State Parks looks to expand day-use reservation system, add QR codes at gates

Marylanders visiting some state parks this summer will need to use an online system for day passes and admission fees, which officials hope will reduce traffic and increase revenues.

The state’s Department of Natural Resources piloted the program last summer at five parks in Anne Arundel, Washington, Baltimore and St. Mary’s counties, where visitors made reservations through an online platform. The department picked those parks intentionally to see if the volume of visitors would overwhelm the system, said Paul Peditto, the department assistant secretary.

“We challenged it substantially, and frankly, it was an unqualified success,” he said.

Now, officials are considering expanding the system to 15 properties across the state, including shooting ranges at Green Ridge, Savage River, Myrtle Grove and Elk Neck state forests and parking lots at Fair Hill, Telegraph Road, Covered Bridge, North and South Appleton and Gallaher Road.

The system requires advance reservations on weekends and holidays during the summer season, starting Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.

The system is already in place at Greenbrier, Point Lookout, Newtowne Neck, North Point, Sandy Point and Swallow Falls state parks. Officials could expand the system into parts of Rocky Gap, Gunpowder Falls, Elk Neck, Rocks and Seneca Creek state parks, according to documents sent to the Maryland Board of Public Works.

Maryland State Parks have seen a surge of visitors since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024, there were 166 zero-capacity closures at parks as the department struggled to meet demand, according to a news release. Traffic backed up as far as 7 miles in certain parks at times, Peditto said, creating safety issues and general disturbances.

Under the pilot system, more than 67,000 people visited state parks between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day in 2025. There were no closures in that time frame due to capacity, the department said.

Peditto said the department will roll out the new system throughout the year, as Kaizen Labs, the company that runs the system, needs to assess different locations for potential challenges.

The contract with Kaizen Labs went into effect Thursday and runs through December 2031. The state projects that it will cost $4 million and bring in $18.9 million in revenue, including an estimated $725,000 of previously unobtained admission fees.

As part of the new system, the state will implement digital entrances through QR codes, which require visitors to pay the entrance fee before the gates open.

Many state parks have honor boxes where visitors can drop the admission fee, but they are very low-compliance. Peditto said he doesn’t think people are intentionally skipping them, but most people don’t carry cash with them anymore.

He said the QR code model will also track when people are entering and leaving the park, which could be helpful in emergencies.