Looking for the best Bethesda RV camping? Find the best information on RV campsites and dispersed camping near Bethesda, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your RVing experience. Whether you're looking for a quiet location in the woods or a happening campground near the attractions, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to park your RV.
The Prince William Forest Park RV Campground is a concessionaire-operated campground with full hook-ups. The campground boasts pull through sites, a pool and laundry facility. It is Virginia's closest RV camping to Washington, D.C. There are several tents-only sites. Open year-round. It is currently closed due to infrastructure repair work and will hopefully re-open in June 2023.
Military campground only.
The Travel Camp is open all year long, 7 days a week. With a perfect location along the shore of the Potomac River and only a 30-minute drive to DC, this is the place everyone wants to be.
$55 / night
Campsites and cabins are available on a beautiful deep water section of the Potomac River near Harpers Ferry in Jefferson County. A four mile section of deep water runs from our campground to above the Dargan Bend Boat Ramp in Maryland. Pontoon boats, fishing boats, water skiing, wake boarding, and jet skis are welcome. Pitch your tent and tie your boat up out front. Bring your RV as well. There are electricity and water hookups for RV sites. For those willing to rough-it, it is a beautiful unique location. We also offer beautiful, River Front Cabins that offer heat and AC, as well as their own full bathrooms.
Bull Run Campground, located near Interstate 66, is a getaway that is not far from Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia attractions. Bull Run Park is only 27 miles from Washington, D.C. and 15 miles from the Vienna Metro Center Station. We are convenient for visitors to the Dulles area , Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum and Manassas National Battlefield Park.
The variety of campsites available at Bull Run Campground are RV sites with electric only service, Electric RV sites with water, RV sites with full-service (which includes sewer, water and electric), tent sites, rustic cabins and group camping areas. There are two bathhouses in the campground that offer hot showers, sinks, toilets and laundry facilities. The camp store sells camping supplies, snacks, ice and firewood and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
$30 - $95 / night
Cherry Hill Park is a family-owned and operated campground that has been in the Gurevich family for 5 generations. We offer premium amenities, friendly service, and a wide variety of lodging - everything from tent & RV sites to premium log cabins and glamping pods and yurts. Our concierge and tours program makes it easy for guests to access downtown Washington, DC, by bus, Metro train, and guided tours. We love hosting guests from all across America, from all over the world, and from just down the road in our home state of Maryland.
$101 - $999 / night
The Brunswick Family Campground is located between the Potomac River and the C&O Canal, near Harpers Ferry, WV. This campground is conveniently located 1 hour from the Washington DC and Baltimore beltways and offers over 100 scenic campsites. We offer tent camping, RV camping, and have cabin rentals. We also have pavilions, a bathhouse, boat ramp, camp store, and rent kayaks, canoes, and tubes.
$10 - $90 / night
Update 5/2023 - temp closed through July 2023
Smallwood State Park Campground is expected to be closed through the end of July due to improvements and related construction. Please check back here for updates.
Fifteen RV and tent campsites with electric hook-ups are available under the canopy of a hardwood forest.
Six rustic camper cabins sleep four and two cabins sleep six and have heat and air conditioning. Cabins #17 and #18 overlook Mattawoman Creek. Cabins #16 and #19 are close to the creek, but do not have a water view. Cabins #20 and #21 are located as you first enter the campground area.
A picnic table, lantern post and fire ring are provided on each site. Bath house facilities with hot showers are also provided.
$27 - $65 / night
We are a full service, family-friendly, year-round RV facility centrally located in Frederick, MD! Our location is perfect for visiting several cities and enjoying many activities. We are a green, clean, and peaceful park with a full complement of amenities and walking distance to many local shops.
About 5 minutes off the highway, we stopped here for a night on our trip home. Close to plenty of amenities. Sites are paved and mostly level and pull through. HOWEVER, the sites are very small (short, so you will have to unhook)
This campground is pleasant, but the sites are situated quite close to one another. The camping area is away from the main parts of the park through gates, so you won't be bothered by non-camp traffic. A few hiking trails lead to many more extended trails, but it is a steep slope down to the river.
Great location, amazing amenities(huge pool, game room, snack bar, camp store, coffee shop etc.), and friendly employees, but these are where the positives end. I've never stayed at a KOA/campground where the sites were so unlevel, close together, and the whole infrastructure in need of repair.
The Historic trench section is nice in the trees, but the roads are crumbling and too small for most RV's. If the person across from your site is already parked, good luck having enough room to back into your site. Our site was so unlevel that I was not able to get the RV leveled the entire weekend. Looking at the surrounding sites most campers were jacked high on blocks or sloping significantly. The section of sites were on a curve/semi-circle, which caused the site beside ours to be even smaller. We had to move our picnic table to give space for this person to back his camper on the site. They were unable to get even close to level so they didn't put out their slide. There is a new section to the campground out in the open whose sites are more level, but they are even closer together than the section we stayed in.
In addition to the poor sites, little enforcement was done regarding monitoring the number of people on the sites and the partying going on. A nearby site had 15+ people on Friday night partying and carrying on until 1:30AM until a fight broke out. They had a boombox on the bumper of the camper and blasted music all evening. After hours any vehicle can enter the campground as there is no gate. Cars/trucks pulled up to the party sites, who just drove in to party. I know calls were made to the office as neighboring campers stated to us. On Saturday night, the group wasn't quite as rambunctious, due to a visible presence of staff driving by, but with a campground this size, regular monitoring and shutting down of quiet hour violators should occur pre-actively. Harpers Ferry KOA could be so much more if they would invest in site upgrades and rule monitoring. We will not return.
We loved staying at Pohick. We were here to visit DC and it was an excellent spot to stay. It was extremely hot as it was July but the sites had a lot of shade. Site 46 where we stayed was close to the bathrooms and nice and flat. The bathrooms were cleaner than any other campground we have stayed in and they have laundry and a nice stainless sink and counter for washing dishes if needed. About a 40 minute drive into DC and definitely worth it. Also, campers get a discount at the water park which was a very reasonable 5 dollars per person. The weekend tends to be a bit louder but during the week was very quiet.
Not happy about:
Promised wi-fi does not even appear as an available signal Toilet paper roll dispensers empty Grass 8" high No hot water at dishwashing sink Chess board not swept, neat
We love this campground. The staff really make sure the traffic is circulating and organized during the weekend when it’s crazy busy!! The only negative that stinks is that campers have to drive down and park their cars in the parking lot by the lake EARLY or you won’t get a spot (especially for the campers in the further camp loops like Dogwood, where we stay). I wish the campground had their own access to the lake like at Rocky Gap State Park. Other than that, we love the park. The bath houses & sites are always clean, camp hosts are friendly and park rangers are present and helpful.
We were going to a family reunion. So we brought our "mobile hotel room" with us. In D loop, they were long sites, clean, and a nice woods buffer between sites. Also, full hookups. We were quite pleased for a reagenal park.
Chicken was easy and the Rangers were helpful. We stopped here to go tour Washington DC. We tried both sides 46 and 44 and both were not level.
Great bathrooms all singles w showers. Lots of fun things to do. Pretty peaceful despite being crowded and not overly scenic campsites. A bit on top of each other. Site 43 had good location, electric and trees. But was a very pokey gravel pad, a bit uncomfortable if you don’t have good mattress. Interior sites, less scenic but some have more grass. But also more slope. 43 was pretty flat.
We have been camping here for nearly 20 years. Each military tour brought us back to this area so Pohick became our second home. Our kids kayak now older but used to walk the trails as little kids. The waterpark is new and loud so we avoid but nice if you have young kids. Careful low bridge on Route 1 exit ramp little warning when taking ramp off I95. Go around to next exit. The check in at the cap store is crowded and narrow even with renovations but our 34 ft makes it okay. Bring bikes. Long bike trail along road. Farmers markets in Lorton and things to do in DC. Park at Huntington or Springfield metro. Short boat ride straight across from Ft Belvoir new family campground. Ice cream shop in season by water docks. Bathrooms clean always hot water three stalls each. Sink outside for dishes. Playground buts up against inner circle which are the only sewer sites. Others are electric water. Careful some near steep drop off. Stick to main road or inner circle or first circle if in big unit. Must go round circle to get to those spots which can be annoying. Two speed bumps. Camp store sells smores ingredients, limited candy, no eggs or bacon get those off Rte 1. Past entrance on Rte 1 is a Food Lion, McDonalds. Gas stations along Rte one are tight so fill up before exiting to campground. If you are desperate there is gas 7/11 at corner of Pohick and Rte 1 but its sketchy. Up the road off Rte 1 is Fort Belvoir Access w a drivers license however cant shop without military sponsored ID. Great bbq at Telegraph Rd and greek at Olympians family restaurant. Movie theater on Telegraph is nice. Springfield Mall close. Take Onville Rd which is a backroad by Pohick Church to shortcut to Rte 1. Pohick Rd past camping turn deadends into private neighborhood. Do not pass camp entrance. Hard to turn around if you do. Near End of Pohick is a small walk with overlook. See birds at point. Drive a car not RV. Park at lot on right before road split deadend. Gunston Hall on left can see from campground and water. Tours are nice.
This is a fairly nice, bare bones NPS campground. If you are really looking for somewhere to feel far away from civilization and see some beautiful scenery, this probably isn't it. Helicopters and planes fly over regularly, and you can hear sirens from neighboring college park. The campsites are pretty close together, we could see probably about 10 or so other campsites from our campsite. And there is not a ton to do within the park itself -- there are a few picnic areas, a pretty unimpressive small playground, some nature/walking trails, and that's about it.
But it is a pretty nice campground -- campsites and showers seem clean and well maintained, bathrooms are fine and you're never far away from one. Rangers come around regularly to check on things and every one we interacted with was extremely friendly. I don't think there's anything comparable so close to DC, so if you're in the DC area and just want someplace close by for a short camping trip, or are looking for an affordable outdoors-y option to stay while you're visiting DC from out of town, this probably fits the bill. As soon as you leave the park you are in College Park with Metro access close by, and very close to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.
The sites are small flat and have everything you need. There are no flushing toilets! Just outhouses that everyone shares. Showers are outside stalls. The pond on the campground is dirty and not swimable
Took my family of 7 to the Bull Run regional park for our first camping trip and the experience was great! Didn’t want to stray too far from the house in the event that it was a nightmare, thankfully this local spot offered a soft opening to our family over the two days we spent there and all was good. The site was clean and well kept, bathhouse was close to the tent site and in ok shape (wasn’t expecting anything spectacular so wasn’t disappointed. Playground and trails were nice, kids really enjoyed the chance to take in nature. This experience was good and would recommend a visit for anyone looking for a soft intro to camping for their family!
Everything is everything is well maintained. The sites are clean and level. Plenty of activities on site. And a live band on the weekends. Also close driving distance to many towns and cities.
Camp site wasn’t level at all. I was actually kind of worried that it would slide into the woods. Pool was dirty. Ran out of hot water. Got chided by the golf cart police for driving >20 mph. Stayed at nicer campgrounds for significantly less money.
Quick one night stop on our way south. While the sites are pretty exposed, it was a cold night so there were only a few other campers!
The bathroom was clean and extremely warm which was much appreciated after a cold night.
I have been here twice, the hiking is great and there is a National Park right next door, the location of Camp David. Great weekend.
I camp here in the summer as often as I can. It stays booked because it is such a well maintained campground, kudos to the MD State Park Service. There is a pretty lake there and very close to the AT. Great hiking to Annapolis Rocks or the Washington Monument right from the park, no need to drive!
Stayed here for Labor Day weekend and had a great time. Clean, well-maintained camp sites, well-stocked and friendly service at the camp store. My kids also LOVED the swimming lake -- especially great for small kids, because the roped-in part of the swimming lake only gets a few feet deep so you don't have to worry too much about them getting in over their heads. Bathroom and shower facilities were fine, and had a big sink you could use for cleaning/dishwashing.
The only downsides for us were that the campsites were relatively small, and close together. A couple campsites down from us was a big group that stayed up late socializing one night and we could hear them very clearly from our tent. And, while the swimming lake is great, it is crowded and you have to drive from the campsite to it (note that you do not need to wait in the long line of cars in the general public trying to get in, we just drove past them and showed the guard our camping receipt confirmation and got waved right through), and the parking fills up pretty early in the morning so you could end up without a spot. Similarly, the hike to the falls was a little crowded and underwhelming -- you also have to drive to that and park, and parking at the trailhead is very limited.
The bottom line for us was that it's crowded enough that you do not really feel like you are out "in nature," but, especially with small kids, all the amenities and recreation make up for it.
Came to stay for a volleyball tournament and got way more. Christmas lights and just a festive atmosphere. Campsite was easy to pull into and hookup to. Overall a great experience
This place is so noisy with these helicopters that fly 24/7. Another absolutely insane noisy campground run by nova. Absolutely a rip off because of the noise just like all nova parks seem to be. Insane
This place is absolutely the most horrific noisy place is like sleeping on the side of the highway. Absolutely annoying sound 24/!7, this place should be free. Absolutely a rip off to call this park a campground. More like a parking lot on the internete.
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.
Oak Ridge NP unit in Prince Williams Forest Park: what a beautiful place to spend the fall day. It’s quiet, not very busy at all, and nice sites. This is a pretty good place to be if you’re going to visit DC. This is our second time and that’s what we did on our last stay here. However, Greenbelt common north east of DC, is a much better place for DC visit. There, you can take the train shuttle into the city was a short drive from the campground. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer). I rate based on desire for at least a moderate wilderness type experience w at least some camp site privacy. Overall Rating: 4.5 Price 2023: $10 w interagency pass Usage during visit: very low Site Privacy: sites are in an open Oak Forest Site Spacing: Great. Very large sites Site surface: blacktop. Reservations: Required Campground Noise: Very quiet, both of our stays. Road Noise: none. This campground is far into the forest off, away from public road. Through Traffic in campground: no reason for through traffic. Electric Hookup: no. Sewer Hookup: no. Dump Station: no. Potable Water Available: Yes. There is a water Spicket at the bathrooms. There is also a wash station room attached to the bathrooms. Generators: allowed. Bathroom: clean. Showers: not in all bathrooms. Ever, there is a very clean shower/bathroom facility near the handicap spot, A25. Pull Throughs: Not sure. Did not see any. Cell Service (AT&T): 1 to 2 bars. Setting: deep into a beautiful Oak Forest. Weather: a very nice fall day. Highs in the 70s lows in the 50s Bugs: no mosquitoes. Too cold. Solar: doesn’t look like there will be enough sunshine through the trees for a good, fixed, solar panel, solar absorption. Host: not sure if one is present. Rig size: large rigs are OK. Nice deep sites. Just be careful what you say you choose Sites: I have pictures of very nice sites located near our campsite. Looks to me almost all sites are large and spacious. Some sites do not have picnic tables placed as well as they could be. Other than that the sites are fantastic.
Pretty typical KOA. Level gravel sites. Reasonable WiFi clean adequate bathrooms. The location worked for my trip but not sure it’s that convenient to DC.
Friendly owners and great and spacious campground. You will not be disappointed.
We booked site 136 due to proximity of the playground (traveling with a 5 & 10 yr old). The site was great except the weird parking stops on every site but the pull throughs. It only allows you to back your camper in so far.
We were able to drive to a DC Metro station easily - 30 minutes. Our main goal was to explore DC but there is lots to do near the campground. Even some National Battle Sites nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular RV campground near Bethesda, MD is Prince William Forest RV Campground — Prince William Forest Park with a 3.7-star rating from 14 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 62 RV camping locations near Bethesda, MD, with real photos and reviews from campers.
