For the second year, the Office of Outdoor Recreation has teamed up with Maryland’s Best to offer a fun challenge for families: hiking the Maryland Ice Cream Trail. In its 13th year, the official Ice Cream Trail features 14 dairies serving fresh ice cream. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has also recommended trails near each creamery to encourage visitors to explore. Participants can win prizes by checking in at various locations, with a chance at the grand prize for those who visit all of them.
How to Hike the Maryland Ice Cream Trail
Maryland’s Best has introduced a simplified digital check-in process! Download the free Let’s Rallie app on your Apple or Android device to find all trail locations, each with a unique QR code for check-in. Check in at each location using the Let’s Rallie app for a chance to win sweet treats!
Use AllTrails to navigate your hike and share your adventure on social media. AllTrails helps users discover and navigate trails while staying prepared.
Prizes
Winners must be Maryland residents aged 18 or older. Prizes include:
- First app check-in
- First to check in at five dairy locations
- First to check in at a creamery and its matching hike location
- First to check in at seven hiking locations
- First to tag @mdsbest and the creamery on Instagram (must follow the account)
- First to tag @marylanddnr and the park where you hiked on Instagram (must follow the account)
Grand Prize
Think you can be Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trailblazer Champion? Check in at every location on the trail to qualify for the grand prize, the 2025 Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Champion Trailblazer trophy! Complete the trail by September 1 to enter for a chance to win a $50 gift card to a creamery of your choice, a copy of the children’s book “Tales of the Dairy Godmother: Chuck’s Ice Cream Wish.” Additionally, anyone who checks in at all hiking trails on the Let’s Rallie app by September 1 will be eligible to win a state park pass valid for one year.
Note: To be eligible for the grand prize, you must check in at each trailhead on the Let’s Rallie app, or if you prefer not to use the app, you can submit all your photos in one email to vog.dnalyram@1liart.maerceci
