"Tree Army" Boot Camp

Your Park Quest Adventure at Gambrill State Park will lead you on a journey back in time to experience the park through the eyes of a “CCC boy” in the 1930’s. As you explore the extraordinary work of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) throughout the park, you will search for answers to complete the puzzle—and claim your prize!

Quest Information

The Park Quest Adventure at Gambrill State Park must be completed on Saturdays and Sundays, between 10 am and 3 pm, when the High Knob Nature Center is open. The Quest may be completed at other times by appointment only. To request an appointment, call the park office at 301-293-4170. Pets are permitted in most areas of Gambrill State Park, but they must be leashed at all times.

When you arrive at the High Knob Nature Center, ask the attendant for the Park Quest activity packet. The packet will contain a park map, instructions, and other information you will need to complete your self-guided adventure. The Quest will take about two hours to complete. Once you have completed your Quest, trade your finished puzzle for a passport stamp—and claim your prize—at the High Knob Nature Center!

Directions to Gambrill State Park

Gambrill State Park is located in Frederick County.

• From Frederick: Take U.S. Route 15 to Route 40 west (West Patrick Street). Exit to the I-70 west/Route 40 split, bear right and continue on Route 40. Turn right on Gambrill Park Road and follow one mile to the Rock Run Area entrance on your left to reach the campground. Continue on Gambrill Park Road to reach the trail parking lot and to the top of the mountain to reach the scenic overlooks, pavilions and the Tea Room.
• From Hagerstown: Take I-70 east to Myersville Maryland Route 17 exit (exit #42). Turn left on Route 17 and follow through Myersville to Route 40. Turn right on Route 40 and continue to Gambrill Park Road on your left. Turn left and proceed one mile to the park.
• Make a reservation to stay at the park.

A Dark Time in American History

Can YOU imagine...

• Being so poor that you can’t afford shoes?
• Having to quit school and find a job to help pay your parents’ house payment?
• Living with no electricity and no indoor plumbing (no refrigerator, no television, no computer, and no bathroom)?
• Having to stand in line for hours just for a loaf of bread?

Fortunately, such problems are hard to imagine in America today. In the early 1930’s, however, millions of people just like you were facing a dark time in American history. The Great Depression was in full swing, and millions of people were unemployed, hungry, and without hope. An estimated 12 million to 15 million people—one worker out of every four—were out of work.

The Civilian Conservation Corps
In an effort to create jobs for some of the millions who were unemployed, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt developed a new program in 1933, called the Civilian Conservation Corps, or the “CCC.” In addition to creating jobs, the purpose of the CCC was to help restore the nation’s struggling natural resources. The CCC recruited young, unemployed men ages 17 to 25 to live and work in camps supervised by the U.S. Army. These young men—nicknamed “CCC boys”—went to work building parks, restoring forests, planting trees, fighting forest fires, and restoring watersheds across America.

The Local “CCC Boys”
One of the nation’s first CCC camps was located in Frederick County, Maryland, just a few miles from Gambrill State Park. In the spring of 1933, approximately 200 “CCC boys” arrived at the camp, ready for work. For the first seven months, the “boys” lived in army tents, while they worked on constructing a mess hall, barracks, and other buildings for the camp. Once they finished building the camp, the “boys” went to work on a number of projects throughout the area.

The Development of Gambrill State Park
A top priority for the local CCC camp was the development of Gambrill State Park. When the “boys” began working at Gambrill in 1933, there were no roads, no picnic areas, no buildings, and no water supply. By 1940, the “CCC boys” managed to build essentially all of the facilities that exist in the park today. They built the roads, parking areas, restrooms, three stone overlooks, three wooden picnic shelters, the Tea Room, the Ranger’s residence, and a portion of the Nature Center building. Without the CCC, Gambrill State Park would not exist as it is today.