Cedarville State Park (PQ) Hiking & Letterboxing

Today our Park Quest took us to Cedarville State Park for a some hiking and letterboxing! The kids (and I) were really excited because today was our first chance to use our new family stamp on a letterboxing quest! The park quest for Cedarville consisted of a regular quest (hiking to and finding2 letterboxes) and a bonus quest (hiking to and finding an additional 2 letterboxes). 

With letterboxing, you use a set of physical and/or geographical (and possibly other) clues to locate a hidden letterbox. Some of the clues we were given included finding a specific spot on the trail such as a small bridge, and then turning left and walking 90 steps to find the letterbox. Or spotting trail markers such as a hollow tree stump.

The hidden letterbox contains a log, a stamp, and a stamp pad. You carry with you your own log, personal stamp, stamp pad, and a pen comes in handy too. When you locate a letterbox, you then add the letterbox stamp to your hiking log, and stamp your personal stamp in the letterbox log book. You leave you own little "mark" saying "we were here" in the letterbox log for all of it's future visitors. It is fun to look back on stamps & signatures of the past letterbox visitors and even sometimes see some familiar names! 


This is a GREAT activity for small kids if you choose a hike (or method of getting to the letterbox) that matches their skill level. Both of our kids  (2 and 4 years old) got a lot of excitement out of trying to find the letterboxes, and opening them up to see what was inside...  Each of our kids took turns stamping the park stamp into our log book, which was rewarding after each hike we did! A. got a lot of practice today "leading" the family, following the clues in the quests to recognize specific markers like a T in the trail, recognizing trail colors and following the correct ones, counting steps, counting steps, and navigating specific clues to the letterboxes.

We did end up completing both the regular quest and the bonus quest, hiking to and locating 4 letterboxes total. We did a combination of different sections of trails at Cedarville, including portions of the orange trail, the white trail, forest road and the blue trail. All sections of trail that we hiked were very easy with almost no elevation gain (30  feet max if I remember correctly), and totaled about 4.5 miles. On the orange trail, we spotted the usual wildlife --squirrels, birds, insects. On the White trail we had the opportunity to see a marsh area with several beaver dams and trees that had been chewed down by beavers. This was definitely one of the highlights of the hike trip for our 4 year old son.  (see photo left). Ticks were pretty heavy in areas of this park as well, in fact, they were dropping right onto our letter boxing work-sheet! (right) and a pic of our PQ passport with stamp below!

Full quest description below!

Introduction to QuestLetterboxing is an intriguing “treasure hunt” style outdoor activity for families. Letterboxes are small, weatherproof boxes that usually contain a log book, a rubber stamp and an ink pad. They are hidden in publicly accessible places and the clues will be made available to Park Quest participants. The finders make an imprint of the letterbox's stamp on their stamp sheet or personal log book, and leave an imprint of their personal stamp on the letterbox's logbook. And yes, you can participate even if you don’t have your own stamp or logbook.
Quest InformationTo begin the Quest, go to the Cedarville State Forest Headquarters Office and receive your Park Quest packet. The office will be open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Your packet will include a Cedarville Trail Map, a Park Quest information sheet and a letterbox work sheet to collect the letterbox stamps. The following items are suggested to get your team started letterboxing: an ink pad with your choice of color, your team’s rubber stamp and log book so that you can leave your mark for all to see and keep record of the letterboxes you have visited. These items are not required to complete the Quest.
The Park Quest, finding the first two letterboxes, should take approximately one to 1.5 hours. The Bonus Quest (finding all four letterboxes) should take approximately 2.5 to 3 hours. We recommend starting this Quest by 2 p.m. in order to finish in time to return to the Forest office by 4 p.m. to receive your Park Quest Passport stamp. While participating in this Quest wear comfortable shoes and clothing, use sunscreen and insect repellant. Make sure you bring water and a snack or picnic lunch to keep the team going. This Quest is recommended for families with small children. To learn more about letterboxing visit www.Letterboxing.org.
Park InformationCedarville State Forest is located at the headwaters of the Zekiah Swamp, Maryland’s largest freshwater swamp. The swamp extends southward through Charles County for 20 miles, emptying into the Wicomico River. The swamp is one mile wide, and serves as a haven for wildlife. The surrounding land is mostly agricultural fields. In colonial times and there after efforts were made to drain the swamp for cultivation. Drainage ditches are still evident. To this day, the swamp remains wooded bottomland.
The Piscataway Indian Tribe made this section of Southern Maryland its winter camping ground because of the mild climate and abundance of game. Legend says there is an ancient Indian Burial Ground at Cedarville, but to date it has not been found.
In 1930, the State of Maryland purchased 2,631 acres of land for a forest demonstration area. Later 879 more acres were added to bring the total to 3,510 acres. Cedarville was the postal address for the area, hence the name given to the State Forest.
In 1933, The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), under the direction of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, developed roads and trails for fire protection and future access for recreational development of the area. From 1933 to 1935, approximately 160 men, mostly African Americans from Baltimore and Washington, D.C. worked at Cedarville. They were paid $30 per month, most of the pay was sent home to support their families. Across the nation, the CCC offered jobs to thousands of unemployed men during the Great Depression.
In the 1950’s, Cedarville operated three charcoal kilns burning wood from the forest to produce up to 3,600 pounds of charcoal each week. The charcoal was used in many other state parks throughout Maryland to produce heat. On Forest Road, the remains of one kiln can still be seen today.
Cedarville State Forest invites exploration of its diverse natural, recreational and historic features. Hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians can enjoy approximately 19.5 miles of trails.
Pets are allowed at Cedarville State Forest and must be on a leash at all times. Picnic tables and grills are available along Forest Road. Maryland State Parks are Trash-Free, please take your trash with you and Leave No Trace.