Best Equestrian Camping near Hancock, MD

Recent Equestrian Reviews in Hancock

88 Reviews of 5 Hancock Campgrounds

• 

  Jason L.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 15, 2024

  Gettysburg Campground

  Nothing to complain about

  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.

• J

  Jennifer R.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 15, 2024

  Shawnee State Park Campground

  Loved the park but not the site

  We loved the swimming and fishing in this park. Awesome Sandy swim beach and roped off area in the water made it great for keeping an eye on the kids while they swam. We had site 59 and are tent campers. This site was on an incline so the cots we brought were pretty miserable to sleep on. This spot was in its own little wooded cubby hole so it gave us a little more privacy but we thought that a lot of these sites were much too close together. We plan to scope out other sites to find a more level and more private option. Overall we really loved the park itself and will be back!

• 

  Grace D.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 16, 2023

  Michaux State Forest

  Solo Camping Trip

  Took a few days off to see some fall colors and it did not disappoint! I stayed at campsite #18, it has a picnic table and fire ring with tons of chopped wood already there from previous campers. This spot wasn’t far off from one of the roads entering the forest but I never heard any traffic- just turkeys talking and the occasional motorcycle passing through. Easy to access- I drive a Hyundai Elantra. Did not have any problems with lantern flies like the previous comment but I did see (and kill) a few hanging around some trees. Overall, i found it to be a really nice, quiet, and accessible camp experience! Will definitely be back!

• j

  j A.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 7, 2023

  Michaux State Forest

  Insane Lanternflies (temporarily)

  Relates to Teaberry Site Only. The first 3.5 days there were lantern flies actively trying to get into our rig, digging themselves behind the window screens, etc. and then day 4 they were gone. It was traumatic. Still trying to de-louse our rig and possessions so we can leave the area. Other than that is might be a better site for rent camping than an RV. It was a very large gravel lot with 5 sites along one side, pretty well spaced. The campsites were pretty, parking on the edge of the sites in the parking lot felt a lot like just being in a parking lot with a view of trees on one side. Also some traffic from people turning around etc. Wouldn’t want to have Site A.

• 

  Rick G.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 14, 2023

  Shawnee State Park Campground

  Met our Needs Perfectly

  Booked for 5 nights to have an opportunity to explore the Bedford, PA area. Great access to Flight 93 Memorial, local covered bridges, Fort Bedford Historic Fort, and many other attractions. Loop D was quiet with ample space between sites that provided privacy. Bathhouse was clean and used for showers. Dump and water fill station easy to access on your way in or out. Verizon signal good enough for streaming.

• 

  Jen S.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 18, 2023

  Gettysburg Campground

  Quiet campground

  With all the dogs and kids here we were surprised how quiet it was! Our camp neighbors were super friendly. Check in was 0 hassle. The only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is that the wifi is unusable and the campsites are very tight. We weren’t able to set up the pen for our dogs because there’s no room.

• B

  Bridget D.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 1, 2022

  Michaux State Forest

  Motorized and Primitive Sites, but double check info.

  Some reviewers have confused nearby State Parks with the actual State Forest, resulting in inaccurate information. Despite their proximity, Caledonia and Pine Grove Furnace State Parks are NOT considered State Forest land, and have completely different amenities, availability, and regulations.

  Michaux State Forest sites fall in to 4 categories:

  1. Designated motorized sites, which require a free online permit and are open April 2 until the 3rd Sunday after Thanksgiving

  2. Designated motorized parking lot sites, which require the same free online permit but are open year-round

  3. Primitive backpacking sites, open year-round (no permit required, should be at least 1 mi from a trailhead, and only 1 night per site allowed)

  4. Primitive Cabins, which are on State Forest land but are managed by and booked through the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.

  None of the sites available in Michaux have:

  -electric or water hookups. If you used/saw one, you were in a State Park, not Forest.

  -drinking water available at sites (some have a creek or springhouse, which must be treated first)

  -restrooms (a very small number of sites have outhouses within 1/4 mi or so, but don't count on it)

  All designated sites have some sort of fire ring, whether stones or metal.

  Some, but not all, designated sites have picnic tables.

  Cell service varies greatly. Some sites will have none without a decent drive or hike, while others have 4 bars.

  Fires are not permitted at all from March 1 to May 25, and are also banned when fire danger is deemed too high.

  Alcohol is permitted, except in picnic areas.

  Designated motorized parking lot sites also serve as equestrian sites, and horse camping is allowed here. Teaberry has a few hitching posts and a two step mounting block available.

  Pets are allowed as long as they are under control at all times and are not disturbing others. If your dog's recall is anything but perfect, they haven't earned the privilege. Use a leash or long line; remember that if your out-of-control dog gets into a fight with an aggressive but leashed dog, the fault is yours. It's not worth two sets of vet bills.

  This is my go-to local place for camping and hiking alike. Michaux sits on the northern terminus of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and though they are scarcely more than foothills here compared to their majesty in more well-known areas like TN, NC, and VA, it is a place of peace and beauty all the same. Like much of the state, it's a young mixed deciduous and coniferous forest, with some open and sparsely wooded prairie/meadow sections.

• 

  Billy C.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 29, 2022

  Gettysburg Campground

  Management is rude af

  Stayed a month

• 

  Christina V.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 21, 2022

  Shawnee State Park Campground

  Large, accompdating campground- Quiet on the weekdays!

  Shawnee State Park is a very large campground (319 campsites with mixed electric and non-electric, some pet friendly, some not) about 10 minutes off highway 76 and 20 minutes from the Flight 93 National Memorial.

  My fiancé and I visited on August 21, 2022- a Sunday. We did not have a reservation and utilized the campground’s honor system envelopes to reserve our site. We drove all over the entire campground (which is, again, quite large) and decided that sites 22 and 34 were both well suited for our Sprinter van 144 and not too crowded for our reactive dog.

  The park employees were very helpful and accommodating, though we only needed limited assistance with our arrival since we didn’t have a reservation. A campsite list is posted at the entrance that displays the list of available sites for that night.

  There is a loop that can accommodate larger RVs but most of those were full- the remaining sites are not necessarily level, and only about 1/4 of them appear to have electricity. Our site, 34, is not an electric site.

  The campground appears well maintained, though the $33.50 fee is a little more expensive than we are used to paying. But the price of the site was worth it for us for a safe and quiet place to stop for the night on our way to the Flight 93 Memorial and Pittsburgh.

  A note that traffic and highway noise can be heard from the campground but it isn’t incredibly loud- you do get nature sounds that drown out the highway noise at times, as the bugs here are very loud, but if the sound of the highway in the background will bother you, this might not be your ideal campground.

  This campground clearly gets very busy during some weekends, so definitely plan a visit during the week if you’re like us and prefer a more private camping experience.

• J

  Josh S.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 27, 2022

  Michaux State Forest

  Great Primative camping

  My brother and I stayed here last fall, I believe site 18.  It was a short walk from vehicle to campsite which included a fire ring and picnic table only.  Site was off a dirt road that had a fair amount of traffic (bicycles, trucks delivering firewood).   Overall it was  a nice basic site for getting away.  No cell service (verizon) unless you bushwacked up the hill behind camp.

• 

  Gina I.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 16, 2022

  Shawnee State Park Campground

  Beautiful

  Nice campground. Some of the campsites are a little bit too close together with no privacy. Our site/47 was too sunny. No shade, no privacy. But during the week was not too crowded, nice and quiet. The bathrooms were nice and kept clean. We had to ride our bikes or walk to get to the beach, that was more then a mile away or just felt like it was more, because it wasn’t mostly flat and for the kids was hard to ride they’re bikes . But when we got there we were pleased. Large,clean beach with sand , no rocks or aquatic plants in the water. I will do more day trips to the beach in the future.

• 

  Joann&WellsThePup I.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 2, 2022

  Michaux State Forest

  #15 - Raccoon Run

  Walk in tent site. No amenities, dispersed camping only. Next to a water source that runs well in Spring/Early summer. Midsummer and early Fall can be iffy, so bring a backup. Close to Caledonia State Park if you want showers. They do charge a small fee ($4). This site is right in the middle of a trail, so expect people walking through. All reservations are free, but must go through the PA state park motorized camping website.

• B

  Breanna F.

  Traveler

  

  May. 31, 2022

  Michaux State Forest

  Free Primative/Motorized Camping, Need Permit

  Great campsite - Site 8, Hairy Springs; long walk from vehicle so pack lightly.  Had great water source from boy scouts (easy to fill buckets)  and large place to put up tent.  2 different fire rings, no picnic table.  Not much hiking available from the site- be careful if walking down the stream as it disappears underground (very cool to hear, babbling brook style) but very easy to get turned around in the thickets...  Saw evidence of BEAR near our tent after hiking - but stayed the 2nd night with no incident.  (Yelling "HEY BEAR" every couple minutes.. haha - scary!)  Beautiful night sky!

• d

  david C.

  Traveler

  

  May. 18, 2022

  Shawnee State Park Campground

  Nice

  Nice campground Need more hook up sites

• d

  david C.

  Traveler

  

  May. 18, 2022

  Shawnee State Park Campground

  Nice

  Nice campground Need more sites with hook ups

• 

  Shanna B.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 14, 2022

  The Cove Campground

  Frequent Visitors

  On top of them having an outdoor gun range... they have a small beach, picnic tabels everywhere, a volleyball ball sand court, a dock, you can fish in the lake, rent non motorboats, ATVs welcome, electrical supply at select camp sites, campers and tenters welcome. Owners are super chill, just follow the golden rules and enjoy. You get to relax while you endure in festivities at your own leisure, a place to have fun but in slow mode, it's the best feeling ever. Awesome site!!

• G

  Gerard

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 9, 2022

  Shawnee State Park Campground

  Large park, great lake, marginal RV sites

  My wife and I stayed for two nights at this campground and enjoyed it greatly.  We happened to be assigned what I believe was the best of the RV sites, a pull through that had full hook up.  We have a 32 foot trailer.  The site we were assigned was easily accessed and had a nice view of the campground.  However, as we drove through the rest of the RV park area we noted that many of the sites had very awkward back-in approaches that did not provide sufficient area to maneuver a large rig into them.  The lake is gorgeous and has a large, sandy beach.  Would love to spend more time there to explore the park further.  There are numerous tent sites, some with electric, that appear to be large and fairly level.

• 

  Benjamin A.

  Ranger

  

  Apr. 2, 2022

  Gettysburg Campground

  Nice to explore Gettysburg

  Small sites but some are along the creek. Playground and mini golf available. Close to battlefields

• L

  Leslie B.

  Traveler

  

  Dec. 17, 2021

  Shawnee State Park Campground

  Love the campground

  Very nice campground. Somewhat level sites. The lake is very pretty. Enjoy the trails

• 

  Tom J.

  Scout

  

  Nov. 12, 2021

  Calico Rocks Hiker-biker Overnight (hbo) Campsite

  Bring earplugs

  It's a train station parking lot very loud train whistles all through the

• W

  Wayne S.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 27, 2021

  Gettysburg Campground

  Great Camp site

  I have spent almost every summer here since 2010. Great amenities and clean camping areas. The original owners were friendly and helpful

• 

  Curtis D.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 26, 2021

  Michaux State Forest

  Beautiful Place

  Stayed there on my way home, for FREE. Went straight to the office for my permit, within 10 minutes of talking and laughing with the receptionist I had my permit. It was my 1st time there so I just chose site number 1. It was just a big open parking lot with a few sites. The sites had rock fire rings. No tables. When it's free, I don't complain. Site 1 was near the road. Every once and a while I'd hear a car. So. One night a ranger tap on my window to make sure I was okay. Thank you to the Park Ranger. There was a bathroom, walking distance from the site, vault with TP locked to a bar. I will go back. But I'll try other sites.

• m

  mae

  Guide

  

  Oct. 17, 2021

  Gettysburg Campground

  Close to battlefield

  Stayed for 5 nights to tour the historical sites. Was very easy to access from the campground. Was not a lot in the way of restaurants and take out nearby. A lot closed. The campground was packed out. We had a pull through that was easy to get in and out of but was so close to our neighbor we had to keep the blinds shut or we’d be looking inside each other’s campers. We were also on buddy hook ups with our neighbors. Was quiet and had what we needed but expensive for what they consider “premium”.

• 

  Eric S.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 12, 2021

  Gettysburg Campground

  Nice place to stay with history all around!

  Great place. Friendly staff and bonus that it’s pet friendly. Watch out for falling black walnuts in October. We heard them hitting ours and other rigs during our three day stay. Gets very quiet at 10pm even when the place is packed.

• 

  Carolyn K.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 3, 2021

  Michaux State Forest

  Hard to get to

  Appalachian mountain range, not bad with 4wheel drive. Stayed first at camp, moved to atv parking. Very remote and atvs in and out. Clean and we'll maintained.

• M

  Matt R.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 3, 2021

  Shawnee State Park Campground

  Is as others say

  Campground reeks of horse manure 24/7. Was pleased by the quiet despite size of campground and proximity to highway. Sites not overly large or private. Has wood vending machine at entrance for firewood. Hiking loop around lake is beautiful. Jean bonnet tavern nearby recommended for a great meal in a historic setting.

• 

  Joann&WellsThePup I.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 14, 2021

  Michaux State Forest

  Site 10

  Primitive site in Michaux. Has a fire pit and that’s it, but FREE. You need to go online and get a permit. I’ve been to a lot of sites in this SF and this is one of my favorites. There’s actually three places to pitch a tent. One is right off the road, one is a little further down (where I stayed this time), and the third if along the lollipop trail and looks out into a meadow. It’s beautiful but about a five minute walk, so if you do that, don’t bring a lot. No water at this site, that’s the only downside. Do yourself a favor and hike around Long Pine Reservoir while you are there. There’s also a lot of beautiful places along Ridge Road to get out and wander.