Spring/Summer (Memorial Day Monday through Labor Day Monday) Monday - Friday: 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. Last entry and beach closing at 5 p.m. Saturday & Sunday*: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Last entry and beach closing at 7 p.m.
Fall/Winter (Tuesday after Labor Day to Sunday prior to Memorial Day) Monday: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Last entry and beach closing at 3 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday: CLOSED Friday: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Last entry and beach closing at 3 p.m. Saturday & Sunday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Last entry and beach closing at 4 p.m.
* During periods of high visitation, when the park’s capacity is reached, the park will be closed and traffic will be turned away from the park entrance. Capacity notifications are posted on the CCPR Facebook Page.
Entrance Fees:
Cash (exact change appreciated) or credit cards (no American Express) accepted.
The entrance fee (or annual pass) is per vehicle.
Dates
County Resident Fee
Non-Resident Fee
November - March
$5.00
$5.00
April - October
$5.00
$20.00
Bike/Walk-in: $5 per person Bus: $50 for county based group or $75 for out of county based group.
Annual Park Pass: $30 for county residents, $60 for non-residents. Drivers License is required for annual pass holders. $10 for additional pass registered for the same household.
Military discount is available.
To purchase annual pass online visit https://calvertcounty.perfectmind.com/, login with existing account or create an account, then select buy membership tab.
Public Beach Advisories - The Calvert County Health Department conducts routine water samplings of the county’s public bathing beaches from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Before you head to the beach this summer, check for advisories by visiting the health department online at www.calverthealth.orgor callCalvert County Environmental Health 410-535-3922 or 301-855-1557.
Public Deer Hunting will open in mid-December for bow-hunting only. Specific information about hunting at Flag Ponds Nature Park can be found on the Wildlife Management website. To make a reservation contact the State Department of Natural Resources Southern Region Public Hunting Permit and Reservation System online or by phone at the Myrtle Grove office at 301-743-5161.
For hundreds of years the forces of nature have reshaped the Chesapeake Bay shoreline of Flag Ponds Nature Park, creating a remarkable variety of natural environments--from sandy beach, to freshwater ponds, to the forested heights of Calvert Cliffs. Today, nature continues to play with the sand, changing the park’s landscape with each tide, each storm, each season.
Millions of years ago, sharks, whales, crocodiles and other creatures inhabited the waters and shores of this area. Most of these animals are now extinct, others are just no longer found here. To the sharp-eyed visitor, sharks teeth and other Miocene fossils may be found along the park’s shoreline.
A short, half-mile hike brings you to the sandy beach or you may take longer trail routes that allow you to experience the beauty of the park. Additionally there are observation platforms at two ponds and on the Chesapeake Bay and a visitor’s center with wildlife displays.
From the early 1900’s until 1955 the area was a sheltered harbor on the Chesapeake Bay supporting a major "pound net" fishery supplying croaker, trout and herring to markets as far away as Baltimore. At one time, three shanties housed fishermen during the main fishing season. Known as "Buoy Hotel", the last surviving shanty was destroyed by arson in October 2012. It was rebuilt in 2015 and visitors can look inside to see a recreation of how these fishermen lived.