ANNAPOLIS, Md. — It'll be the hottest ticket in town this summer. Starting Memorial Day weekend, you'll need a reservation to get in to Sandy Point and Greenbrier State Parks on weekends and holidays.
"I don't think that's very fair," visitor Michelle Moore said while catching some rays on the beach at Sandy Point State Park.
"Yeah, I don't like that. Who’s idea was that?" asked Dale Mayes, who took her grandson to the park for the day.
The idea for the reservation system has been in the works at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for years, starting with a pilot program at Falling Branch in Harford County's Rocks State Park in 2019.
“And the first few weeks, you know, people were fired up and people weren't sure what was going on. Then after a couple of months of it, people learned to love it;the residents learned to love it, and we haven't had a single complaint since," said Tim Hamilton, business and marketing manager for Maryland State Parks. “So ever since we launched that program, we've been thinking about a day use program for the other parks that were very popular, so it's been coming for a while.”
During the pandemic, the number of yearly state park visitors jumped from 14 million to 22 million. And once people discovered the beauty of Maryland's parks, they wanted to keep coming back.
"I was a little surprised that people were surprised just because we have so many backups at so many parks that something had to be done at some point," Hamilton said.
The goal is to reduce overcrowding and traffic around the parks. Hamilton said Greenbrier and Sandy Point get the most crowded during the summer, reaching maximum capacity on a regular basis. On weekends, staff have to turn people away frequently.
Reservations can be made online up to seven days in advance. The link to the new system with instructions will be available starting May 19; the first day that reservations will be required is Saturday, May 24. Reservations may be edited or canceled until 8 a.m. the day before the visit.
Reaction to the new system has been mixed. Hamilton says they've been fielding a lot of calls and messages from concerned visitors, but once they explain the rationale, people are more understanding.
"Well, I don't agree with it because for one, I never know when I'm coming. I have to look at the weather first to see if it's gonna be a nice day or not," Terri Close, who traveled an hour and a half from Glenville, Pennsylvania to come to the park, said.
"It's different, you know, I think it's got pros and cons, but, you know, the pro is that it cuts down on the crowd. The con obviously you can't just wake up and come to the beach," visitor Gordon Grauer said.
"It will take the spontaneity out of some trips to these particular parks, but again, it's for the best. People are gonna learn, you just plan ahead a little bit and that way you're guaranteed a spot at a state park. I mean, [in the past,] you can be spontaneous and decide to go, but then you're gonna be waiting for 4 hours to get into a park only be turned away as soon as you get there, and that's just frustrating for everybody," Hamilton said.
"I think that it's really important that we keep this an open beach. Because whether it's crowded or not um it's kind of just a personal choice if you'd like to come or stay or go," visitor Michelle Moore said.
"I think that's very limiting for people, especially in Maryland with such unpredictable weather," Dale Mayes told WMAR-2 News.
Later in the summer, the reservation system will expand to include Point Lookout, Newtown Neck, and North Point State Parks. Those launch dates will be announced soon by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Hamilton said there are no plans to expand the system beyond that.
He also pointed out that there are plenty of hidden gems throughout the state that don't often reach capacity during the summer.
"“We have 80 state parks in Maryland. You're never more than 25 minutes away from a state park wherever you are in Maryland, so bear that in mind when you're looking for another park," he told WMAR-2 News.