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Best Tent Camping near New Market, MD

1,018 Reviews

Tent camping options near New Market, Maryland include established sites along the Appalachian Trail and within the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Annapolis Rock Campground provides primitive tent sites accessible via a moderately difficult 2-mile hike from Route 40, while Dahlgren Backpacker Campground offers tent camping specifically for multi-day Appalachian Trail hikers. Gathland State Park Campground provides additional tent-only accommodations in the region.

Most tent campgrounds in the area require hiking or walking to access sites, with limited or no vehicle access. Annapolis Rock prohibits campfires due to restoration efforts, though most other sites permit fires in designated rings. Seasonal water access varies, with some campgrounds offering treated pump water marked with iodine. Patapsco Valley State Park operates from April through October, while Antietam Creek Campground is available from May to October. Portable toilets or basic restroom facilities are standard at most locations, but shower availability is limited to select sites like Dahlgren Backpacker Campground.

Tent campers in the area should prepare for varying levels of privacy and noise. A review mentioned that "the train tracks are close so it can be pretty noisy" at sites along the C&O Canal, recommending earplugs for overnight stays. Sites along the Appalachian Trail provide natural settings with limited amenities but often feature scenic views. According to one visitor, Annapolis Rock offers "beautiful views and all kinds of single pitch rock climbing," though campers should "be careful for the copperheads that come warm up on the rocky overlook." Primitive tent setups at Dahlgren feature a "large grassy area to pitch tents" rather than individual designated sites, creating a communal camping experience for through-hikers. Many tent camping areas provide access to natural springs for water, though treatment is recommended.

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Best Tent Sites Near New Market, Maryland (28)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near New Market, MD

36 Photos of 28 New Market Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near New Market, MD

1018 Reviews of 28 New Market Campgrounds

  • RL
    Apr. 13, 2021

    Sky Meadows State Park Campground

    Great views, primitive camping

    We hiked the one mile into the campground and stayed for a night. It was a pretty flat walk from the overnight parking area to the campground. In the campground there is one bathroom facility with two vault toilets (although one of the doors was locked while we were there, which was unpleasant with a full campground). No running water or showers in the bathhouses. Non-potable water pump is near the restroom. Boil water at least three minutes before consuming. There are two areas with firewood (purchase when you check in or pay $6 cash at the kiosk - honor system). Each site has a bear box, fire ring, picnic table, tent pad with pea gravel, and a lantern pole. Definitely will be back!

    The park has wide open rolling hills and mountain views. Lots of families picnicking and flying kites 🪁💙

  • Lucas B.
    Jul. 2, 2017

    Sky Meadows State Park Campground

    Awesome foray into backpacking

    Came here for the first time in February 2017 to do a shakedown on some new backpacking and camping gear. Super friendly staff and easy check in process. Parking is in a locked lot steps away from trail head which leads to campsites about a mile away. Campsites are in a wooded area of park well away from other park attractions so it's very quiet. Sites are spaced far apart and come with tent pad, picnic table, fire pit and lantern pole. Non potable water is available via hand pump near rest rooms. Rest rooms are very nice and clean. No showers. This was one of my favorite camping experiences ever and I will definitely be back!

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 31, 2019

    Greenbrier State Park Campground - TEMPORARILY CLOSED

    Nice hiking opportunities!

    Ranger Review: Firebiner and Fiber Light Fire Starter at Greenbrier State Park

    **Campground Review: **

    We were here one week before this campground closed for the season (open April through October) and it was so quiet that it was hard to imagine what it is like in the summer when the beach is open and the campground is likely full. There are four loops; two with no hookups and no pets allowed, one with no hookups that allow pets and one with electric sites that allow pets. Each site is clearly defined, and the sites all appeared level with gravel pads. The bathrooms were reasonable. There are several trails in the campground plus it is close to several AT day hikes.

    There is a large day-use area and beach with lots of picnic tables. While the beach was closed for swimming, we saw a kayaker and two people fishing from a boat. Many hiking trails and this is an excellent place to camp if you’d like to do AT day hikes.

    ------------------------- 

    Product Review: 

    As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I have the opportunity to test products. At this campground, we tested the Firebiner and Fiber Light Fire Starter by Outdoor Elements. I’m reviewing both products since they can be used together, and we had much more luck with one than the other. 

    Upon unpacking my box from Outdoor Elements, my first experience was that it took a sharp knife to free the Firebiner from its cardboard backing, which was not an auspicious start. Once at our campground, we were able to use the safety blade to easily open the plastic packaging on our firewood. Unfortunately, it took several tries by two men trying the Firebiner to get a spark; they had to really crank on it, and it was not enough to light a fire. I’m guessing that with more patience and practice, it would have worked. Admittedly, we are car campers and not backpackers (and have the luxury of being able to carry/use a butane lighter), but I was looking forward to trying a new method. 

    We did use the Fiber Light Fire Starter and using our tried and true fire-starting methods, we got a roaring fire started very quickly. So, we had a 50% success! Packed in a small tin, you only need a pinch to easily get a fire started so we will use this in the future. 

    We also used the cutting tool on the Firebiner a few days later to remove the wristband from an activity we participated in and also used it to hang our lantern on a hook; this little tool is very strong (did not test but appreciate the 100-pound weight limit). I appreciate that it can also be used as a screwdriver, so the Firebiner is truly a multi-use tool!

  • Michelle N.
    Aug. 13, 2020

    Antietam Creek Campground — Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

    Great Site Along the Potomac River

    Stayed one night on 8/9.

    This is such a nice little spot right along the Potomac River. All sites are walk-in only, which means you park on the street, cross the bridge over the C&O and towpath, and then down a little hill to your site. When my dog and I arrived, someone was still there, but after letting them know I had this spot reserved, they promptly packed out. There were no camp hosts on-site and nowhere to check in. 

    There isn't much privacy between you and your neighbors (or the C&O towpath so be prepared to see bikers, walkers, and runners). Each site has a grill, fire pit, and picnic table. I stayed at Site 11 which had its own path down to the Potomac River. It was quite steep for my bum knees and ankles, but I saw kids easily run up and down it. The Potomac is mostly flat with some "swirlies" for experienced paddlers. I also saw some people tubing. 

    There's one bathroom area- 2 pit toilets and 2 portapotties. There is nowhere to leave trash, so be sure to follow Leave No Trace principles and pack everything out with you. The sites are fully or mostly shaded. Be prepared to make friends with bugs, but they shouldn't bother you. Also great news- no mosquitoes! 

    I have Verizon and had better service by my car on the road than at the actual campsite. At the site I could make calls but couldn't check the internet. Other than a few check-in calls to family, I was looking to unplug for the night. 

    I ended up not sleeping overnight due to a personal health issue, but I am looking forward to coming back when it's a little cooler.

  • Reba H.
    May. 2, 2023

    Sky Meadows State Park Campground

    Please don't treat this like car camping

    I understand why people are lugging wheeled carts a mile into this campground, but it is technically not allowed. This is a backcountry/backpacking experience. Most of the hike-in is on Hadow Trail, which is dirt, not gravel. It is technically an equestrian trail too, but there's no way a horse could make it without breaking an ankle right now; the trail is so worn down by wheeled cart usage that the park has created a service project on the American Hiking Society's website calling for volunteers to do restoration work on Hadow Trail on this year's upcoming National Trails Day.

    I hiked in while it was raining, and the mud wasn't as bad as I'd feared. However, the worn down parts of the trail attracted rainwater drainage, and the runoff narrowed the trail significantly. When I got to Boston Mill Rd Trail, which is gravel, the hike was easy, until the spur turning into the campground, when the trek goes uphill. If your site is further back, you will be hiking up and down many hills throughout the campground. The hills are fantastic for helping each site feel like a little private oasis. Even if the campground is full, I think most of the sites would still feel shaded and private because of how they're dispersed throughout the hills. 

    My site bordered the buddy site and scout group sites at the beginning of the campground, so there was noise from loud kids but not as bad as I thought it might be. I was still able to enjoy peace and quiet, as the group respected quiet hours and was busy hiking the rest of the state park during the daytime, so don't shy away from this site if it's the only one available. The group sites also have their own latrine at the beginning of the campground, which pleasantly surprised me because this meant there were two latrines fairly close to each other, just to accommodate projected usage. There are many thoughtful details like this throughout the design of the campground facilities. 

    For a backcountry campground, I was SO impressed with how stocked and clean everything was. Firewood is $8 (honor system), but there was some leftover at my site already. My firepit had a quality grill gate too. There are LOTS of bear trash cans available, and having a bear box at my campsite to store my food/trash/toiletries was so much easier than hanging a bear bag. If it hadn't rained, I also would've been able to use the hammock posts at my site (you could use these to hang a clothesline too if you wanted). When I talked over the phone with a ranger, she told me that only a few campsites didn't have hammock stands. If you think a lantern is worth its weight to carry in, there's a lantern post on the tent pad. I loved how level the tent pad was even on a hill. I couldn't figure out how to use the potable water pump, but there are plentiful creeks you can filter water from.

    Overall, this is a fantastic campground for a beginner backpacking experience in the real backcountry. Use the Avenza Maps app that the park has its map uploaded into, and you won't get lost finding the overnight parking/self check-in station like I did. Know the gate code of this area before you go. The gate takes a hard push and pull. If you're prepared for all this, you'll arrive at camp before dusk when the wild animals come out. At night I saw white-tailed deer and heard owls and cattle! During the day I saw/heard SOOO many birds on the South Ridge Trail and found a bear track after the Cpt. Morgan Trail on the creek side of Hadow Trail!! If all this sounds awful rather than exciting to you, just drive in for the day and stick to the historic areas rather than venture into the park's backcountry areas.

  • Amy S.
    Jul. 17, 2018

    Sky Meadows State Park Campground

    Great hike in campground

    It's about a mile hike in to the campground, which sits in the woods in the park. Firewood is available for sale and there are fire rings with grates and a picnic table. Sites are large enough for three one person tents. Pit toilets, no showers, cell service. Make sure you bring a bear bag or box with you.

  • Nick C.
    Jun. 19, 2022

    Owens Creek Campground — Catoctin Mountain Park

    Cozy and Clean - Lots of Firewood

    The sites are very clean but close to each Other. You can hear the kids and families and all that. The sites have a nice mulched tent pad, fire ring / grill grate, lantern pole and picnic table. There is a firewood hut at the entrance and you can take what you need - just leAve a donation. The bathrooms are very clean and there’s some trails around the creek (dry creek/ nothing impressive)

  • Craig F.
    Jul. 1, 2019

    Gifford Pinchot State Park Campground

    Fun Camping and Lake Activities

    We had a wonderful stay at Gifford Pinchot State Park! 

    The camping area at GP is separated into A loop and B loops with approximately 300 sites. All sites had a paved pad, varying in size depending on the location, with tent site being smaller. Most sites have electric and there are 22 full hookup sites in the camping area. Both loops are peninsulas into the lake, which is convenient to launching boats directly from many sites. Loop A is closer to the designated swimming area with a sandy beach and playground. B loop is closer to many of the hiking trails and also several boat launch areas. It is nice that the camping area and amenities are separated from the public day use area. At the entrance to the camping area there are three dump stations. 

    During our stay we were at a full hookup site which was very spacious and often hard to find in PA State Parks. Our site was#299 and for some reason the entire site was paved/blacktop, which was different than all the other sites where the pad was paved and the picnic table area was gravel/grass. While this site made it easy to level our camper, it became quite hot in the afternoon/evening after the sun had baked it all day.

    Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed GP and couldn’t believe we hadn’t visited before because it is a great state park. Wood is available for purchase at the campground hosts’ sites and ice at the park office. As with most PA state parks, quiet hours are at 9:00PM, which is a bit early, and there is no alcohol allowed in the park. We look forward to returning to GP in the future.

  • Laura M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 11, 2023

    Greenbelt Park Campground — Greenbelt Park

    Beautiful campground, and great for visiting DC

    Beautiful campground, fairly large with 4 separate loops. Loop A is for organized groups/youth/scouts, Loop B is for tents and RVs under 30 ft, Loop C is for tents, and Loop D is for tents and RVs under 35 ft. No hookups at any of the sites.

    There’s a dump station and drinking water fill in loop C (sorry tenters who wanted to avoid RVs). The water fill was a little annoying in that there’s a handle you have to hold down the whole time, but we used a rock to prop the handle down. 

    The bathhouses are ok, happy to have free showers with hot running water. Faucets allow you to control the temperature and there’s continuous running water (no button to push). There’s only one large shower per bath house, and you only have a curtain (no door and no lock). Sites vary in levelness, some are fairly level and some are on a mini hill. Driveways are all very narrow. Most have too much tree cover for solar or starlink, but some sites are more open and you might be able to make it work. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. Cost is $20/night, must reserve on recreation.gov, and you can do that when you arrive and pick a site (no service fee for this site)

    Cell service is pretty good for Verizon and ATT. 

    No alcohol allowed in the park. 

    GETTING TO DC: There’s normally a walking path from the campground to the metro station that takes you into DC (the green line takes you to the National Mall), but as of Oct 2023 the bridge is out due to a storm, and by the looks of it it’s been out a while and it doesn’t appear that it will be fixed soon. So what we did, since we don’t have a tow car, and just have our 26ft motorhome, is we packed up and drove to the Greenbelt station about 5 miles away, parked there for the day, and took the green line into town. The lot there is huge and open and free on weekends. Weekdays it’s about $5/day if you take the metro, and about $9 if you’re just parking there. The College Park station is closer but is apparently a parking garage (can’t confirm because we didn’t go to that station). This worked very well for us. You can pay for the metro with an app or get a card, either way it costs you $2 to buy the card, and then $2 each way on the train. Everyone over age 5 needs their own card, no sharing one card. The train ride from the Greenbelt station to the national mall is about 30 min. Get off at the Archives station to be in the center of all the sites.

Guide to New Market

Tent camping near New Market, Maryland sits within the Appalachian Highlands, where elevations range from 300 to 1,700 feet above sea level. The region's humid continental climate creates distinct seasons with summer temperatures averaging 75-85°F during peak camping months. Many sites require a moderate hike for access, typically ranging from 1-2 miles with elevation gains up to 800 feet.

What to do

Climbing and hiking: Annapolis Rock Campground offers access to single pitch rock climbing opportunities along the Appalachian Trail. According to one visitor, the cliffs at Annapolis Rock "offer beautiful views and all kinds of single pitch rock climbing" making it a destination for both campers and day climbers.

Water activities: Multiple campsites provide river access for paddling and swimming. At Antietam Creek Campground, "the Potomac is mostly flat with some 'swirlies' for experienced paddlers. I also saw some people tubing," notes one reviewer who appreciated the water access despite the steep path to reach it.

Nature exploration: Patapsco Valley State Park features a sensory trail and nature discovery center near the camping area. A camper mentions, "There is a huge playground, sensory trail and nature discovery center at the entrance to the park" which provides educational opportunities for visitors interested in local ecology.

What campers like

Natural water sources: Many tent sites in the area feature springs for drinking water. At Annapolis Rock Campground, there's "a really nice spring near the campsites" and "two bear poles, one near the beginning of the campsite trail and one closer to the spring," making water collection convenient for overnight hikers.

Restoration efforts: Conservation work has improved camping conditions at several sites. One camper noted Annapolis Rock "has undergone major restorations and preventative measures to reverse the damage from huge camping crowds of the past," showing the area's commitment to sustainability.

Historical connections: Camping areas often connect to significant historical sites. At Antietam Creek Campground, a visitor appreciated that "it's nice being so close to cool historical stuff" while still enjoying riverside camping, combining outdoor recreation with educational opportunities.

What you should know

Parking logistics: Many sites require walk-in access from designated parking areas. At Antietam Creek, "you have to park on the opposite side of the canal and walk to your campsite. If you got one close to the bridge over the canal then you're 100ft from the car, but if not then it could be a little bit of a walk."

Seasonal operations: Most New Market tent camping options operate on limited schedules. Patapsco Valley State Park is only open "April 1 to October 30" while Antietam Creek operates from "May 1 to October 1," requiring advance planning for camping trips.

Wildlife awareness: Campers should be prepared for local wildlife encounters. According to a visitor to Annapolis Rock, campers should "be careful for the copperheads that come warm up on the rocky overlook," highlighting the importance of proper footwear and vigilance on trails.

Weather considerations: Rain can significantly impact camping conditions. One camper at Patapsco Valley noted, "when it rains it really flushes through the grounds. We had a site on the lower end of the loop and our site was hard to set up as we arrived during a storm."

Tips for camping with families

Playground access: Several campgrounds feature extensive play areas for children. At Patapsco Valley State Park, "there is a massive playground, nature play space, sensory trail, and a small nature center. There are a lot of easy, but beautiful hikes."

Trail difficulty: Consider trail ratings when planning hikes with children. One parent noted that at Patapsco Valley "the trails we have been on are all pretty moderate to hard but offer beautiful waterfalls and river views" and that "neither the hiking trails or playground are stroller friendly."

Mini cabins: For families new to camping, consider cabin options. A visitor to Patapsco Valley appreciated "the neat mini cabins. Small one room cabins that have electricity and heat. They are a nice touch for those that want to camp, but not completely 'rough it.'"

Tips for RVers

Limited RV access: Most tent camping areas near New Market have restricted vehicle access. At Dahlgren Backpacker Campground, the site is "open only to multi-day backpackers" with no RV accommodations, indicating RVers should research alternative locations.

Electric options: While rare, some sites do offer electrical hookups for small RVs. Patapsco Valley State Park provides "electric hookups" at select sites, though a reviewer mentions it's "not big-rig-friendly," limiting options to smaller recreational vehicles.

Tent platforms: Many camping areas use crushed stone tent pads. One camper at Patapsco Valley noted "the crushed stone at the sites isn't comfortable for tents, and they won't let you pitch it on the ground, so bring extra pads and alternative ways to secure the tent to the ground."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near New Market, MD?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near New Market, MD is Annapolis Rock Campground — Appalachian National Scenic Trail with a 4.4-star rating from 5 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near New Market, MD?

TheDyrt.com has all 28 tent camping locations near New Market, MD, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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