulty, not easier navigation. Given the terrain, QOC has partnered with an on-site emergency medical response service for this venue as an added safety precaution, and park rangers have noted that snakes, including copperheads and rattlesnakes, are active in the area.

Maryland's state park system charges a modest per-vehicle entrance fee here, separate from QOC's own event fees. Parking is in the lot near the pavilion, with an overflow lot closer to the park entrance when needed.