Overview: we really enjoyed this private farm campground. We stayed at site 1 of two sites. Per their policies each sure can accommodate 12 campers. The fire pit area and port-a-potty were both very clean and you can tell that they are taken care of well. You are able to drive right up to the camp area and we kept our car right next to our tent. There are nearby chickens, geese and pigs.
Host: our friends arrived prior to us and were greeted by the host. They said he was friendly and explained everything well and even had firewood already set up at the store that has been purchased by the previous campers. I thought this was incredibly nice considering they didn't have to leave the wood there for us.
Site: the sites are both grassy, level and well maintained. Both are easy to get to, although I wouldn't recommend attempting to drive to either in a small car. Site 1 is closer to the house, animals, potty and other buildings on the property. The fire pit area is clean and is surrounded by trees. Site 2 is more isolated but is still pretty close in distance to the animals, home and structures. However it is separated by a line of trees and you are camping more in a field. We choose site 1 die to its proximity to the bathroom and picnic tables because we were camping with small kids.
Bathroom: the bathroom is a port-a-potty and was cleaned right before our arrival. Several reviews I read mentioned that it was the cleanest port-a-potty they had ever seen and they were correct. It is surrounded by a privacy fence which was nice. It was relatively close to the site and was stocked with plenty of toilet paper and included hand sanitizer.
PROS:
Secluded
You have the entire site to yourself
Two options for camping with bathroom nearby
Nice hiking trails with varying lengths, easy to hike even for a 3 year old
CONS:
If you are a light sleeper the geese, rooster or planes may keep you awake
We did find a snake skin, but you are out in nature
The structures didn't give the best view, but you can always choose to face away from them or use site 2
Would definitely stay here again.
We stayed here for 3 nights at a back in with w/e. We enjoyed sitting around the campfire at night and walking the dogs down to the water. We were right next to a hiking trail that went down to the water and a beach area. We were working in Arlington/DC only a 25 min drive away and it was nice to come home to some nature.
This is our second time to this campground and our first in a new RV. Campground is very close to the Baltimore beltway and basically in a neighborhood but you feel like you are farther from things. Bathroom is clean and camp hosts are very friendly. Campsites are fairly close together but not right on top of each other. Lots of good hiking trails can be accessed from the campsite as well as a nice playground for the kids. One drawback is that the spot to check in is a little tricky to find and not very well marked. Overall we had a great visit and will be back.
We camped here with a group of families in the fall. The drive into the park was beautiful and made us feel we were many miles away from civilization even though we weren’t. The camp sites are spread out nicely with clean facilities. The bathrooms were particularly well heated! We almost didn’t want to leave after brushing our teeth. We loved our fall visit when the forest was the spectrum of reds, oranges and browns.
This site is right along the Potomac River. The water pump connects with a well, and is treated with iodine. Plenty of space for tents, and has a fire ring. Trailside for easy access.
Patapsco Valley offers 6 different entrances. Each one provides a several different trail heads and experiences. For camping or just spending a day out on the trail with the kids we prefer the Hilton entrance. There are two huge playgrounds and a youth campground as well as a family campground. The trails we have been on are all pretty moderate to hard but offer beautiful waterfalls and river views. This definitely is a park that takes a while to explore all of it. It cannot be done in a day. Which is nice. It's close enough to home that we can visit often and not get bored.
Brought our 5 and 7 year old kids here on a Dad’s weekend. Camping sites are standard and well spaced out. Bathroom facilities were very clean and I’d say even better maintained than most. Kids love this place because of the other activities like laser tag and the cart track. I wondered why a camp site needs these things and the fact is they don’t. But when I ask which camp site my kids had the most fun at, they said Little Bennet because of the activities. We prefer hiking as a family and staying away from crowds and this camp site wasn’t crowded or felt busy. It’s a quick drive from NOVA but just far enough where you feel away from it all.
I don’t think they need to show movies at night. Live music or something more interactive like a bon fire would help elevate the experience.
The Hilton entrance of Patapsco Valley Park is perfect for keeping the kids entertained. There is a huge playground, sensory trail and nature discovery center at the entrance to the park. The nature center was closed when we visited, but the kids still enjoyed the sensory trail and playground. It's the perfect little getaway from the city for camping, fishing and hiking. Be aware that neither the hiking trails or playground are stroller friendly.
My family and I have been coming to Sandy Point my entire life. It is a great little spot on the Chesapeake river. Our favorite thing to do is to fossil hunt for sharks teeth. In the summer it can get pretty crowded, so we prefer to visit in late spring while school is still in session. August is the worst month to visit if you like the water. Jellyfish take over with a vengeance!
This is where the British first landed for their march on Baltimore. Once landed, their fleet moved up into the harbor, to attack Fort McHenry. They also moved by water to Washington DC, to burn it.
As their army (almost 9000 strong) moved north toward Baltimore on North Point Rd., they contacted the local militia under John Stricker, (Brigadier General John Stricker (1758–1825). His troops used the heavy woods and brush to ambush and decimate their opposition at the battle of North Point. Most of the 9000 troops never made it to Baltimore, and as we all know from the Star Spangled Banner, Fort McHenry held the fleet.
North Point State Park was where it all started. The park is a great place to spend the day, and is very kid friendly. I wish I could say there were guides to give you a history tour, but you need to research that on your own. Picnics and fishing, with a nice play ground, top it off. You can also see the remnants of Old Bay Shore Park, one of the early 20th century play grounds for the well-to-do. It’s a great place to enjoy the quiet and natural setting of the Chesapeake Bay.
This was a great place to stay! Close t9 everything D.C. has to offer while being far enough away to be in the woods. We went during the fall, but the summer woukd be an ideal time to go so you can enjoy the water park and bay.
Roland Lake in Baltimore County is a great place to kayak on the Patapsco River. Tons of wildlife, facilities, and amenities for you and your family. The park was clean and it had knowledgable staff.
I only stopped here for a night while I was hiking the AT, but it was a welcome relief to get to a spot where I could wash off and have indoor plumbing for a night. The sites are nice, but seemed pretty close together. As far as campgrounds on the AT go, this is one of the nicer ones. The place also has fresh drinking water, another welcome site while on the AT.
All around great AT campground!
Harper's Ferry is a little town in WV nestled right next to the Potomac River. It's also a convenient halfwayish point on the Appalachian Trail. One of my friends and I stayed here while we were section hiking the AT. The campground is pretty nice, with cabins, tent sites, and RV sites. It's also got a lot of extra activities that you can do. Zip lining, tubing, rafting the Potomac, and even an adventure park, you name it. You definitely won't be bored wile staying at this campground.
Harper's Ferry is a pretty neat place too. There are some great restaurants, cool shops, and make sure to make a stop at the AT Conservatory. There you can see cool pictures of all the people who have through hiked the AT and learn more about it.
Speaking of the AT, there are great hiking and biking trails right around Harper's Ferry. You can even say you hiked all the way to Virginia from West Virginia. Just don't tell anyone that Harper's Ferry is right on the border.
The hike that leads to the lookout about harpers ferry was fantastic. This hike takes you well above the town settled in West Virginia. While some points are pretty steep don’t let this deter you from completing it. The trail is well maintained, marked, and exciting. It is filled with tons of history and when you walk across the bridge from the town be looking out for all the locks on the bridge that have been left behind by other avid hikers
This park has a wide range of activities for kids. The hike I did was not very long but was well worth it. The trail was well marked but there was some confusion at one point on where we were suppose to go. Luckily I had an app that kept me on trail. There are some pretty cool Bridges, old houses, and a water fall. I recommend this to any beginner hikers.
The Oak Ridge campgrounds at Prince William Forest Park are a lovely little campground just outside Washington DC. The sites were large, the facilities are clean and the staff friendly and helpful.
We stayed the last weekend in September for a quick one night stay. We needed to get out of DC and found this spot to be the perfect ticket. There were heavy rains the whole week prior to our stay and when we got to our site (it is one of the lowest spots of B loop) was a little too wet for us (our three kids would have love it, just not us). The campground host was very accommodating and told us to pick any spot on the first come/first serve A loop. We were able to find a very nice spot and the host came to us to change the forms around.
The free firewood is nice but be sure to pick is up (next to the water tower by the entrance to the campground) when you check in so you don’t have to carry it, or make a separate trip. The wood was sitting out, so it was a little wet, but all fresh, no rot. I would recommend having a hatchet or camp knife to split the corded wood to account for the wetness.
The A loop bathroom facility was clean with a nice service sink, but no showers. The B loop facility does have showers and is also very nice (we didn’t swing through C loop so we can’t speak to those facilities).
We went cycling as a family and though did not go too far (young kids) the park is a fantastic place to ride bicycles. There is only one short hiking loop from the campground, but other trails which will take you on a longer loop. All the hiking loops are accessible via car or our choice (once the kids are old enough) bicycle.
We enjoyed our stay and will be coming back, even for a quick one night stay to break up the busy city life.
The Seneca Creek State Park is convenient, peaceful, clean, and a great place to unwind from the hustle and bustle of the city without having to drive far. Highly recommended!
Gorgeous spot on the river. Small campground with not a lot of amenities BUT THAT RIVER IS GORGEOUS. Lots of activities - tubing, zip lining, fishing.
Extremely over crowded in the summer. The park closes daily very early as it hits capacity. The best times to go are winter, spring, and fall. Lights on the Bay is a great Christmas light drive thru that's over a mile long. Great host for the polar bear plunge.
We were at site 430. It was a perfect spot tucked away from the others and a short walk to the restrooms. You can purchase firewood from the camp hosts nearby as well. The fire pit at this site was a little difficult to cook with because the grate was very high and could not be lowered. Overall we had a great time exploring the park especially the nearby railroad track. Would visit again.
We had a great time here over a long weekend in August. The check in is a breeze and the staff is super nice and helpful. They gave us a great intro to the park as we were first timers. They informed us that they had a scavenger hunt for the kids going all weekend, they had an outdoor movie scheduled for Friday night, a campfire story time scheduled for Saturday night and crafts scheduled for Sunday morning. This was music to our ears as we camp with our 3 and 1 year old. There is also a pool/water park in the park as well as a nice network of trails. There is plenty of things to do here to keep a family occupied.
We got a site on thr inner loop and it backed to the playground and the bathhouse. The site was spacious. We are tent campers but almost all our neighbors were in an RV or trailer. The site had water and electric which was nice. The bathhouse is standard but also has laundry and an outdoor dish washing station. The campground was quiet which is nice.
This was an amazing weekend for us and we will definitely be back. There is boat rental a short walk down the trsil from the campgrounds and the pool and disc golf course are another short trail walk away.
I asked myself what was the closest location I could find to Great Falls when making a day of this area. 3 miles was about as close as I could get, and while in this area a lot can happen in 3 miles it was well worth the traffic I faced, the driving in and out of the "city" and the overall discovery of this location as it was.
Let me just start by saying I expected to find this and just go to Great Falls, but had I have known that it had so many different things around I would have probably extended my stay a bit. There was a waterpark and outdoor sports area where you could enjoy so many activities. And then there was the lake itself!! Bike trails, hiking trails and equestrian trails surround this area and I honestly could have spent so much more time just enjoying this space because of all the interesting things there were to do right in front of me.
But with all good things there is also a price point that has to match and I will say that this one is a bit steep at $28 on week days or $31 on weekends for a regular tent camper with no electricity. For those needing hook ups that extends even more so to $37 or $45 for RVs depending on length on weekday to $41 or $50 for weekends.
That really was the deal breaker for me the price. While I was there on a weekday, the following day was a weekend and that hike though not but a few dollars was hard to swallow in an already kind of expensive primitive site.
TIPS:
- If you are a senior make sure to mention this, you get a large discount on sites when staying here.
- Check out the marina where you can rent paddle boats and other items for water fun.
- Take the 3 mile drive to Great Falls, it is amazing and if not there on a weekend you will have many of the trails to yourself. During weekends it is a popular spot for families with only a $10 per car price tag.
Sometimes big reward comes to those willing to walk a little, as is the case with this one. This one is officially marked at the 16 mile mark and if you are willing to go you are rewarded by campgrounds every so many miles. There are only a few spots and it is first come first serve here but well worth it to see the nature around you!!
I didn't know what exactly to expect of this site but when I got there was so happy I tried to get here!!!
Great hiker site!! Fire ring is present and plenty of firewood. Downside the chemical toilet was pretty gross and the picnic table had seen better days.
I would say this is one of those spaces that you basically are in the middle of the action without feeling it at all. In fact this entire area is remotely non-remote if that makes any sense. This campground, in the area of the Bull Run incident is one of those areas that even through you have amenities of the city you can quietly reflect on relaxing without driving far.
With that being said, the sites are between $27 and $45 depending on what you are looking for. My primitive site was $27, which was a little steep but again you are given a nice large "family" style camping space with typical amenities.
The showers in the 2 bath houses are both HOT, which was great considering how sore my muscles were from camping for weeks at this point. The restroom was in pretty decent shape but clearly well used. Something I did rely on at this campsite which I typically do not was the camp store, I picked up firewood here and had a nice campfire to relax in the evening. MUCH NEEDED.
I was pretty pleased overall with the campsite, it was not to crowded despite having a lot of other campers staying and it had great proximity to several things in the Manasas area including the battlefield which were interesting ways to spend the day. I even got to check out a live demo of the weapons including muskets and canons which made a cool experience only 5 minutes from camp.
TIPS:
- Sunday Traffic is a bit intense because of a local church so make sure you are being careful, there are a lot of patrols in the area at this time.
- If you forget something the camp store has just about everything from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Check out one of the over 15 trails in the area designed for hiking, biking and horseback riding. So many options depending on what you are looking for. Also… there are a lot of geocaches in the area if you enjoy that.
When I was checking out this site I wasn't sure how it would work out exactly. It seemed close to the METRO, which made for a great option when exploring the DC area and had been raved bout as a great escape for those with larger rigs, but how would that translate for me as a tent camper?
I went ahead and booked for the days I would be there in good faith and spent $100 for 5 days ($20 per night) a great deal by far in comparison to a lot of the other sites I had explored.
I arrived later in the evening that I had expected and the booth was closed (something I learned is common practice since they have changed over from cash to reservations only for this site). I found my receipt from my online booking and pulled up a map on my phone of the loops to help me find the site, it was pretty simple as only the B and D loops were open at the time I was visiting.
Traffic in and out of the camp loops are one way and they have signs posted that you need to back into your sites. I found my site which was close to the bath house and before setting up my tent made my rounds. The bath house had 1 shower per bath house per gender with 2 bath houses per loop. I was a little concerned about what would happen if it got busy with those accommodations, however it never seemed to be an issue.
My site was facing the road to the other loops, which initially concerned me about noise, but because of limited traffic due to loop closures it never was an issue either. The site was pretty even but did have some rocks in the area where my pad would be so I had to do a little clearing.
I had a picnic table but no grill at this site, although others did have grills available. I set up my small cooker on the picnic table and while cooking dinner noticed a family of deer grazing close by, a great way to settle in for the evening.
The camp host came by and welcomed me before I was fully set up for the evening and was great!!!
After staying here for a week I was so pleased by the quiet nature of the campground, the overall feeling of the outdoor space (every morning birds and squirrels) and the proximity to the METRO (only about 10 minutes with traffic).
TIPS:
- Reserve online - this is a NO CASH facility which means you CANNOT pay upon arrival so you will have to do so online.
- Drive slowly - there are a lot of people who use this space as a green space for walking and running. There is no shoulder so you share the road space with those enjoying this space so be careful.
- No hanging things from trees. Even if you love a hammock you cannot hang them at this park on the trees so make sure you are aware of this before camping here.
- Book a campfire. You can inquire with the ranger on duty about using the group facility for campfires and gatherings which is located on the back side of the B Loop.
- Take the METRO if you are going into the District. There are two stations very close to camp (Greenbelt and University Park). Rides vary depending on how far you are going but on average I spent about $10 per day on METRO versus $20-$40 on parking in the district area and I could come and go as I pleased with a little walking as opposed to having to drive aimlessly until I could find parking in garages which can be very difficult. There was also a small charge to park at the METRO daily but still even with this cost it was more reasonable than attempting to drive around the city and a lot faster as well.
