Best Cabin Camping near Fort Washington Park

PWFP has a number of large group cabin campgrounds available to rent, with capacities of 75 to 200. They are called Goodwill (#1), Mawavi (#2), Oreda (#3), Pleasant (#4), Happyland (#5). My organization has rented 3 of the 5 different cabin camps over the years. These camps were made by the CCC and even used by the then-CIA during WWII. They are extremely rustic and you should expect to see lots of bugs, snakes, etc. during your stay, and it adds to the experience in a great way. The cabins have beds with waterproof mattresses, closets, screen windows, and electricity, but no fans or AC (bring fans!!). There are central shower houses, central dining halls (with full modern kitchens, fridge, etc), and extra buildings called craft lodges (which have tables for activities, discussions, etc.). Sites have extras like fire rings with seating, swimming ponds, hiking trails, grassy playing fields, etc. but I’m not sure they all have all of these. They’re all among the trees and shady. The PWFP rangers and website have lots of great info on the local flora & fauna (best moths I’ve ever seen in my life here). This is a great place for a school overnight or scouting. They’ve been working on renovating them since we started renting them in 2006, so make sure to tour all the different camps to get the one that meets your needs best. Full info is at https://www.nps.gov/prwi/planyourvisit/upload/Group%20Cabin%20Camping.pdf

The Hilton area campground is unique because, unlike the Hollofield area of the park, it doesn't allow RVs and its tent sites are non-electric. However, a tiny cabin experience with electricity is available... within the same loop as non-electric tent camping. My non-electric tent campsite was surrounded by brightly lit cabins, even unoccupied all of their porch lights stay on all night. It doesn't make the upper half of the campground ideal for stargazing. The other reviewers are correct that the lower half of the loop is situated lower in the valley which will make any rain you get more difficult, so avoid booking a site at the very bottom. Overall the campground and state park deserve 4 stars because from what I could see tent pads were level, firepits had grill gates, showers were hot, and staff were cleaning and maintaining the grounds everyday. But be safe; prepare detailed offline navigation if you use the trails surrounding the camp. I definitely got lost relying on blazes for what I thought was supposed to be the Charcoal Trail.

We were here for just one night during September. Our first time camping in the area and since COVID. Check in process was relatively simple, just pull up and pop out of your car to check in, with mask of course. We got a quick run down, some wood and a brochure with maps and area info. We were at site 133, non electric non water. I feel like the spots at the end of each loop might have slightly more privacy, but our site was fine. It included a picnic table and probably the best fire pit with grill that I've had in a while. It rained the night before we came, and the night we were there so the ground was pretty wet. Bathrooms had a sign for taking care with COVID precautions, and to wear your mask. Bathrooms were ok, but floors were a mess from muddy feet. Not much to be done about that. There were showers, and a dishwashing sink, plus laundry available. It's nice to know we've got a close spot to escape to if we don't have time to go far. This is a pet friendly campground. There's a lot to do out at the whole park, and its worth exploring (we just didn't have time). I'm sure its so pretty out near the water.

This review is specific to the non-electric tent sites.

From a services available view, their staff is visible and around to help.  Bathrooms, "Comfort Stations", could use some cleaning more frequently but I've seen a lot worse.  Big trash bin near the comfort stations, convenient.   Definitely a well stocked camp store, its obvious they cater to beginner and family camping.  You are NOT permitted to use deadfall at this park, must bring locally purchased USDA wood yourself or buy from camp store.

There are comfort stations and trash bins close to every non-electric camp site, an easy sub-200 yard walk for me, but that fact is also where my disappointment starts.  The non-electric camp sites in some cases, appear to share a single area, fire pits 10 feet apart from each other, one flat area, barely a full length truck can fit in the parking available at each site they are so close to the road.  If you whisper,  your neighbors will easily hear close.   A big part of camping for me is the peace and quiet of nature.  THIS IS NOT THAT CAMPSITE.  It is extremely compact and close to each other.  Snoring of your neighbor is definitely an issue no matter which site you choose, except for maybe 138 as was said in another review.

The gravel road into the campsites,  is a RESIDENTIAL road.  Yes, there are houses at the end of the road these campsites are ON.  Not off of, on.  Now mostly that wasn't a big deal, cars moving through during the day, early evening.  But that one guy that sat with his high beams on pointed directly into my tent late night for a solid minute or two before loudly accelerating through was a bit irritating. 

This was a weeknight trip, there was only one other camper in this small campground with me so all in all, not a terrible trip but definitely not worth the cost and will not be visiting here again.

★★★★★ Washington, DC Vacation 

Cherry Hill Park may be the greatest campground we’ve stayed at yet! 

Located less than 3-miles from I-95, about 40-minutes drive time from downtown Washington, DC, and about 35-minutes from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, this park is ideally situated for a capitol vacation. We spent 9-days in mid-July and it really wasn’t enough. 

The staff and the array of services available is awesome. They offer concierge assistance with sightseeing tours and mass transit(Metro). They run an express bus to/from DC each weekday which is reasonably priced. Their day and night tours are informative and fun. 

The cafe offers snacks and ice cream at the cafe, at the pool, or delivered to your site. 

The camp store was well-stocked with food and drinks, souvenirs, and basic supplies. 

They charge your purchases to your site(cafe, tours, store) which is smart and convenient. 

The pools are clean and offer a nice cooldown after a day about DC. 

For those without RVs, there are cabins and cottages to rent. There are indoor and outdoor reception facilities. For a few hours a day a few days each week, they offer a tram around the park. Nightly tractor rides are fun and there’s mini golf, ponds, and walking trails. The list goes on and on. 

Our site (#1715) was level and the full hookups all worked fine. Beside our gravel site, there was a small brick patio with cafe table and chairs in addition to the picnic table, fire ring, and grill. 

Everywhere I looked, I saw staff working on cleaning and maintenance— and all this work shows. The place isn’t fancy, but really well maintained and clean. 

This is a great place and we can’t wait to go back! 

THINGS I LIKED: 

• Lots of staff to help make the most of your stay. 

• Clean and well maintained property and facilities. 

• Proximity to DC and Baltimore. 

THINGS I’D CHANGE: 

• My only negative is the lousy wifi. It’s 2022, and I feel having reasonable wifi should be standard. It’s important to check in with work or watch movies. Come on, folks!

PROS 

Very nice small Montgomery County Park 

No reservation fee to make on-line reservations 

Reserved 137 days prior to arriving 

Entrance gate required entry code Instructed by staff via gate phone to proceed to campsite as check-in at camp store is at dead end with insufficient turning space for pickup towing 28ft bumper pull; complete check-in after camper was unhooked at site

 Great night sky viewing as no lights what so ever in camping loops except for toilet/shower buildings 

Lots of vegetation between sites providing privacy from neighbors 

Site#D69 shady 

Very quiet campground 

Site#D69 level side-to-side but we were forced to greatly elevate front of trailer to level front-to-back 

Site#D69 gravel parking pad 

Wooden/metal picnic table that was moveable 

Metal fire pit with cooking grate 

Toilet/shower facility very clean 

3 washers and 3 dryers, along with folding tables in the basement of the check-in building. Accepted credit card for $1.75/load 

Harper’s Ferry National Historical park 35 miles from Park 

Walmart and Wegman’s 5 miles from Park 

CONS 

Out-of-state campers pay higher camping fee than Maryland residents,$66/night 

No senior or veteran discount 

Trees falling on Park power lines caused power outage for hours 

No toilet/shower facility in FHU loop so had to hike to facilities in Loops B & E

No camp host 

No ranger patrolling thru campsite 

No WIFI 

1 bar Verizon

We had another great stay at Cherry Hill Park in College Park, MD. 

We stayed in a level pull-thru site(#1715) with picnic table on a paver patio, iron table and chairs, clean gravel surface, grill, and fire pit. The site was just big enough for our motor home and Jeep. Full hook-ups with 50-amp service all worked fine. 

If you’re visiting Washington, this is the place to stay. They offer a daily charter bus plus the Metro bus stops at the campground entrance. And if you have a car, it’s about 35-minutes drive time(maybe a bit longer with traffic). 

To be honest, it’s a great place to stay even if you’re not visiting D.C. They have two swimming pools, a cafe, playgrounds, well-stocked camp store, delivery of firewood, ice, and cafe orders, and a concierge to help with travel and tourist sites. 

The entire park is clean and well-maintained. 

THINGS I ESPECIALLY LIKED: 

1. Proximity to Washington, D.C. 

2. Excellent condition and clean 

3. Great staff to help with making the most of your stay