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Best Tent Camping near Broomes Island, MD

453 Reviews

Tent campsites near Broomes Island, Maryland include several options along the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. Calvert Cliffs State Park offers youth group tent camping with access to hiking trails and fossil hunting beaches, while Matoaka Beach Cottages provides tent sites with waterfront views. Both locations are within 15 miles of Broomes Island and offer different experiences for tent campers seeking natural settings.

Most tent camping areas require advance planning as facilities vary significantly between locations. Calvert Cliffs provides drinking water, picnic tables, and toilets but no showers or electric hookups. Walk-in tent sites at Matoaka Beach feature more amenities including showers and trash service, though sites are limited. Fires are permitted at Calvert Cliffs but prohibited at Matoaka Beach. Seasonal availability affects access, with Calvert Cliffs operating from late March through October, while other locations may have year-round availability but limited services during winter months.

The backcountry tent camping experience near Broomes Island offers unique waterfront opportunities. Sites at Matoaka Beach provide views of the Chesapeake Bay with direct beach access, creating a peaceful setting for tent campers. According to one visitor, "Our spot was very private and you could see the bay and hear the waves." Tent campers at Calvert Cliffs can access a 2-mile trail leading to a beach where fossil hunting is popular. The primitive tent areas at Caledon State Park across the Potomac in Virginia provide a more secluded experience with a 2.5-mile hike to reach tent pads near the river. These walk-in tent locations typically offer more solitude than drive-in campgrounds, though they require carrying all gear and supplies from parking areas.

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Detours Nearby

Matoaka Beach Cottages

Matoaka Beach Cottages

14 min away

Lacy Oasis Campground

Lacy Oasis Campground

27 min away

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Best Tent Sites Near Broomes Island, Maryland (17)

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Tent Camping Reviews near Broomes Island, MD

453 Reviews of 17 Broomes Island Campgrounds

  • 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.

  • Kristy R.
    Nov. 13, 2020

    Cherry Hill Park

    Great Family Fun

    Great camping amenities, soft cushioned sites, with power and water close by. DO NOT GET BASIC TENT SITES AS THEY ARE NEXT TO HIGHWAYS AND VERY NOISY!!! Premium tent sites would be a better choice. My grandchildren live it there. We will return to a premium tent site soon.

  • K
    Jul. 4, 2019

    Final-Lee Here

    Ranger Review: LiquidI.V. Hydration Multiplier at Final-Lee Here Campground

    CAMPGROUND REVIEW: Nestled within the beautiful greenery of Huntingtown, Maryland, this campground offers heart, scenery, and access to numerous adventures. The grounds are a short drive to Washington D.C. parks and museums, as well as the Chesapeake Beach Water Park, or North Beach's beautiful new pier and Friday night Farmers Market including local art vendors and food trucks. Kings Landing Park is just a few minutes from Final-Lee Here, which offers hiking and equestrian trails, picnic areas, disc golf, swimming pool, fishing, and a launch for kayaks, canoes, or paddle boards.

    Final-Lee Here Campground offers its own beauty. As a long planned and awaited dream coming true, Connie and Ken Lee are using their gorgeous property to harbor a love for the outdoors in their family as well as those who visit. The land is well groomed with grassy, shaded tent sites, RV sites, tall, privacy-offering bamboo, evergreens (it's a tree farm), and forested trails to a soothing, water-trickling creek.

    The campground has several tent sites, and some are big enough to hold multiple tents for bigger gatherings. Sites offer tables, chairs, and a fire pit. Hot showers are available in a very nice outdoor tent set up. A potty chair, along with wet wipes and trashbags are available for use, or you can just use the outdoorsman's method ;). The Lees gave us plenty of firewood, offered dry wood after storms came through, and even offered to bring us fresh eggs from their chickens. (The rooster brought smiles as it welcomed our mornings with hearty salutes.) There is a small zip line for kids and you may request games such as cornhole, horseshoes, or Yardzee to play. The Lees also rent and transport single and double kayaks or canoes to Kings Landing for a minimal fee.

    On Friday, my teenage daughter and I took a trip to the Chesapeake Beach Water Park (I would recommend this for younger children, checking the internet for discounts) and we cruised the North Beach antique shops, pier and farmers market. Saturday was well planned for adventure, but out-of-the-blue storms hit hard. After breakfast, we kayaked the river and creek through beautiful marshlands where we saw caterpillars walk on water, a heron and bald eagles soaring above, turtles, a cove where thousands of tadpoles were amidst metamorphosis (having both tails and legs) scampering through and atop the water, and a multitude of dragonflies. We stopped at a Kings Landing dock, hydrated ourselves and ate our packed lunch. Dark clouds began rolling in and we paddled back to the boat launch, texting the Lee's to meet us for boat pick up. We had planned to hike and swim while at the park, but instead headed for our tent during the storm surges. Once the storms passed, we adventured onto the campground trails. One trail, though very well groomed, was steep, heading to the creek. We avoided it due to the wet conditions, and found other trails leading to the creek which were easier to maneuver. The creek was so peaceful. I would have loved to have more time here just taking it all in, but evening and another storm came upon us.

    I highly recommend this campground based on its heart and available opportunities. The Lees are absolutely wonderful and truly want their visitors to enjoy the outdoors and their stay. The only "con" I came across was the toileting situation. My teen daughter is not much on the outdoors, so the portable toilet and the natural method option were too weird and uncomfortable for her.

    PRODUCT REVIEW: As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I receive products to test from time to time - during this trip, I tested LiquidI.V. Hydration Multiplier. It is an electrolyte drink mix you add to a water bottle or 16 oz. of water. We tried the sampler pack. My favorite flavor is acai berry, and my daughter enjoyed the lemon-lime. Though we tried to remain hydrated, setting up camp and kayaking in the heat left us truly parched. Adding the LiquidI.V. to our water seemed to rejuvenate. Both my daughter and I feel that a whole "stick" seem to be overwhelming in one water bottle, but using half to 3/4 of a packet brought tasty hydration. I'm very picky when it comes to aftertastes, hating all fake sweeteners; however, this is made with pure cane sugar, and leaves your mouth satisfied. That is pretty rare! (Note: the passion fruit flavor left a slight aftertaste to me.) Additionally, my girlfriend and son tried some of our LiquidI.V. and loved it as well. This was great to have on hand!

  • Justin G.
    Sep. 14, 2016

    Cedarville State Forest

    Cedarville State Forest (Tornado)

    I took my girlfriend car camping in Cedarville State Forest. The camping trip turned more into a stay in the tent the whole trip. We set up camp and ate dinner only to be hit by a tornado watch in the area. I spent most of the trip adjusting the water proofing so we stayed dry. When the rain did calm down Cedarville state forest offered some very serene and peaceful views. Which is surprising due to the forests location.

  • Roger W.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 8, 2023

    Greenbelt Park Campground — Greenbelt Park

    Close to DC, Quiet, and Pretty

    Greenbelt, MD: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer) Overall Rating: 4.5 Price: About $12 w our senior pass. Usage during visit: 50 % during week Site Privacy: Most inner loop sites are not very good. However, our inner loop site was very private. Most inner loop sites lack privacy. Pull Through” sites are more like pull over sites. The picnic table privacy is often not very good for the pull over sites. This is because the adjacent back in site is deeper with picnic table not blocked by the trailer.
    Site Spacing: Some are close. Check the map. Site surface: black top Reservations: Yes. We were able to change our site upon arrival on Rec.gov. Campground Noise: Very quiet.
    Road Noise: None Through Traffic: Not a problem if the site is in a loop. Electricity: No Water: Available at a few spigots and at the washbasins at the bathrooms Sewer: No Dump: Yes Generators: 6AM till 10PM Bathroom: Old but clean. Showers: Old but clean. Cirtains Pull Throughs: Some “pull over spots”. I have a pic or two of good ones in the D loop.
    Cell Service (Verizon): Great. Setting: 10 mins from subway for DC access. Great way to get to DC. Located in a deciduous forest serving as a pleasant getaway for locals.
    Weather: It was cool during our stay.
    Bugs: No problems yet. Solar: Most sites are not adequate.
    Host: They are friendly and very courteous. Notes: Amazing that there is such a pretty place so close to DC. This must be a great getaway for locals . …. We did not walk the park trails , but there are some.

  • R
    Oct. 4, 2021

    Cedarville State Forest

    Peaceful

    We picked up the camping registration outside the office at the entrance, no need to speak with anyone. Then we just drove down to our campsite in the family camping loop. We could hear and smell horses when we got to our campsite, but it didn't last forever. 

    The site was mostly clean, had a few pieces of small trash scattered around when we arrived. The sites were decently spaced out from one another, it didn't feel like we were right on top of the people across and next to us. Our site was close to the restroom, it had a little path leading to the restroom, and it looked like there was little trail paths all around leading to the restrooms from the different parts of the loop. The path leading to the restroom from our site was gravel and easy to walk on. The restrooms were clean, but the floor was wet almost the entire time we were there (likely due to the showers).

    If you need to buy wood it is $5 for 8 pieces and you call a number given to you in your registration packet. The ranger will then drive by and drop off the wood at your campsite. The inner ring of this loop has electricity, and the electric box was just on the far side of the picnic table in the corner.

  • J
    Jul. 26, 2023

    Martinak State Park Campground

    Beautiful park, already planning a return

    This was our first visit to this park and we really loved it. We stayed in a tent site which included a fire ring and picnic table, and we had two tents and plenty of space for everything. While we were there, I believe all of the cabins were full and some other tent sites reserved, but the grounds were still very quiet and peaceful. The bathrooms and showers were modern and very clean and looked to be only a brief, flat walk from most of the sites/cabins in the loop. The loops were smaller than I expected, but that wasn't a bad thing. There is also a large sink on one side of the bathhouse which was nice for cleaning up after cooking. AT&T phone service was slow but available. While in the area, we also visited WorkHorse Farm for a tour, First Fruits Orchard for PYO blueberries, and Denton Station antique mall.

  • Andrew M.
    Dec. 2, 2020

    Pohick Bay Campground

    Great for activities; not much privacy

    Great if you’re looking for a quick escape from DC and with a lot of activities—paddling, hiking, and a 5 minute drive from Meadowood for mountain biking. I camped at the non-electric area and it was nice to play some disc golf across the street before dark. The hiking is nice—15 minutes on the trail to get to the water—and a quick walk to the marina/boat rentals.

    Campsites are well-equipped, but depending on which you will not have privacy and/or enough flat space for more than 1 tent. Most sites are right next to each other and no trees or other natural separation, and some saw did not have much space for tents. I had 141 which was good; 138 was the best that I saw; and if you want to get 2 for a bigger group try to get 112/113.

  • Eric S.
    Aug. 18, 2022

    Oak Ridge Campground — Prince William Forest Park

    Decent place

    Former girlfriend and I stayed here end of May 2022. Not a terrible place. Unfortunately I don’t remember the site number. Think it was in the section B. The park seemed well kept. Only issue we had when arriving. We had no clue where to find firewood. Apparently there’s a 7-11 down the road that sells wood. We lucked out, because there was some left from other camper’s. Overall it was nice. Only downside I can think of right now. The water spigot should have some stone or something around it to avoid a mud puddle.

Guide to Broomes Island

Tent campsites near Broomes Island, Maryland cluster within a 30-mile radius along the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay shoreline. The region sits at elevations below 100 feet and experiences hot, humid summers with temperatures averaging 85-90°F during peak camping season. Primitive camping sites often become muddy after summer thunderstorms, which typically deliver 3-4 inches of rainfall monthly from June through August.

What to do

**Fossil hunting: Calvert Cliffs State Park offers a unique opportunity to find ancient shark teeth and fossils. "The park staff are very friendly, and are very informative on the many fossils you may find on your visit down there," notes Anthony S. about Calvert Cliffs State Park Youth Group Camping.

**Fishing and crabbing: Endeavor Point provides access to popular fishing spots along the Patuxent River. "The pier was perfect to fish or crab off of and the beach had great views of the sunrise," writes Ally S. about their experience at Endeavor Point.

**Hiking: Caledon State Park features a 2.5-mile trail leading to riverside camping spots. A camper named Todd explains, "Over all easy 2.5 mile hike on groomed gravel trails. No water on site and no reasonable source to filter water from so be prepared."

What campers like

**Privacy: Primitive camping options provide secluded spots away from crowds. "Our spot was very private and you could see the bay and hear the waves," shares a visitor about their experience at Matoaka Beach Cottages.

**Family-friendly spaces: Many campgrounds accommodate children with dedicated play areas. "The park has a great play ground right off the main parking lot for kids to play on as well as a few bathrooms," reports Anthony S. about Calvert Cliffs.

**Waterfront access: Campers appreciate direct beach access for swimming and recreation. "Caledon was an amazing adventure that's so close to Fredericksburg. It's a nice 3 mile hike to the campsite which is right by the Potomac river! The beach is beautiful and we saw the most gorgeous sunset," notes Shelby O. about Caledon State Park Campground.

What you should know

**Seasonal limitations: Many tent camping areas near Broomes Island close during winter months or have reduced services. "The best times to go are winter, spring, and fall," advises Tony P. about Sandy Point State Park Youth Group Camping, noting that "the park closes daily very early as it hits capacity" during summer.

**Campsite availability: Most tent sites require advance reservations, particularly during weekends and holidays. At Endeavor Point, "We spent part of Labor Day weekend here, and there was almost nobody else there. The second night, one other pair of campers showed up," reports Allison W.

**Water access considerations: Jellyfish can affect swimming during late summer. "August is the worst month to visit if you like the water. Jellyfish take over with a vengeance!" warns Angel G. about coastal camping spots.

Tips for camping with families

**Playground access: Several campgrounds feature dedicated children's areas. "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," shares Angel G.

**Educational opportunities: Nature programs enhance family camping experiences. "Such an amazing expieriance and brings right into the eyes of child with both adult and children searching for shark teeth," enthuses Sarah F. about the fossil hunting at Calvert Cliffs.

**Group-friendly spaces: Lacy Oasis Campground accommodates larger family groups with spacious sites. "My agency took about 25 children there last week and they did not want to leave, neither did I. The rates are very economical for what is being provided on the space," reports Terrance D.

Tips from RVers

**Limited hookups: Most tent campsites near Broomes Island have minimal RV amenities. "It's just great! Nice and quiet, no hookups, but nice surroundings!" mentions Joe B. about Calvert Cliffs, highlighting the primitive nature of many camping options.

**Military options: Active and retired military personnel can access affordable camping near Annapolis. "Military campground. Very spartan but great location. Not much to do in the campground and some long timers there. Dirt cheap," notes Ginny L. about the Military Park United States Naval Academy/Annapolis Naval Station Annapolis FamCamp.

**Size restrictions: Most tent campgrounds cannot accommodate large RVs. "The campsites aren't dispersed and are pretty small but that's the only downside," reports Ally S. about Endeavor Point, a consideration for those bringing RVs to primarily tent-focused areas.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Broomes Island, MD?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Broomes Island, MD is Calvert Cliffs State Park Youth Group Camping with a 4.4-star rating from 5 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Broomes Island, MD?

TheDyrt.com has all 17 tent camping locations near Broomes Island, MD, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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