This park is a lot of fun in warm weather with kids. The facilities are also top-notch. I couldn't get over how nice the bathrooms were! We rented mini cabins which each have electricity but no bathroom or running water. Ours had a futon, folding table, double bed and bunk beds. The office will lend you a box fan at check-in and the cabins do get stuffy.
The swimming beach and playground are absolutely beautiful! We had a great time at the nature center reptile feeding program. We also walked around the aviary, where you can see many of the birds from the outside even if it isn't open for a program. We hiked the loop around the lake, not realizing that it was over 5 miles! It also takes you right through the casino parking lot and crowded day use area at one point. If there's a drawback to this park, it's that it really doesn't feel very remote. You're basically across the lake from a big hotel and casino. But it's convenient to DC and a great place for kids and new campers!
Cute location right on the river and the C&O bike path. Would be great for through bike camping. Not much regulation. Our campsite had been taken by another family so we had to use a different one. Good for a quick camp weekend.
Small campground perfectly located & suited for perfect traditional camping experience!
Easy phone reservation process for next day 1 night stop. Easy check-in, well stocked store, including some RV essentials and parts. Trained staff for guiding into assigned site.
Beautiful campgrounds situated near a creek. The campgrounds have a homey feel and were decorated nicely for fall & Halloween. The staff & hosts were incredibly nice & helpful. The restrooms & showers were the cleanest I've seen. The sites were very nice and equipped with an upgraded firepit with a swivel grill for cooking instead of the standard ring or rocks. I only stayed one night due to traveling through but would love to go back & stay again
The place is beautiful and they are kind with the visitors. I recommend this campground.
Campground Review: This state park in MD is very popular in the fall for leaf peepers and this weekend was no exception. We were there the last weekend in Sept. The areas of the park that were available were pretty full. All electric sites were full. Our site 16 was spacious and private except for the pathway to the bath house but I only saw a half dozen people walking by. There are many paths from the 30 sites in the A or Ash loop to get to the bath house which was decent and clean. My sister-in-law and her husband stayed in a pull through site #15. It was extremely spacious and very private and backed up to the woods. We checked in at 8:05 on a Friday and there were 2 rangers in the office. The campground has a gate. There are loops A-I with A being all electric and pet friendly. B, C, D, and E were pet friendly with a couple electric sites but seemed to be used by hosts. Loops F through I were no dogs and no electric. There is a beach and a dog beach area which is a huge plus! The camp store was open but the Aviary and Nature center were closed for the season. There appeared to be boat rentals but I didn't inquire. We hiked throughout and around the lake at the campground and then drove to the other end of the lake (there is a 5 mile trail around the lake) and hiked to Canyon Overlook and the dam which was very pretty. There was a scavenger hunt paper we could've used to search for objects in nature. Great for kids! There are 278 sites total with just 30 having electric hook-up. I would definitely camp there again! Hope it's a bit cooler next time. It was nearly 90!
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Product Review:
I used the Eclipse sun protection clothing for a little bit on Saturday. It was so hot I couldn't keep it on even with the side vents. I had the shawl cover up as well. I found the one size fits all poncho to be too big for me. I am small stature (5'4" and 110 lbs) so one size fits all doesn't usually fit me. I emailed a review to the company and they responded quickly that they were going to offer sized clothing in the very near future! The material was light weight and I think is as good as or better than any other sun protection clothing I've owned. I would recommend it!
I camp in my tent so i chose a smaller, secluded site close to the restrooms. The restrooms were very clean and easily accessible. I went during the week and the campground was very quiet. The owner was very nice.
Sites were easy to get in and out for trailers. Lots of space and woods between sites. Water and electricity hookups, gravel and paved pads. Picnic table and fire ring. Showers and bathrooms were clean and large size. Plenty of hot water and water pressure. Laundry facilities were great and worked well. Lots of trails around to walk and some to the river. Even a few bike trails. Nice are for kayak launch. They have a horse area as well. Large picnic and day use area. We stayed at site 15 and it was great for camper and large tent. Plenty of space for everyone. Love the area and hope to get back again. Used it as camp while we Day hiked in SNP.
This campground offers spacious sites and a pretty convenient location on the cheap. I stayed here Saturday into Sunday and reserved my site ahead of time. Google maps street view has images of the campground, use this if you want to see what sites look like ahead of time - it is a bit overgrown on the riverside today. I’ve seen reviews mentioning squatters… I didn’t notice anyone but then again, I arrived early and set up camp. I can see how some might show up and not realize a site is booked in advance. There’s little privacy between sites but most are far enough apart. Portable bathrooms were clean. Downtown Williamsport is 20 minutes away. C&O trail is steps away. Lots of families with kids but everyone settled down around 11. Fire ring and picnic table at each site. I packed water so didn’t see if the pump was working. The train does go through twice overnight and it is loud but still got a decent night of sleep.
Sites were easy to get in and out for trailers. Lots of space and woods between sites. Water and electricity hookups, gravel and paved pads. Picnic table and fire ring. Showers and bathrooms were clean and large size. Plenty of hot water and water pressure. Laundry facilities were great and worked well. Lots of trails around to walk and some to the river. Even a few bike trails. Nice are for kayak launch. They have a horse area as well. Large picnic and day use area. We stayed at site 15 and it was great for camper and large tent. Plenty of space for everyone. Love the area and hope to get back again. Used it as camp while we Day hiked in SNP.
Beautiful campground with accommodating staff. Plenty to do for nature enthusiasts!! This was our first visit, but won’t be our last!
Important to note that the primitive sites are walk-in only - but the walk is very short.
Primitive sites do not take reservations, so you select your own based on availability when you arrive. If you can get **site 5** that is crucial. The other sites still looked good, but site 5 is large, nicely laid out, and RIGHT on the water. No steps down, but a brilliant view.
The park in general is nice, and while not as grandiose as Shenandoah proper it is less expensive and loss populated. For $25 a had perfect quiet and I will definitely go back.
Be mindful of bears! If you’re going to invest in a portable bear box for your food, check out http://igbconline.org/certified-products-list/.
There are especially so many incredible hikes on Skyline Drive! I recommend the AllTrails app to search by distance, difficulty, views/waterfalls, etc. I’ve included photos of some of my favorite hikes in the park.
First time visiting North Fork, didn’t explore as much as I wanted to, Campers are tightly parked next to one another, was invited by my Uncle to come have a good time and enjoy the atmosphere, go tubing down the river. They had some bands playing that weekend as well. I’ll need to return sometime and look around a little more.
Camped along the Elizabeth Furnace trails this past weekend. Originally intending to stay in the campground, we discovered that all first-come-first-serve plots had been claimed.
We set out along the numerous trails to find a spot that would provide us with some privacy from day hikers as well as proximity to passage creek to do some fishing. The forest is beautiful, the trails are very well marked and preserved.
Super secluded woodsy location. Lots of wildlife. Bears are a real thing here. They’ll fine you for leaving food out. They’re serious about quiet hours. Our neighbors were partying and at 10:01 park police shut it down hard. It was all amicable but they understood that next time they’d be escorted off the property. There’s not a ton to do with little kids, but we knew that going in. Hiking is world class. Near Luray Caverns which was alright but extremely commercialized and crowded. No electric or water on site but there are spigots at the bathrooms where you can fill up.
Sites had water and electric. Flush toilets and showers, a little moldy but hot and good water pressure. Showers were first come first serve unisex. Sites don’t have a lot of trees. We used 2 lantern posts for dog lead and it was hard to find shade. It was a short walk to water and felt fantastic in the July heat. You couldn’t pay me to sleep here in a tent in July. Hot hot hot. Trails were wooded and shaded, but no bugs. Fire flies everywhere tho. There is an honor system for firewood at host site. No verizon service and weak sprint service. Local river companies shuttle tubers back and forth, but they take a different road, so you really don’t cross paths.
18 was a very private spot with a trail leaving from the back of the spot. Has a pretty lake with trails around it. In season has concession stand and paddle boat rentals. We went off season, but saw the potential. People were fishing and we saw a swim/run competition. Bathrooms were weren’t the cleanest, but had good pressure and hot water. Campground sells firewood at the entrance, which is too far to walk, so buy it on the way in. Sprint and Verizon cell service. Pack your broom because the sites have very small gravel and it gets EVERYWHERE. We stayed in May and actually had to turn on the heater. Lots of trees for dog run or hammocks. Will definitely be returning
Love the fact that they have an outfitter to shuttle you up the river. We got a site right on the river bank so we just hopped out and were at our site! Of course they also offer rentals for boats and such. The Shenandoah River is gorgeous. As you can tell by our tent view, some of the sites are perfect (we had site #15).
This State Park is easy to find and in a great location. The AT crosses through the park and it’s not far from the amenities of town. The park is a good size and I liked that the campsites were a bit secluded. The sites themselves were close together but we were there in late August during the week so it was practically empty. The bathroom facilities were some of the nicest and cleanest I’ve ever seen. There was even a paved path through the campsite to the bathroom. There are showers, flush toilets, sinks for hand washing, and sinks outside for dishes. We didn’t use much of the rest of the park but there is a swimming pool and lots of nice areas with picnic tables. We really enjoyed our stay!
We've been here a few times . Originally when new owners tool over and every year it gets better. Very nice owners.
Beautiful place, lots of options and activities. Not a quiet retreat with the ATVs and shooting range, but lots of fun. Only drawback is price, but it's not unreasonable.
Me and a few of my best buds make it out to The Cove at least two to three times a year. Laid back, spacious enough you can drink and have fun, but also spread out enough you can come with the fam and not be bothered. Awesome shooting range, Jeep trails, lake/beach and the brothers who run the place are very laid back and hospitable!
Drive-up campsites were very well maintained. A little close together for my liking but still a great trip. Bear boxes at most campsites. Well maintained bathrooms and trash areas. The rangers were very friendly and patrolled often. Would absolutely go again!
We spent several nights here with kids aged 5-12 and will definitely come back. We live in Montgomery County and this is a nice camping get away close to home. We stayed in Loop E, where the majority of the campsites were set back a bit off the road, well spaced, and nicely shaded. We took a couple of walks through Loop A, and this seemed to be the case for those sites as well. We were a group of 5 and used 2 4-person tents. The tent sites all have a tent pad (great drainage during a downpour!) but the tent pad isn’t big enough for two tents. So beware if you intend to use two tents that most, but not all, of the tent sites seem to have a patch of level ground where a 2nd tent can be pitched. On Saturday there were fun activities for the kids all day (pedal cars, crafts, water balloon baseball, laser tag, to name a few from memory), with some activities also on Friday evening and Sunday morning. A fee is charged for some of these (laser tag and craft supplies) but most are free. There is a small arcade-style game room (with free wifi in the building) where we passed a rainy morning. Air hockey, table soccer, and a small basketball game could be played for free, but pool and the video games required $.25-1.00 per game. We used perhaps 5 miles in total of the hiking trails, doing loops down to the creek and back. They were all manageable for a 5-year old and the kids enjoyed playing in the stream in warm weather. We did see poison ivy at the edges of some trails. There is some distant ambient noise from 270 and overhead air traffic, but nothing too bad. If coming with kids, I would recommend bringing a playground ball and/or basketball so you can use the gaga pit or basketball courts even when no games are organized by camp staff. Also note that there was no ice in the camp store for the duration of our stay, but ice can be bought at the Liberty gas station and the small Clarksburg Grocery, both about a mile from the campground.
This was our first time camping here and it will NOT be our last. This Campground had everything I wanted. Shooting range, ATV trails, fishing, hiking and great campsites. We will be back for sure!!
Mid size park with all amenities, some sites can be tight for bigger rigs.Even has room for your horse.Your surrounded by Civil War history,Downtown Gettysburg is great,great vacation
We just visited the park this week. Wow what a beautiful state park. Very well up kept, clean and amazingly friendly rangers. We rented a Yurt number 2. In my opinion it has the best location of the 3 Turks they have. It’s it the woods close to a boat landing you can see a bit of the river. In the fall or spring I’m sure the view is amazing. The yurt was clean and simple. Surrounded by a amazing deck with 4 rocking chairs and a picnic table on it. Down below you have a fire pit, a grill and an additional picnic table. Yurt 1 is right next door if you have a larger group that would be perfect. The one we stayed in sleeps 4 comfortably. The park has a huge network of hiking and bike paths all very well maintained. The river water is so clear you can see the bottom. The only only down side is you can not drive your car up to the yurt. But they offer little carts to load your things in and pull. Yurt 2 is the farthest away from the parking area, but well worth it.