Point Lookout State Park
Beaches, fishing, a historic lighthouse, and Civil War interpretation share the narrow point where Potomac meets Chesapeake.
Artwork inspired by Grace Hartigan
Point Lookout feels like the end of the road because it nearly is: the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River meet around a narrow peninsula. Visitors come for swimming, fishing, camping, and the lighthouse landscape, but the place also carries the difficult history of a Civil War prisoner-of-war camp. Those stories should remain visible alongside the beach.
The lighthouse is a keeper’s house with a lantern on its roof, not a tall isolated tower, and access to the building is not the same as park admission. Use the day-use area for water and picnic time, then seek out the park’s historical interpretation. Summer weekends and holidays can require an advance vehicle reservation; beach conditions, jellyfish, and unguarded water demand attention before anyone enters the bay.
- Waters
- Potomac and Chesapeake
- Historic layer
- Civil War prison camp
- Lighthouse form
- Keeper’s house
Quick guide
- Reserve in peak season
- Weekend and holiday vehicle entry may need advance booking.
- Separate park from lighthouse
- Building access is not guaranteed by a day-use ticket.
Know before you go
- Locate the meeting waters
- The point’s geography explains its maritime role.
- Read the camp history
- The landscape held a Civil War prison site.
- View the lighthouse
- Note its house-shaped structure and check interior access.
- Treat the beach seriously
- Water is generally unguarded; conditions can change.
Good to know
The beach is not routinely guarded, jellyfish can occur, and lighthouse tours are separate from ordinary park access. Check the day-use reservation rule before a summer weekend.
Notice these
- Point Lookout Lighthouse
- Bay-river confluence
- Civil War interpretation