Rolling Atlas

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine

Checked on Oct 17, 2026

At Fort McHenry in Baltimore, "park buildings, exhibits, restrooms, trails, and parking lots are accessible by a variety of means, including ramps and open captioning," and "The Star Fort is accessible from the Visitor Contact Station via a paved pathway" (NPS: Fort McHenry accessibility, [Official], last updated Jun 12, 2024, checked Oct 17, 2026).

Call to confirm before you go: call the park at (410) 962-4290 (NPS: Fort McHenry contacts, [Official], checked Oct 17, 2026). Ask which parts of the Star Fort interior aren't accessible, whether mobility scooters are allowed under the park's scooter rule, and whether trail preservation work is finished.

At a glance:
  • Accessible parking
  • Accessible restrooms
  • Paved paths
  • Loaner wheelchairs
  • Heads-up: the Star Fort interior
  • Heads-up: scooters

Plan your visit

  • Parking: "The main and overflow parking lots are ADA accessible. Reserved ADA parking is available on a first come, first served basis. Parking at Fort McHenry is free" (NPS: Fort McHenry accessibility, [Official], checked Oct 17, 2026).
  • Wheelchairs: "Wheelchairs are available to borrow upon request, just ask the front desk" (same page).

Worth your time

Checked Oct 17, 2026.

Accessibility and ratings

See how we rate

Heads-up: the Star Fort interior. "Entrance to the Star Fort and buildings are ADA accessible. The interior of the Star Fort is mostly accessible" (NPS: Fort McHenry accessibility, [Official], checked Oct 17, 2026).

Heads-up: scooters. A park alert titled "Motorized Recreational Scooters Not Permitted in Park" (posted 6/9/2020) says "motorized scooters are not permitted within the park" (NPS: Fort McHenry conditions, [Official], checked Oct 17, 2026). It doesn't say whether mobility scooters are affected, so call to ask.

Heads-up: trail preservation work (posted 3/18/2025). "Some of these areas may be temporarily closed while work is in progress" (NPS: Fort McHenry conditions, [Official], checked Oct 17, 2026).

What we found

From official sources

From visitors

Details not published

  • Which parts of the Star Fort interior aren't accessible.
  • Whether the scooter rule covers mobility scooters.
  • An access phone or email on the accessibility page.
  • Whether the wheelchairs are free.

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine

Category Rating
Overall 4.5 of 5 · Very accessible
Average of the 5 rated categories (4.4, rounds to 4.5); 4.5 is also the cap for a category with a Why.
Entry & Arrival 5 of 5 · Venue states ADA compliant
Facility-published info states it is ADA compliant; we have not personally verified this. "The Visitor and Education Center is ADA accessible," and "Entrance to the Star Fort and buildings are ADA accessible" (NPS: Fort McHenry accessibility, [Official]). Review check Oct 17, 2026 (TripAdvisor, 57 reviews checked): no contradiction.
Getting Around / Paths 4 of 5 · Very accessible
Why: The park says "The interior of the Star Fort is mostly accessible" (NPS: Fort McHenry accessibility, [Official]).
"The Star Fort is accessible from the Visitor Contact Station via a paved pathway," and "The Seawall Trail is paved and ADA accessible" (NPS: Fort McHenry accessibility, [Official]). Review check Oct 17, 2026 (TripAdvisor, 57 reviews checked): no contradiction. Not personally verified.
Restrooms 5 of 5 · Venue states ADA compliant
Facility-published info states it is ADA compliant; we have not personally verified this. "Restrooms inside the Visitor and Education Center and Star Fort are ADA accessible" (NPS: Fort McHenry accessibility, [Official]). Review check Oct 17, 2026 (TripAdvisor, 57 reviews checked): no contradiction. No information we found contradicts accessibility.
Parking & Drop-off 5 of 5 · Venue states ADA compliant
Facility-published info states it is ADA compliant; we have not personally verified this. "The main and overflow parking lots are ADA accessible. Reserved ADA parking is available on a first come, first served basis" (NPS: Fort McHenry accessibility, [Official]). Review check Oct 17, 2026 (TripAdvisor, 57 reviews checked): no contradiction.
Staff & Info 3 of 5 · Partly accessible
Why: Wheelchairs are lent, but they aren't stated as free, and the accessibility page gives no access phone or email.
"Wheelchairs are available to borrow upon request, just ask the front desk" (NPS: Fort McHenry accessibility, [Official]). Review check Oct 17, 2026 (TripAdvisor, 57 reviews checked): no contradiction. Not personally verified.

Entry, Restrooms and Parking score 5: the park says its visitor center, Star Fort entrance, restrooms and parking lots are ADA accessible. Paths is 4 because the park calls the Star Fort interior mostly accessible. Staff & Info is 3: wheelchairs are lent, but not stated as free, and there's no access contact on the accessibility page. Overall is 4.5.

Ratings tagged "not personally verified" rest on information the venue published or on trusted firsthand reports; we have not personally verified them.

Checked on Oct 17, 2026. Sources: NPS: Fort McHenry accessibility, NPS: Fort McHenry conditions and NPS: Fort McHenry contacts (official); TripAdvisor review, Aug 2025 visit (secondary); review check Oct 17, 2026, TripAdvisor, 57 reviews (secondary)