Looking for the best tent campgrounds near Emmitsburg? You can find tent campsites by type, including drive-in, walk-in, and even hike-in for a backpacking adventure. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
The Antietam Creek Campground is located at Mile 69.4 on the C&O Canal Towpath, a few miles south of Shepherdstown on the Maryland side of the Potomac River. The campsites are nestled in the woods between the Canal and the Potomac River and they are a short distance from many recreational opportunities. Fishing, boating and hiking are but a few possibilities while staying at Antietam Creek Campground.
Popular activities at Antietam Creek include boating and fishing. Kayaking the creek and surrounding areas during various times of the year are scenic and ever changing. Nearby boat ramps at Dargan Bend and Snyders Landing provide motor boat access to the river. Fishing is also a popular pastime in both the watered sections of the C&O Canal the Potomac River. Be sure to acquire a Maryland Fishing License for those age 16 or older. West Virginia Licenses are approved for fishing in the Potomac only.
Antietam Creek Campground is just south of Sharpsburg, MD. Antietam Creek is a typically mild and slow moving creek which feeds into the much larger and faster Potomac River directly adjacent to the campsite. River rise and floods can modify conditions quickly here.
Antietam Battlefield, South Mountain Recreation Area and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park all provide additional hiking and history adventures specifically about the Civil War Era.
Cancellations A cancellation is the release of a confirmed reservation prior to the start of the defined late cancellation time frame which results in non-use by the original customer. Camping and Day Use Facilities Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee. Late Cancellations or Cancellations within the Cut-off Window Individual Campsites: A customer who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. Group Facility: Customers who cancel a group overnight facility reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee. Group Day Use Area: Customers who cancel a group day-use facility reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will forfeit the total day-use fee.
$10 - $20 / night
Hilton is a place for kids of all ages to play and explore. Located off Hilton Avenue, this area is within walking distance for many residents in Catonsville. A popular spot for afternoon walks and morning workouts, the trails are active with local residents and visitors from far away.
You can also gain access to the Patapsco River by traveling down into the river valley along the Forest Glen Trail. This trail follows the Saw Mill Branch Stream and can connect with several trails to make for very interesting hiking adventures. The area also has a small campground with six mini-cabins and 12 basic campsites.
$20 - $51 / night
Mile 101.2 - THiker-biker campgrounds are located along the towpath approximately every 5-7 miles. No fee or reservation required. Overnight stays are limited to one night. All sites include a chemical toilet, picnic table, grill, and water. Please Note: Water at hiker-biker campsites is non-potable. Water is not treated and not for drinking or cooking. If you use this water, you are advised to filter, chemically treat, or boil before use. Water is turned off from mid-November to mid-April each year.
Located right off of the C&O; Canal, there are plenty of sites available at Mulehalla for those who prefer rustic camping. These spots offer a quieter more rugged camping experience. Explore the C&O; Canal or cool off in the Potomac River. Bring your gear, make some memories, and be sure to leave no trace! Firewood is available for$5.00 a bundle.
$30 - $65 / night
Mile 79.2 - Hiker-biker campgrounds are located along the towpath approximately every 5-7 miles. No fee or reservation required. Overnight stays are limited to one night. All sites include a chemical toilet, picnic table, grill, and water. Please Note: Water at hiker-biker campsites is non-potable. Water is not treated and not for drinking or cooking. If you use this water, you are advised to filter, chemically treat, or boil before use. Water is turned off from mid-November to mid-April each year.
View our Misty Mount: A Hidden Gem video (Audio described version ). Camp Misty Mount brings together small groups, families and individuals for rustic mountain cabin camping in the Catoctin Mountains of Maryland. The historic stone and wood cabins were built in 1937 as part of a federal program during the Great Depression. The cabins provided outdoor recreational opporunties for nearby urban areas, and over 80 years later you can still enjoy the outdoor opportunities provided by Misty Mount!
Misty Mount offers a number of nearby recreation opportunities.The trailhead to Catoctin Mountain Park's trail system at Wolf Rock is a short walk from the camp. Catoctin has over 25 miles of trails with stunning overlooks. Wildlife watching, bouldering, rock climbing and fly fishing are popular activities along with hiking and camping. Kids and adults enjoy the camp's swimming pool, open from late May through September.
Camp Misty Mount is surrounded by Eastern decidious hardwood forests on the slopes of Catoctin Mountain Park. The region is part of the Blue Ridge Province and offers access to scenic mountain views and clear streams.
Interconnected hiking trails can be reached from Misty Mount on the Wolf Rock Trail, or by driving within a mile of the camp. Try the Hog Rock Trail or the Thurmont Vista Trail for phenomenal views of the valleys below. Visitors can hike to Cunningham Falls, the tallest waterfall in Maryland, from the Visitor Center.
Changes and Cancellations A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. Late cancellations are subject to additional fees.
$100 - $360 / night
Nestled on 110 acres of rolling land, Lower Allen Community Park (LACP) is in the southern part of the Township at 4075 Lisburn Road. It is an ideal location for retreats or meetings, weddings, parties, picnics, family reunions, athletic games and tournaments, special events, or just to simply enjoy family or some quiet time alone. In 2008, Capital Blue Cross and Central Penn Parent Magazine readers awarded LACP as the Second Best Park/Playground. The park offers pavilions, play areas, camp sites and numerous athletic fields for rent. The Camping area is located on the banks of the Yellow Breeches Creek and is perfect for anyone who likes to get back to nature. These “primitive” camp sites are available for tent camping. A nature trail, which winds its way through park pointing out native flowers and foliage, sets the backdrop for your camping getaway.
$10 - $25 / night
Scout
Not bad for a long or short trip. Only problem is you need to book in person.
Ranger
This campground is small but the sites are spacious- the ones by the creek are. The bathouse is quite a ways from the sites by the creek but they provide a port-a-potty, which was quite full when I was there- thank goodness the days weren’t hot. The bathhouse needs updating- stalls are small and water from the showers go everywhere. Only saw a worker once and I’m not sure he was a worker? It was a weird stay.
Scout
The resort had great amenities for all ages. We stayed in October so there was plenty of activities for kids from crafts, games, dancing, to trick or treating. The resort ensured safety for the kids during trick or treating and closed all vehicle traffic for 2 hours. The location also had golf cars to rent to explore the sites. All employees were easy to talk to, always had a smile and personable.
Traveler
This was a great park! Very clean and quiet. The facilities were clean and felt safe. Some of the sites were a little close together but very large and well maintained
Scout
Decently spaced out campsites for the most part, good service connection (Verizon), and pretty solid bathrooms make it a great spot for families or newer campers. Wish there were some more hikes/things to do at the state park itself, especially with the lake having toxic algae in it right now.
Guide
Arrived, quickly showed how to get to our site. We setup without issue and spent 3 nights without anyone bothering us on our tent site. The place was quiet by about 11:10, not sure if it was enforced or happened naturally. The out houses could have been cleaned a bit more regularly as it was a busy long weekend. Overall it was a great experience.
Legend
This campground is nice, convenient for one 🌙 night, but is very tight and almost no privacy . The staff here are very friendly and nice.
Traveler
We arrived at 1am, hadn’t made a reservation, and it was closed and the gates locked. No where on the website does it say it’s closed. Very frustrating, especially as a weary traveler.
ScoutThe campground had a good feel to it. We had a nice view of the lake. We booked a non electric site for our tent camping. The bath houses need updated though. The only negative I can say is that our site did not have a great spot for the tent except by the parking spot and not down by the fire ring.
Traveler
Reservations are made through the National parks service "recreation.gov" website. Arrived for tent camping for 2 nights and found a pleasantly prepared raised bed area to pitch my tent on. My stay was quiet and the bathrooms were clean and well stocked. This is a great base camp for getting out to the Gettysburg National park and battlefield. town is less than 10 miles away that has a grocery store and restaurants. FREE split firewood. So quiet i swear i heard a squirrel burp.
Scout
Nice family campground that offers alot. Its very big, only 1 central bathhouse for very large area. Female restrooms has 6 toilets and 6 showers (push button, luke warm water). COME PREPARED WITH LEVELING BLOCKS!!!! Our site was very slanting!!
Scout
I've stayed at Cordorus a number of times as it's not too far away for a weekend getaway. Last time was in Sept. 2023 when some tropical storm poured rain for three days. I'm booked for next weekend now in Sept. 2024, so I hope it's a dry one. I pulled up The Dyrt to see if anything has changed, but I see it's still the great place it always is.
I usually end up in a dry site as I book late and the electric sites are all filled.
Traveler
Fun weekend trip very close to DC. Well kept park with lots of activities for kids - jumping pillow, laser tag, pedal carts, arts and crafts. Nice little game room and some outdoor games at the activity center as well. Full hookup spots in the D loop were pretty nice. The spots in the first half of the loop felt a little close together for my taste, but our spot (D61) was nice as we didn’t have any neighbors on one side. Only complaint is that it’s pricey and has a two night minimum on weekends, but felt worth it with all the activities that were available.
Scout
We've stayed here at least a half-dozen times with a popup. The smaller B loop is nicer, but no electricity. Pets allowed only on a certain portion of the A loop. The bathrooms are clean, the lake is small but pretty, and the hikes around the lake, and up the mountain on the ridge, are as easy or as challenging as you want. Cell service is pretty much nonexistent so you definitely get unplugged.
TravelerThis is a really nice campground. Large grassy sites. Easy to maneuver. Lots of open space. Clean bath house. Helpful owners. The only reason it lost a star is that the water has sulfur. It smells and it stained our brand-new toilet and we had to replace all our water filters after one weekend.
Traveler
The campground is adjacent to a very large, very busy train yard. It’s not bothered me but you should be aware.
The campground is also right on the Potomac, easy to get to, reasonably priced, and the sites are spacious. The loops are small, each containing a dozen or fewer spaces. Many sites share a power pole and water faucet, but they are well situated.
There is a small camp store, but the campground is convenient to ample grocery stores, convenience stores, and restaurants as well as many local historic attractions.
Scout
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Traveler
Busiest train corridor I’ve ever experienced, with several every hour all night. To add to the noise, there is a one-way tunnel a few feet from the campground. The practice is for cars to stop, blow their horn to announce their presence, then proceed into the tunnel.
I have a 14’ trailer, and it wouldn’t fit into my site perpendicular to the road. I had to pull past then back in so that I was parallel to the road. Ordinarily no big deal, except that the road isn’t a loop. It’s a single lane straight road in. No place to turn around, no way out except to back all the way out.
RangerCodorus state campground provided a comfortable and quiet stay. The trailer sites in loop C are spacious enough with plenty of shades and trees. The open field pet friendly sites are also large but provide no shade and it gets hot! You can feel the difference between these sites and the interior loop sites. No cross winds, no breeze, just hot! The trails from
Campground are ok for a short walk, not much of a lake view but mostly shaded trail. The pool is conveniently located maybe even walking distance for some. But be advised, this is a public pool open to everyone and folks start showing up at 7am, separate entrance road and entry fee was around $10 pp. The lake is great! Lovely areas to relax and explore. No swimming allowed anywhere but you can find places to sneak a dip 😉 just look past marina near state park public recreation area. The park staff won’t give you a hard time they just ask that you don’t go further than waist deep. It is a very large lake. We highly recommend that you rent a pontoon boat to head out and explore! Very worth it! All grounds and areas are clean and kept in great condition.
RangerWe stayed in the smaller camping area B, which we enjoyed. Even on Labor Day weekend, it didn’t feel busy because of how few sites are in this section. Our site was level and sizable. The bathroom was clean and there was access to the very pleasant hiking trail going around the lake. We had no cell service with Cricket or Verizon.
TravelerThis 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.
Guide
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.
TravelerNice creek running through. Pool. Appalachian trail runs right by it. About 20 minute drive to Gettysburg
Scout
We really enjoyed our stay here. Sites, amenities, and bathrooms/ showers were all clean and well kept. Staff was always friendly and accommodating (we even extended our stay and while our first site was booked they found us a near by site that was open). No problems with hook ups or dump station.
Guide
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.
Scout
non - refundable deposit Beware do not stay here read the reviews
Guide
Spent a weekend at Gettysburg. We camped at Artillery Ridge Campground, which served as an artillery storage/staging area for the Union during the battle. Behind the campsite we stayed at, we learned connected to Stangler Farm, which served as a hospital for the wounded. Literally right outside the entrance of the campgrounds is where the battlefield starts. So close to history. We have been to Gettysburg before, but going with the kids again being older, we all had a greater appreciation of the sacrifice of this 3-day battle. We did Park Ranger tours to learn about the 1st shot and how the war started to stand in the footsteps of General Buford at Senitary Ridge in the cupola overseeing the battlefield. Later in the day we took a horse carriage ride through the battlefields, Picketts Charge and the peach orchard with a private guide to learn every ounce of the battlefield and the major players to learn about the 3 days of fighting that took place to how the civilians of Gettysburg were impacted. The three day battle claimed over 50,000 lives and we toured the town of Gettysburg to learn how the community had to deal with the aftermath of the masses who perished, the smell which went on for over 30 miles and limited resources such as clean water. It's amazing to see how history was so preserved but right across the street from battlefields where so many died stands fast food restaurants, and hotels. A little surreal. Would definitely recommend a ride out to Gettysburg and this campground, which is right next to the battlefields. Clean facilities. If you are into horses, this is the place for you! Though sites are not very private, everyone is very respectful, and you are not on top of each other. Quiet hours are observed, which is nice too. Store has a great variety of souviners, treats, and emergency camping items. You can't get any closer to history than here. Would definitely recommend if you are looking to visit Gettysburg.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Emmitsburg, MD?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Emmitsburg, 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 Emmitsburg, MD?
TheDyrt.com has all 23 tent camping locations near Emmitsburg, MD, with real photos and reviews from campers.
