Black bear at Catoctin Mountain Park
(photo by William F. Voigt)
In an area of the country that is rapidly being converted to shopping centers, houses, and pavement, Catoctin Mountain Park serves as a virtual oasis for a number of animals. This 5,810 acre forested ecosystem is habitat to more than 280 species of animals.
A short walk on one of Catoctin Mountain Park’s trails will take you into the forest environment. Animals you are likely to see are squirrels, chipmunks, white-tailed deer, pileated woodpeckers and wild turkey, maybe a box turtle, and if you are extremely fortunate, a black bear. A journey to one of Catoctin’s high gradient streams will reveal native brook trout. Stay overnight at Owens Creek Campground, and you might hear the duck-like cackle of the wood frog, the hoot of a great horned owl, or see bats zipping overhead in search of insects.
