Standard (Tent/RV)
Group
RV Sites
Tent Sites
Drinking Water
Fires Allowed
Pets Allowed
About McCoy's Ferry Campground
The McCoys Ferry Campground is located at Mile 110.4 on the C&O Canal Towpath, between the towns of Big Pool and Big Spring on the Maryland side of the Potomac River. The campsites are drive-in, large enough to park a very small fifth wheel/travel trailer/RV/pop-out with a 20' ft. maximum. McCoys Ferry has a tunnel access which limits vehicle height to 10' 3".
Recreation
The most popular activity for McCoys Ferry campers is boating and fishing. The campground has a boat ramp for easy access to the Potomac River for kayakers and fisherman alike. Be sure to acquire a Maryland Fishing License for those age 16 or older.
Facilities
The campground has 12 single drive-in campsites. Each single will accommodate up to eight people. Single campsites have a picnic table, fire ring and grill. There is one group site available with space for two vehicles and a small trailer or support vehicle less than 20 ft. The group site can accommodate 30 people and has four picnic tables with grill and fire pit. Protected pit toilets and accessible portable toilets are available. Potable hand pump water is available April 15 - November 1. No motor vehicle traffic is allowed on the towpath. Parking is allowed in the drive-in campsites and the adjacent parking lot for vehicles with trailers.
Natural Features
Tucked in the mountains of Western Maryland and adjacent to Ft. Frederick State Park, experience the history and culture of the area as well as its natural beauty, which is plentiful all times of the year, but especially during autumn.
Nearby Attractions
Fort Frederick State Park is located nearby, a rare pre-Revolution stone fort from the French & Indian War. Living History programming is available weekends in the summer.
ADA Access: N
Sites
26
Price
$20.00 - $40.00
Operator
National Park Service
Access
Drive In
Walk In
Boat In
Features
No Alcohol
Drinking Water
No Electric Hookups
Fires Allowed
No Firewood Available
No Market
Pets Allowed
Phone Service
Picnic Table
Reservable
No Showers
Toilets
No Trash
No WiFi
+ More
RVs and Trailers
No Sanitary Dump
No Sewer Hookups
No Water Hookups
Max Length: 20 ft.
Contact
Location
McCoy's Ferry Campground is located in Maryland
Directions
From Hagerstown: Take I-70W to Exit 18 towards Clear Springs. Make a left onto U.S. Route 40. About a mile later make another left on Martin Street. This road will head out of town for a few miles. Make a right on MD Route 56. Then a few miles later make a left on McCoys Ferry Rd. The road will dead end at the campground after passing under the tunnel.
5 Reviews of McCoy's Ferry Campground
Peaceful and serene
Nice sized camping spot; clean, shaded..arrived Labor Day afternoon. Once boats and recreational craft were out of the water, quiet descended on the campground. River quiet next day, too. No noisy generators or guests, and people there were spaced out and not on top of one another. Portapotties had been cleaned the Friday before; surprised there was tissue, since the reservation site advised us to bring our own…
Trains comes by, but that didn’t bother us..
Nice, small campground with plenty of bathrooms
Stayed 9/3/2020-$20/night
Site 7
Small campground at the end of a dead end road. As you travel towards the end of McCoys Ferry Road, make sure to stay right, as to pass through the tunnel.
I had the choice of all sites when booking and chose site 7 because it was on the water and was the most"remote". Unfortunately, everything was so overgrown, we had no view of the river whatsoever. We had our morning coffee on site 6 to enjoy the view. We only stayed the one night and got in after dark. Would have been pretty disappointed if we were staying longer and didn't have the view that we should have had.
The road to the campground can be off-putting in the dark, but it was pretty easy to find. The tunnel you pass under is train tracks. The train came through multiple times and you WILL hear it. There were 2 or 3 pairs of porta-potties spread out and a vault toilet at the entrance/picnic area. A firepit, grill and picnic table is at each site. I think$20 is a little steep for comparative campgrounds, but it was a nice place to stay.
DareToEverywhere
Large sites
I reserved a camping site here for a weekend. The site was very large and fairly spread out from the other sites unlike most campsites. We had a really nice view of the lake.
When we first arrived someone had set up camp at our reserved site. After talking to them they packed up and left after I denied their request to “share” the site with them. I’m sure this doesn’t happen often but it was worth noting. The site two down from ours had some pretty rowdy campers and what sounded like a pretty intense dog fight.
This was definitely not a quiet campsite as most campers were either partying late into the nite or yelling obscenities at each other. The park ranger was out more than once to intervene.
While I did enjoy the actual size and location of the site I don’t think I would stay again.
It’s also worth noting that the only bathrooms were two sets of Porto potties. No sinks or showers
Quiet Camp Next to river and trail
Basic site along the Potomac River. No showers and just a vault toilet and a few porta-johns.
Boat ramp and easy access to the CO canal trail for easy hiking and biking.
Overall, good experience
This campground offers spacious sites and a pretty convenient location on the cheap. I stayed here Saturday into Sunday and reserved my site ahead of time. Google maps street view has images of the campground, use this if you want to see what sites look like ahead of time - it is a bit overgrown on the riverside today. I’ve seen reviews mentioning squatters… I didn’t notice anyone but then again, I arrived early and set up camp. I can see how some might show up and not realize a site is booked in advance. There’s little privacy between sites but most are far enough apart. Portable bathrooms were clean. Downtown Williamsport is 20 minutes away. C&O trail is steps away. Lots of families with kids but everyone settled down around 11. Fire ring and picnic table at each site. I packed water so didn’t see if the pump was working. The train does go through twice overnight and it is loud but still got a decent night of sleep.
