The best WALK IN camping near
Friendship , MARYLAND

It was probably an amazing park 30 years ago. The creek was really nice. Sites were good size and ours had a patio. Had a fair amount of amenities for kids.

Whenever we go to Gettysburg which is usually once a year we always stay here. Really nice place. Recommend a site by the creek Cool laid back staff and clean bathrooms nice playground for kids. Not to mention it’s a few minute drive to historic Gettysburg. It’s nice and out of the way of the busy parts of town.

Backpacking campground just off the AT. Moderate difficulty 2+ mile hike from Route 40. Spring and compost outhouse. Great views. Been camping there for decades.

Small campground with a pit toilet right on the Potomac river picnic table and fire ring with a few nice trees throughout the camp area. Easy to get to and not far from the towns. I will say there is a road right by the camp is and there are consistent levels of cars into the evening. Still worth it! Pit toilet was not very clean and there are no trash cans so folks had taken to leaving their trash in the bathroom.

River view lots of room port pot, fire ring and grill. Picnic table water pump. Non pot water.

Lots of room under trees two picnic tables and fire pits. River view. Water pump and port John.

This is a clean, quiet spot which is great to find after a day biking the TowPath.  It has water and a toilet, and enough flat, open area to have a decent number of socially distanced tents.

Site Details: We stayed on site#13 in the Rock Run camping area. The site was very level, nicely shaded, and positioned a short distance from the bath house. There was also a water spigot located right at the entrance of the site. However, the best feature in my opinion was the sort of “hidden” clearing in the woods right behind us, with a group of boulders for sitting. My kids loved playing down there. I don’t think there is a bad site in this camping loop, but I think we got the best electric site. It was a tad on the short side though, so I wouldn’t book if your rig is longer than 25’. 

Facilities/Overall Park: This is a very peaceful and heavily wooded park, with minimal but perfectly adequate facilities. The bath house was large and well-maintained, and the outside dish sink even had a garbage disposal. There are a decent selection of trails for all activity levels, and there is a facility called the Tea Room that is very popular for events(though we didn’t visit it while we were there). No large playgrounds, but we did see a few bare-bones swing sets scattered throughout the park. 

Surrounding Area/Attractions: This park is in a great location for outdoor enthusiasts. Cunningham Falls, Catoctin Mountain, and Greenbrier SP(with AT access) are all a short drive away. The nearby cities of Frederick and Middletown offer all modern conveniences. 

Overall, we really liked this park, and it is now on our “short list” of favorite MD state parks. If you can’t find a site at the nearby, more well-known parks like Greenbrier and Cunningham, this would be a great alternative. Heck, even if the others aren’t booked up, you still might want to opt for Gambrill anyway if you’re looking for a more peaceful, secluded camping experience.

This campground is great and our go to if we want to stay closer to home. The sites are a good size and there is plenty to do (swimming, fishing, hiking, escape room, and weekend activities for everyone). The new owners are doing a lot of upgrades in the off season to make it even better.

Highly recommend you check them out!!

Loved this campground for the scenery during leaf peeping season. Our site was level and well separated from others, though it was small. Friends joined us and set up a tent next to our RV trailer. We hiked to the falls but with little rain, there was no falls. A very crowded hike with people everywhere. Bath house was a standard state park building. The Colorfest festival is usually the weekend we went which is why we booked this park on that weekend but with covid it was cancelled.