The best WALK IN camping near
Frederick , MARYLAND

We stayed in a lovely cabin here while I was in town for work. My husband enjoyed the pool with the kids during the day and when I was there we enjoyed shuffleboard, mini golf and hiking together. The cabin was clean and well maintained and the cabins are at the top of the hill but that made for a beautiful view and we felt like we were away from everyone else. I wasn't as fond of the camper sites they seemed kind of close together but the cabins were amazing.

A small piece of outdoors in the middle of a very bustling city is a great getaway close to home! a melting pot of meeting new people from all over the country visiting the DC area. And easy access to some of the nations best attractions

Absolutely amazing fall color on the lake and great drives surrounding. Bathrooms are clean and hot showers.

What a wonderful place! The resort is spacious, scattered throughout the woods. The RV sites are comfortable with all the amenities. And the customer service is impeccable.

We stayed during a few weekdays in October and we almost had the whole place to ourselves. We staying in one of the cabins, which had 2 beds and a bunk bed, sink and toilet, refrigerator, microwave, dining table and sofa. There was also a front porch with picnic table and fire pit.

Honestly, the beds were not very comfortable and way too small for a couple to sleep in one. It was a VERY dark walk to get to the bathhouse for showers. And the fire pit had no grill, so we ended up having to use the stoves of some RV camping friends for meals. Otherwise the stay was great.

I would strongly recommend camping there in the summer months or during weekends in the shoulder season if you have social kids like mine. There were tons of things to do there for adults and kids alike. The activities — such as putt-putt, jump zone and the playground ended up being kinda boring for them without others to share it with. Obviously that would change with crowds. And advance reservations are a must — this place books up fast!

I would highly recommend staying at Merry Meadows, especially if you have an RV and a group of friends to join you!

The primitive sites have a lot of space.

My brother and I really only got to check out the trails leading to and from the overnight camping spots - but the rest of the park looks like a lot of fun, plenty of things to do.

The campsites are about 1 mile from the overnight lot, which was a great hike-in if you don't overpack! We brought a wagon with extra gear with us, but we definitely took in too many items. Ended up pairing it down after night 1 and took extra stuff back to our cars. The hike-in get mostly uphill in the second half with plenty of tree roots and decent sized rocks - for those of you taking in a wagon.

The campsites themselves were great, with plenty of space for 2-3 tents, bear lockers, bathrooms with hand sanitizers, and friendly park rangers to clean up the trash and re-stock the firewood. Make sure you pay for the wood you take, it's on the honor system with a dropbox. We had a family of deer pay us a visit each morning - didn't come across any bears.

We didn't get to check out the Appalachian Trail - but it was only a few miles from the campsites. I'll def. come back! Worth the 7-8 hour trip from both South Carolina and New Hampshire.

We had a great stay at Cowans Gap. Very pretty park in a scenic valley between two mountain ranges. Very easy drive from DC. The sites around us were nicely spaced apart (we were in Loop A, site 142) but some other areas did loop more crowded. Nice hike up the Tuscarora trail - pretty steep with a few rock scrambles that made for a challenging but fun hike with our six-year-old.

Other than the antiquated check-in process, we had a great experience camping at Sky Meadows. The reservation email said that check in is after 4, which is not true. You can check in after 1. But you have to drive up to the main building, register, go back to the overnight lot, put in the gate code, hang the lot tag on your mirror, and hike in to the site. Not bad unless you have another car coming later in the day, who then has to get the parking pass from the first person at the campsite and hike back out to their car to place the tag and put the registration in the drop box. Unfortunately we didn’t have cell signal, had never been there, and did not know we needed to coordinaste the parking. So first-timers beware! Seems like a lot of unnecessary steps. But otherwise, we had a great night. Quiet, no bears, easy access to firewood ($6/10 logs), and nice hiking trails steps form the site. There is no camp store at the campground, only at the main visitor center where you check in.

It's a small campground and it was a little nerve-wrecking getting here for the last mile or two on local roads. There are a lot of fun activities for kids and the proximity to Antietam is nice. But, sites are tight lengthwise…whatever length you enter is the length site you'll get! Halloween parade was fun, but haunted house was HORRIBLE. We came in fall, so I can't judge summer and pool.

I was excited to go to this campground based on reviews and it’s location. Unfortunately it was so noisy with the sounds of guns from 9am-to 8pm daily. The highway is close so we could hear cars while sleeping and planes flying over head constantly. I’d give it zero stars, but the park itself is very clean and the site was big.