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Best Tent Camping near Ironsides, MD

538 Reviews

Tent campers seeking primitive experiences near Ironsides, Maryland can explore several options along the Potomac River corridor, including the free hiker-biker campsites at Swains Lock and Horsepen Branch within the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. These tent-only sites offer basic amenities in natural settings, with most located within walking distance of the historic C&O Canal towpath that runs parallel to the river.

Most primitive tent campgrounds in this region feature flat, grassy sites with fire rings and picnic tables, though amenities vary significantly between locations. Walk-in tent sites at Swains Lock require a short hike from the parking area but reward campers with riverside views and greater seclusion. Portable toilets are typically available at established sites, but potable water is limited—campers should bring their own or be prepared to treat water from available sources. The tent camping season extends year-round, though early spring and late fall offer the most comfortable temperatures and fewer insects.

The tent-only experience along the Potomac provides opportunities for fishing, paddling, and hiking. "It's a small walk to the tent only sites right off the C&O Canal which is heavily used by bikes and walkers," noted one camper about Swains Lock. Sites positioned along the river offer scenic views and wildlife observation opportunities, with campers reporting sightings of wild turkeys, geese, and various bird species. Caledon State Park Campground across the river in Virginia offers another primitive tent camping option with a 2.5-mile hike to reach the campsites. These areas typically have less crowding during weekdays, with weekends seeing higher visitation, especially during summer months. Morning fog over the Potomac creates memorable sunrise views for tent campers willing to rise early.

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Best Tent Sites Near Ironsides, Maryland (21)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Ironsides, MD

32 Photos of 21 Ironsides Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Ironsides, MD

538 Reviews of 21 Ironsides Campgrounds

  • Laura M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 11, 2023

    Greenbelt Park Campground — Greenbelt Park

    Beautiful campground, and great for visiting DC

    Beautiful campground, fairly large with 4 separate loops. Loop A is for organized groups/youth/scouts, Loop B is for tents and RVs under 30 ft, Loop C is for tents, and Loop D is for tents and RVs under 35 ft. No hookups at any of the sites.

    There’s a dump station and drinking water fill in loop C (sorry tenters who wanted to avoid RVs). The water fill was a little annoying in that there’s a handle you have to hold down the whole time, but we used a rock to prop the handle down. 

    The bathhouses are ok, happy to have free showers with hot running water. Faucets allow you to control the temperature and there’s continuous running water (no button to push). There’s only one large shower per bath house, and you only have a curtain (no door and no lock). Sites vary in levelness, some are fairly level and some are on a mini hill. Driveways are all very narrow. Most have too much tree cover for solar or starlink, but some sites are more open and you might be able to make it work. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. Cost is $20/night, must reserve on recreation.gov, and you can do that when you arrive and pick a site (no service fee for this site)

    Cell service is pretty good for Verizon and ATT. 

    No alcohol allowed in the park. 

    GETTING TO DC: There’s normally a walking path from the campground to the metro station that takes you into DC (the green line takes you to the National Mall), but as of Oct 2023 the bridge is out due to a storm, and by the looks of it it’s been out a while and it doesn’t appear that it will be fixed soon. So what we did, since we don’t have a tow car, and just have our 26ft motorhome, is we packed up and drove to the Greenbelt station about 5 miles away, parked there for the day, and took the green line into town. The lot there is huge and open and free on weekends. Weekdays it’s about $5/day if you take the metro, and about $9 if you’re just parking there. The College Park station is closer but is apparently a parking garage (can’t confirm because we didn’t go to that station). This worked very well for us. You can pay for the metro with an app or get a card, either way it costs you $2 to buy the card, and then $2 each way on the train. Everyone over age 5 needs their own card, no sharing one card. The train ride from the Greenbelt station to the national mall is about 30 min. Get off at the Archives station to be in the center of all the sites.

  • Kristy R.
    Nov. 13, 2020

    Cherry Hill Park

    Great Family Fun

    Great camping amenities, soft cushioned sites, with power and water close by. DO NOT GET BASIC TENT SITES AS THEY ARE NEXT TO HIGHWAYS AND VERY NOISY!!! Premium tent sites would be a better choice. My grandchildren live it there. We will return to a premium tent site soon.

  • Margaret D.
    May. 3, 2023

    Lake Fairfax Campground

    Comfortable sites

    Campground has mostly level gravel lots with fire rings, picnic tables. No water at site. Bath house is reasonably clean. Dump station is adequate.

  • Justin G.
    Sep. 14, 2016

    Cedarville State Forest

    Cedarville State Forest (Tornado)

    I took my girlfriend car camping in Cedarville State Forest. The camping trip turned more into a stay in the tent the whole trip. We set up camp and ate dinner only to be hit by a tornado watch in the area. I spent most of the trip adjusting the water proofing so we stayed dry. When the rain did calm down Cedarville state forest offered some very serene and peaceful views. Which is surprising due to the forests location.

  • K
    Jul. 4, 2019

    Final-Lee Here

    Ranger Review: LiquidI.V. Hydration Multiplier at Final-Lee Here Campground

    CAMPGROUND REVIEW: Nestled within the beautiful greenery of Huntingtown, Maryland, this campground offers heart, scenery, and access to numerous adventures. The grounds are a short drive to Washington D.C. parks and museums, as well as the Chesapeake Beach Water Park, or North Beach's beautiful new pier and Friday night Farmers Market including local art vendors and food trucks. Kings Landing Park is just a few minutes from Final-Lee Here, which offers hiking and equestrian trails, picnic areas, disc golf, swimming pool, fishing, and a launch for kayaks, canoes, or paddle boards.

    Final-Lee Here Campground offers its own beauty. As a long planned and awaited dream coming true, Connie and Ken Lee are using their gorgeous property to harbor a love for the outdoors in their family as well as those who visit. The land is well groomed with grassy, shaded tent sites, RV sites, tall, privacy-offering bamboo, evergreens (it's a tree farm), and forested trails to a soothing, water-trickling creek.

    The campground has several tent sites, and some are big enough to hold multiple tents for bigger gatherings. Sites offer tables, chairs, and a fire pit. Hot showers are available in a very nice outdoor tent set up. A potty chair, along with wet wipes and trashbags are available for use, or you can just use the outdoorsman's method ;). The Lees gave us plenty of firewood, offered dry wood after storms came through, and even offered to bring us fresh eggs from their chickens. (The rooster brought smiles as it welcomed our mornings with hearty salutes.) There is a small zip line for kids and you may request games such as cornhole, horseshoes, or Yardzee to play. The Lees also rent and transport single and double kayaks or canoes to Kings Landing for a minimal fee.

    On Friday, my teenage daughter and I took a trip to the Chesapeake Beach Water Park (I would recommend this for younger children, checking the internet for discounts) and we cruised the North Beach antique shops, pier and farmers market. Saturday was well planned for adventure, but out-of-the-blue storms hit hard. After breakfast, we kayaked the river and creek through beautiful marshlands where we saw caterpillars walk on water, a heron and bald eagles soaring above, turtles, a cove where thousands of tadpoles were amidst metamorphosis (having both tails and legs) scampering through and atop the water, and a multitude of dragonflies. We stopped at a Kings Landing dock, hydrated ourselves and ate our packed lunch. Dark clouds began rolling in and we paddled back to the boat launch, texting the Lee's to meet us for boat pick up. We had planned to hike and swim while at the park, but instead headed for our tent during the storm surges. Once the storms passed, we adventured onto the campground trails. One trail, though very well groomed, was steep, heading to the creek. We avoided it due to the wet conditions, and found other trails leading to the creek which were easier to maneuver. The creek was so peaceful. I would have loved to have more time here just taking it all in, but evening and another storm came upon us.

    I highly recommend this campground based on its heart and available opportunities. The Lees are absolutely wonderful and truly want their visitors to enjoy the outdoors and their stay. The only "con" I came across was the toileting situation. My teen daughter is not much on the outdoors, so the portable toilet and the natural method option were too weird and uncomfortable for her.

    PRODUCT REVIEW: As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I receive products to test from time to time - during this trip, I tested LiquidI.V. Hydration Multiplier. It is an electrolyte drink mix you add to a water bottle or 16 oz. of water. We tried the sampler pack. My favorite flavor is acai berry, and my daughter enjoyed the lemon-lime. Though we tried to remain hydrated, setting up camp and kayaking in the heat left us truly parched. Adding the LiquidI.V. to our water seemed to rejuvenate. Both my daughter and I feel that a whole "stick" seem to be overwhelming in one water bottle, but using half to 3/4 of a packet brought tasty hydration. I'm very picky when it comes to aftertastes, hating all fake sweeteners; however, this is made with pure cane sugar, and leaves your mouth satisfied. That is pretty rare! (Note: the passion fruit flavor left a slight aftertaste to me.) Additionally, my girlfriend and son tried some of our LiquidI.V. and loved it as well. This was great to have on hand!

  • Roger W.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 8, 2023

    Greenbelt Park Campground — Greenbelt Park

    Close to DC, Quiet, and Pretty

    Greenbelt, MD: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer) Overall Rating: 4.5 Price: About $12 w our senior pass. Usage during visit: 50 % during week Site Privacy: Most inner loop sites are not very good. However, our inner loop site was very private. Most inner loop sites lack privacy. Pull Through” sites are more like pull over sites. The picnic table privacy is often not very good for the pull over sites. This is because the adjacent back in site is deeper with picnic table not blocked by the trailer.
    Site Spacing: Some are close. Check the map. Site surface: black top Reservations: Yes. We were able to change our site upon arrival on Rec.gov. Campground Noise: Very quiet.
    Road Noise: None Through Traffic: Not a problem if the site is in a loop. Electricity: No Water: Available at a few spigots and at the washbasins at the bathrooms Sewer: No Dump: Yes Generators: 6AM till 10PM Bathroom: Old but clean. Showers: Old but clean. Cirtains Pull Throughs: Some “pull over spots”. I have a pic or two of good ones in the D loop.
    Cell Service (Verizon): Great. Setting: 10 mins from subway for DC access. Great way to get to DC. Located in a deciduous forest serving as a pleasant getaway for locals.
    Weather: It was cool during our stay.
    Bugs: No problems yet. Solar: Most sites are not adequate.
    Host: They are friendly and very courteous. Notes: Amazing that there is such a pretty place so close to DC. This must be a great getaway for locals . …. We did not walk the park trails , but there are some.

  • R
    Oct. 4, 2021

    Cedarville State Forest

    Peaceful

    We picked up the camping registration outside the office at the entrance, no need to speak with anyone. Then we just drove down to our campsite in the family camping loop. We could hear and smell horses when we got to our campsite, but it didn't last forever. 

    The site was mostly clean, had a few pieces of small trash scattered around when we arrived. The sites were decently spaced out from one another, it didn't feel like we were right on top of the people across and next to us. Our site was close to the restroom, it had a little path leading to the restroom, and it looked like there was little trail paths all around leading to the restrooms from the different parts of the loop. The path leading to the restroom from our site was gravel and easy to walk on. The restrooms were clean, but the floor was wet almost the entire time we were there (likely due to the showers).

    If you need to buy wood it is $5 for 8 pieces and you call a number given to you in your registration packet. The ranger will then drive by and drop off the wood at your campsite. The inner ring of this loop has electricity, and the electric box was just on the far side of the picnic table in the corner.

  • Andrew M.
    Dec. 2, 2020

    Pohick Bay Campground

    Great for activities; not much privacy

    Great if you’re looking for a quick escape from DC and with a lot of activities—paddling, hiking, and a 5 minute drive from Meadowood for mountain biking. I camped at the non-electric area and it was nice to play some disc golf across the street before dark. The hiking is nice—15 minutes on the trail to get to the water—and a quick walk to the marina/boat rentals.

    Campsites are well-equipped, but depending on which you will not have privacy and/or enough flat space for more than 1 tent. Most sites are right next to each other and no trees or other natural separation, and some saw did not have much space for tents. I had 141 which was good; 138 was the best that I saw; and if you want to get 2 for a bigger group try to get 112/113.

  • RL
    Sep. 6, 2019

    Christopher Run Campground

    We made it work

    To be fair, I only went the once but wasn’t impressed. The site was so tiny - barely large enough for my friend and I to each park and set up a tent. We were super close to the road and dump station, so avoid that site (I don’t recall the number). There was also very little privacy between neighboring sites. No established fire ring or fire area. We asked the store attendant if we could just build a fire ring with rocks and he said that was fine. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen a site like this haha. The small beach area is nice enough, but it is tiny. Would definitely recommend Lake Anna State Park over this one; they aren’t too far apart.

Guide to Ironsides

Primitive tent camping near Ironsides, Maryland centers around the Potomac River watershed with sites ranging from 0-300 feet in elevation. The region receives approximately 43 inches of rainfall annually with summer temperatures averaging 85-90°F during peak camping months. Sites typically offer varying levels of privacy, from exposed riverfront locations to more secluded woodland settings within a 20-mile radius of Ironsides.

What to do

Fishing from shore and pier: Lake Anna State Park offers multiple fishing piers with comfortable seating areas. "The fishing piers have ample sitting area. The sunsets over the water are priceless," notes a visitor to Lake Anna State Park Campground.

Kayaking access points: Leesylvania State Park provides direct water access for paddlers. "This campground was so pretty. It is small, but the price and location near DC cannot be beat. It is directly on Potomac River," shares a camper at Leesylvania State Park Campground.

Family gatherings: Many sites accommodate group picnics with designated areas. "This park is ALWAYS full of family's having picnics and enjoying time together! There's playground and a beach area for kids and family to all enjoy," reports a visitor to Leesylvania State Park Campground.

Hiking trails: Various difficulty levels exist across parks. "A few friends an myself went camping here. It was my first hike in primitive camping experience. We hiked for a few hours and finally got to our site which was right on the Potomac River," describes a camper at Caledon State Park Campground.

What campers like

Secluded river sites: The best tent camping near Ironsides, Maryland often includes riverfront locations. "Caledon was an amazing adventure that's so close to Fredericksburg. It's a nice 3 mile hike to the campsite which is right by the Potomac river! The beach is beautiful and we saw the most gorgeous sunset," says a camper at Caledon State Park Campground.

Clean facilities: Bath facilities vary significantly between parks. "The bath house was clean, and I especially liked the privacy of individual shower rooms," mentions a visitor at Lake Anna State Park Campground.

Natural shade: Tree coverage provides relief from summer heat. "It has spacious camp sites with a great amount of natural shade," notes a Lake Anna State Park camper.

Accessible features: Some parks offer ADA-compliant amenities. "The paved handicapped-accessible trail and fishing platforms are a really nice addition," shares a visitor to Endeavor Point.

What you should know

Campsite spacing: Proximity to neighbors varies by park. "We weren't excited about being so close to so many people. We were within 3 feet of our neighbors & 10 feet of 6-7 camp sites," reports a tent camper at Lake Anna State Park Campground.

Bathroom door noise: Facility design can affect sleep quality. "The bathroom door needs to be fixed because every time some went to the bathroom we would hear the door SLAM shut all hours of the night," notes a camper at Lake Anna State Park.

Water supply limitations: Carry sufficient water for primitive sites. "No water on site and no reasonable source to filter water from so be prepared," advises a visitor to Caledon State Park Campground.

Owner policies: Rules can vary significantly between parks. "The present owners have a 2-dozen limit on crabs regardless of having a license in Maryland that says you can catch up to a bushel," explains a regular visitor to Lacy Oasis Campground.

Tips for camping with families

Bike-friendly paths: Several parks offer safe cycling for children. "Our grandchildren love that they are able to bike ride and enjoy the beautiful scenery," shares a Lake Anna State Park camper.

Playground access: Multiple play areas available for different age groups. "It has great hiking trails and if your looking for a relaxing fishing afternoon, they have some of the nicest fishing piers with ample sitting area," notes a Lake Anna visitor.

Holiday activities: Special events occur during peak seasons. "Always come here for fourth of July and it is quite a show there are a bunch of activities to do," mentions a camper at Lake Anna State Park.

Group camping options: Large cabin facilities accommodate school or scout groups. "PWFP has a number of large group cabin campgrounds available to rent, with capacities of 75 to 200," explains a visitor to Goodwill Cabin — Prince William Forest Park.

Tips from RVers

Site dimensions: Most primitive sites have limited space for larger vehicles. "For being a state park, Lake Anna is one of the best I've been to. Although we only tent camped, I noticed a lot of things about the campground that would welcome RVs as well. There were large back-in sites as well as pull-through sites," notes a camper at Lake Anna State Park Campground.

Dump station availability: Some parks provide disposal facilities. "There was also a dump station. Campers can choose sites with or without electricity," mentions a Lake Anna visitor.

Crowding factors: Weekend congestion affects overall experience. "Very nice, plenty to see and do, but very crowded and noisy, even after quite time," reports an RVer at Lake Anna State Park Campground.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Ironsides, MD?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Ironsides, MD is Leesylvania State Park Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 6 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Ironsides, MD?

TheDyrt.com has all 21 tent camping locations near Ironsides, MD, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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