Do you love the outdoors and horses? If you're looking for a rustic but comfortable experience, horse camping in Bel Air is the way to go. Whether you own a horse or are joining a tour group, equestrian camping is an adventurous and unique way to experience the city. These scenic and easy-to-reach Maryland campsites are perfect for your horse camping excursion.
The newly-renovated campground offers sites with three-point hookups (water, electric and sewer), as well as four horse campsites without hookups. If you prefer a bed to a bedroll, stay in one of our yurts! These round stationary structures with canvas walls feature a single and double bed bunked together, a double bed-sized futon, an outdoor seating area, and outdoor deck. Campgrounds at Cape Henlopen, Killens Pond, Lums Pond and Trap Pond State Park are open year-round. The Cottages at Indian River Marina are also open year-round, and the campground at Delaware Seashore State Park is open year-round, although during the winter months, it is open for self-contained units only. The Division of Parks and Recreation has a Central Reservation Service. Although reservations are not required, we strongly recommend that you make one to ensure that accommodations are available. There is no additional expense to make a reservation. Reservations can be placed for campgrounds, cabins, yurts, the Cottages at Indian River Marina, and Fort Delaware tours, and Killen's Pond Waterpark..
$6 - $42 / night
Tuckahoe Creek, a quiet country stream bordered for most of its length by wooded marshlands, runs through the length of the park. A 60-acre lake offers boating and fishing.
The park has 20 miles of scenic hiking, biking and equestrian trails, flat water canoeing, hunting, picnicking, as well as a recycled tire playground for children.
Activities include day camps, canoe trips, Scales & Tales presentations and displays. Each weekend, Memorial Day through Labor Day, park staff offer a number of free family activities. Check out flyers posted throughout the park or call the park office for more details.
Accessible picnic areas, visitors' center, playgrounds, restrooms, campground facilities, and hunting areas are very popular.
$21 - $70 / night
Open for camping 365 days a year at a cost of $25 per night per site. Online reservations only and credit card is required. Blackbird State Forest, located on the border of New Castle and Kent Counties, is Delaware's northernmost state forest. It is only a 30-minute commute from Wilmington and Newark. The ten tracts of Blackbird State Forest are open year-round at no cost to the public for nature walks, hiking, jogging, and horseback riding. The forest features a 1/2-mile, wheelchair-accessible wildlife and nature interpretation trail on the Tybout Tract as well as the Blackbird Education Center on the Meadows Tract.
$25 / night
This is for equestrian camping (reservation only) and youth groups.
The campground is open Friday and Saturday nights only. Two camping units are permitted at each site, one unit must be a tent. Sleeping in personal vehicles is not permitted.
$15 - $50 / night
Need wide-open space to unwind while enjoying some locally crafted wine and beer? We've got you! Our farm has 30 private acres of open fields, rolling terrain, wooded areas, and a running stream for wading and exploring. We are a scenic and easy 10 min drive from I-70 New Market, MD. Hang out with family and friends at your private campsite or enjoy music and libations at one of the many local wineries/breweries- most have weekend music festivals and food trucks during spring, summer, and fall months. Located in walking distance(1 mile) to Linganore Winery and Red Shedman Brewery, we are centrally located to eight other wineries and breweries that are an easy ten minute drive through scenic Frederick County farmland. Hiking more your thing? The Appalachian Trail is a mere 30 min drive and the historic C&O Canal(great for biking, jogging, hiking, and horseback riding) is a 30 min drive as well. Kayaking, tubing, rafting, and horseback riding are available in historic Harper's Ferry(35 mins) too. While there, you can check out the local shops, the C&O canal, hiking trails, and a self-guided tour of John Brown's Raid. There are plenty of local creameries(working dairy farms selling homemade ice cream, cheeses, and more) and farmer's markets for fresh farm to table fruits, veggies, and meats. Fine dining, history, and quaint antique stores more your thing? We've got you there too! Historic Mount Airy(10 mins) has lots of specialty shops and some farm to table restaurants, New Market(10 mins) has a plethora of quaint antiques stores, and Frederick(20 mins) has lots and lots of speciality shops and farm to table restaurants. Take a walk back in time with us when agriculture and farming reigned supreme!
$22 - $100 / night
Scout
super pretty. shower up in the dark but was super easy to navigate with a map. people super friendly.
Traveler
Did stay here after visting Vicksburg. Nice clean restrooms and showers. Friendly hostess and we had a nice shady spot, what was great with a heat of 94F.
Guide
We were looking to explore Maryland's Eastern Shore and picked Tuckaho because they had electric sites available. We were so pleased with our stay. The campground is well maintained and the sites are great. We have a small travel trailer and our site was pretty level and nicely private. We backed up to a hiking trail which was nice. There's lots to do here. There's a disc golf course and the camp store has discs available to use. We've never played before but had a blast learning, now we're hooked. We also enjoyed kayaking on the lake. If you enjoy birding this park is great, we saw so many cool birds. There's an arboretum and horse riding trails. We will definitely be going back!
Guide
Had a nice time camping for two nights. If you like small breweries, about 20 minutes away is Stewarts Brewpub. They have been around since the 1990s!
ScoutGreat secluded campground, peaceful. Great bath houses, always super clean.
Some engineering genious put the bath houses furthest from the people that need them most. Tent campers….keep your shoes handy, its a hike. Meanwhile Mr and Mrs 12 slideout supernova with 5 bathrooms and a washer/dryer get the closest spot to a quick potty/shower break.
LegendNice smaller campground with large spacious sites. Very level and spaced apart from neighbor is you pick the right spots. We were in 17 which looked out to open space and woods. If it rains, some sites are flooded. Not much going on for activities in March. Near an Ape Adventure park, hike around lake, and any shopping or restaurants you might want are close by. It rained heavy so we didn’t get out much but walk around camp loop is nice and flat.
TravelerSpent a weekend in BO1, spacious campsite, grill, picnic table, firepit, parking for 2-3 cars plus overflow parking. Firewood was easy to get and was plenty of it. I was only one in the forest ATM but saw some hikers occasionally throughout the day walking by.
ScoutWe've been here a couple of times. Sites are paved and mostly level. Full hookups on all sites.
Campground is separate from everything else I. The park - good and bad. Clean bathrooms
Scout
The park itself is beautiful.
First, there is absolutely no privacy. The campsites are right next to each other with hardly any trees. The more dense woods is on the other side of the trail. You can see everything other campers do any they can see everything you’re doing.
Second, The campground is ON the hiking trail so everyone doing the loop walks along the sites. Including people with dogs off leash.
GuideWe love this campground. We’ve stayed twice in the electric loop and both times had a quiet stay. The campsites are typically spacious and spaced out well. Bathrooms are clean. There is so much to do right in this area as well. Lots of hiking. We highly recommend the nearby arboretum and don’t miss the opportunity to see the aviary at the park office. The ranger was so nice there and went in to each enclosure to handle and show us owls, eagles, and falcons. A highlight of the trip!
TravelerPeaceful state park. Clean facilities and lots of room to spread out.
LegendWe stayed here in March and loved it! The little office had a few items for sale but the woman who works there is so nice. We talked with her for awhile. There was a small lending library next to the store/office and wood was for sale too. There are sites that aren’t level but ours was okay. Nearby is St. Michael’s, MD. We went to the Eastern Shore Brewing Company where dogs are allowed indoors and then went next door to the Lyon Rum Windon Distilling Company. Also next to those is St. Michael’s winery tasting room. Something for everyone! There is an arboretum near he campground that was interesting too. Lake Tuckahoe is available to put your own canoe or kayak in or go fishing. There was a trail from the campground to the lake that was gravel. Eastern shore of t huh Chesapeake Bay offers lots of great scenery and things to do.
GuideThe only thing about this site specifically is the trail was close by so you’d occasionally see people walking by but not enough that it didn’t still feel secluded. Nice hikes in the area, great weekend!
RangerInexpensive $15 a night, but you only get picnic table and fire ring. No hook ups. Great children's pond for 12 and under. Brandywine creek and Chambers Lake are there too. Great playground.
GuideLums Pond State Park is a medium sized campground 18 miles south of Wilmington, DE. As we were visiting family in Wilmington, it was important to us to find a park that was a reasonable driving distance from the city and Lums Pond is the closest state park and public campground.
We enjoyed Lums Pond for what it was- a safe and reasonably quiet place to park. The showers were decent and the cell service was good (we have Verizon). The park itself can feel a little crowded depending on what site you have- we actually enjoyed site #46, which was out in a field, over site #33, which was more on the forested side but felt a lot more crowded.
While this isn’t a place we would necessarily choose to spend our time outside of visiting family, it was very convenient and clean. The park is staffed for most of the day at the general store so questions were answered quickly.
They had an odd rule about us not being able to dump our cassette toilet in the bathroom, which we hadn’t run into before, but we were able to use the dump station- we don’t have chemicals in our toilet so this wasn’t a problem we had come across before. Site #33 also had a lot of garbage in the forest behind it, which added to the reasons why we didn’t like that site as much as #46- considering the rules that were intended to keep the park clean, it did feel like parts of the park were a little neglected despite the overall appearance of being well cared for.
All in all, we found this stay to be perfectly average and would stay again if we had to, but would also not necessarily recommend this park to friends or family unless they were visiting somebody in the area.
Traveler
Starlite offers a wide variety of amenities such as a community pool, general store, snack bar, playground area, toilets, indoor shower stalls, daily activities, pets permitted, water/electric utilities and laundry units. Staff was very friendly! Loved the cleanliness and atmosphere as well!
TravelerCounty park so no booze but camp sites are under trees
TravelerStayed for two nights passing through. Facilities were very clean. Campground quiet. Bike paths were more for mountain biking. AT&T good service. Stayed on 13. Nice and shady not close to bathroom. Most sites are level.
ScoutWe came in July. We want to come back in October when the leaves will be in full color. Huge campsites! Very quiet and the other campers are friendly. The camp store doesn’t follow its hours posted, so make sure to get there early for firewood. Our 11 & 4 year olds loved it. Very peaceful.
LegendNo big complaints. No big praise.
We needed a place to stay for the night and it provided that. If I were going to pick a camp to just hang out or enjoy nature, it wouldn't be this one.
Verizon cell service was fine.
GuideI understand why it is so difficult to get a reservation at Lums Pond. I don't know if it's the host campers or the management, but they're definitely doing something right.
I have to say, Jim, the host camper by us was fantastic. As it was our first trip after a long winter, I managed to forget to put the anode back in our water heater. I went over and sheepishly asked him if I could borrow a 1 1/2" socket. He not only lent us a socket, but asked if I needed help, and if I had teflon tape (which I did) and was willing to lend a hand.
The site was fairly level, side-to-side, so I really only needed to level front to back. That was a bonus.
Our daughter really enjoyed the playground (which was excellent, by my standards). The only complaint I have is that the kiddie swings seem to be modeled after the seasickness machine that they had on Mythbusters (https://archive.org/details/MythBusters..Season.3..480p576P..DVDripHDTV..X265HEVC..O69..FIXED/Mythbusters+-+S03E26+-+Seasickness+-+Kill+or+Cure.mkv). I could only go on the swing with her for a little bit before I started to turn green. Other than that? She fought us about leaving the playground, and really would have been content if that was all we did.
I took her older cousins to the fishing pier, and we didn't even get a nibble, but I think it was too cold for panfish that close to shore.
The trails were well marked, and the day we took a hike, we ended up on the equestrian trail that runs all the way around the pond. It was a long, but easy hike.
The bath house was absolutely immaculate, and the design made even my public-bathroom-phobic sister-in-law comfortable and at ease.
All in all, it was a fantastic trip, and I hope to go back soon.
ScoutLoved this place. Sites very well spaced, facilities clean, laundry room spotless, camp store has everything you might need and the hiking trails can’t be beat. We camped there twice…and did not disappoint either time. The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is because there is no Wi-Fi…even though description states differently.
ScoutThe sites are large and the whole campground is very open. There is a small camp store with the essentials and very clean bath and shower facilities. The pond is huge; perfect for kayaking or canoeing.
TravelerOnly 8 sites in the campground, very spaced apart. Each site has lots of room, very much enjoyed our stay and will return! No running water- only port a potties but they were clean
GuideWe camped with our 17' travel trailer at site 19E with electric hookups. Some sites have water and sewer as well, which is rare in a MD state park. We had a picnic table, lantern pole and fire ring in a spacious, wooded site. Good dry wood was available for $5 a bundle. The restrooms were spotless. Hiking trails everywhere- and all level for easy biking. There's a small lake where many people were fishing for bass, and a calm waterway (Tuckahoe River) excellent for kayaking. We had our own yaks, but the park will rent them. A few miles down the road is a boat launch (Hillsboro) with access to another section of the Tuckahoe River, also great for kayaking. We saw beautiful aquatic plants, many birds, and a gazillion turtles. We paddled past several beaver dams, but they successfully stayed hidden. We love this park and campground!
TravelerVery quiet campground surrounded by trees. Stop at the camp store to get fired wood (asked not to bring your own). A lot of walking trials, and a pond to fish in.
Ranger
Very beautiful spot, did some tent camping. Close to many cool things in the area too
Horse camping in Maryland offers a unique blend of outdoor adventure and equestrian-friendly amenities, making it an ideal destination for horse enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Bel Air, MD?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Bel Air, MD is Lums Pond State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 46 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Bel Air, MD?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 equestrian camping locations near Bel Air, MD, with real photos and reviews from campers.
