Kensington is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Kensington is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. Find the best campgrounds near Kensington, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.
Cherry Hill Park is a family-owned and operated campground that has been in the Gurevich family for 5 generations. We offer premium amenities, friendly service, and a wide variety of lodging - everything from tent & RV sites to premium log cabins and glamping pods and yurts. Our concierge and tours program makes it easy for guests to access downtown Washington, DC, by bus, Metro train, and guided tours. We love hosting guests from all across America, from all over the world, and from just down the road in our home state of Maryland.
$101 - $999 / night
Choose your next adventure at Pohick Bay Campground in Lorton, Virginia. Bring the kids for a day of splashing and sliding at Pirate’s Cove Waterpark, spend a day on the bay with our canoe, paddleboard, stand up paddleboard and kayak rentals; or bring your own boat to our public boat launch ramp. Make a day of it by renting a picnic shelter or stay a little longer and reserve one of our cabins or campsites.
$30 - $60 / night
Bull Run Campground, located near Interstate 66, is a getaway that is not far from Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia attractions. Bull Run Park is only 27 miles from Washington, D.C. and 15 miles from the Vienna Metro Center Station. We are convenient for visitors to the Dulles area , Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum and Manassas National Battlefield Park.
The variety of campsites available at Bull Run Campground are RV sites with electric only service, Electric RV sites with water, RV sites with full-service (which includes sewer, water and electric), tent sites, rustic cabins and group camping areas. There are two bathhouses in the campground that offer hot showers, sinks, toilets and laundry facilities. The camp store sells camping supplies, snacks, ice and firewood and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
$30 - $95 / night
Ramblin’ Pines is your perfect choice for a fine, full-service family campground! No other campground offer you such easy access to outstanding urban attractions from such an incomparable rural setting. We are perfectly nestled in a quiet, peaceful wooded setting, located in the center of the full range of the Washington - Frederick - Baltimore vacation attractions. For those of you that aren't looking to go outside the campground for your vacation, we have you taken care of, too. Whether it’s a game of horseshoes or swimming, come and share some camping fun and recreation with us!
$30 - $70 / night
$58 / night
The Harpers Ferry/Civil War Battlefields KOA is a fantastic vacation destination spot that's perfect for the whole family. Thanks to you, this year we received the 2016 KOA PRESIDENT'S AWARD. That means our campground facilities and camper satisfaction scores are some of the best around. We are making things even better in 2017! Our Specialty Coffee and Wine Store, GRAPES & GRINDS, has been a popular place for morning specialty coffees and afternoon wine tastings. Check our deluxe cabins with bathrooms and some with kitchens too! As always, our jumping pillow and giant inflatable are a hit with the kids.
And, as always, we still have all of the fun stuff you've come to love about our campground, like our junior Olympic Swimming Pool, Indoor and Outdoor Basketball Courts, Volleyball, Horseshoes, Game Room, Bark Zone Dog Park, and all-you-can-eat pancakes in season. So make your plans now to come and make some history all your own. See you soon!
$40 - $80 / night
Campsites and cabins are available on a beautiful deep water section of the Potomac River near Harpers Ferry in Jefferson County. A four mile section of deep water runs from our campground to above the Dargan Bend Boat Ramp in Maryland. Pontoon boats, fishing boats, water skiing, wake boarding, and jet skis are welcome. Pitch your tent and tie your boat up out front. Bring your RV as well. There are electricity and water hookups for RV sites. For those willing to rough-it, it is a beautiful unique location. We also offer beautiful, River Front Cabins that offer heat and AC, as well as their own full bathrooms.
$23 - $29 / night
Great location, amazing amenities(huge pool, game room, snack bar, camp store, coffee shop etc.), and friendly employees, but these are where the positives end. I've never stayed at a KOA/campground where the sites were so unlevel, close together, and the whole infrastructure in need of repair.
The Historic trench section is nice in the trees, but the roads are crumbling and too small for most RV's. If the person across from your site is already parked, good luck having enough room to back into your site. Our site was so unlevel that I was not able to get the RV leveled the entire weekend. Looking at the surrounding sites most campers were jacked high on blocks or sloping significantly. The section of sites were on a curve/semi-circle, which caused the site beside ours to be even smaller. We had to move our picnic table to give space for this person to back his camper on the site. They were unable to get even close to level so they didn't put out their slide. There is a new section to the campground out in the open whose sites are more level, but they are even closer together than the section we stayed in.
In addition to the poor sites, little enforcement was done regarding monitoring the number of people on the sites and the partying going on. A nearby site had 15+ people on Friday night partying and carrying on until 1:30AM until a fight broke out. They had a boombox on the bumper of the camper and blasted music all evening. After hours any vehicle can enter the campground as there is no gate. Cars/trucks pulled up to the party sites, who just drove in to party. I know calls were made to the office as neighboring campers stated to us. On Saturday night, the group wasn't quite as rambunctious, due to a visible presence of staff driving by, but with a campground this size, regular monitoring and shutting down of quiet hour violators should occur pre-actively. Harpers Ferry KOA could be so much more if they would invest in site upgrades and rule monitoring. We will not return.
We loved staying at Pohick. We were here to visit DC and it was an excellent spot to stay. It was extremely hot as it was July but the sites had a lot of shade. Site 46 where we stayed was close to the bathrooms and nice and flat. The bathrooms were cleaner than any other campground we have stayed in and they have laundry and a nice stainless sink and counter for washing dishes if needed. About a 40 minute drive into DC and definitely worth it. Also, campers get a discount at the water park which was a very reasonable 5 dollars per person. The weekend tends to be a bit louder but during the week was very quiet.
We were going to a family reunion. So we brought our "mobile hotel room" with us. In D loop, they were long sites, clean, and a nice woods buffer between sites. Also, full hookups. We were quite pleased for a reagenal park.
We have been camping here for nearly 20 years. Each military tour brought us back to this area so Pohick became our second home. Our kids kayak now older but used to walk the trails as little kids. The waterpark is new and loud so we avoid but nice if you have young kids. Careful low bridge on Route 1 exit ramp little warning when taking ramp off I95. Go around to next exit. The check in at the cap store is crowded and narrow even with renovations but our 34 ft makes it okay. Bring bikes. Long bike trail along road. Farmers markets in Lorton and things to do in DC. Park at Huntington or Springfield metro. Short boat ride straight across from Ft Belvoir new family campground. Ice cream shop in season by water docks. Bathrooms clean always hot water three stalls each. Sink outside for dishes. Playground buts up against inner circle which are the only sewer sites. Others are electric water. Careful some near steep drop off. Stick to main road or inner circle or first circle if in big unit. Must go round circle to get to those spots which can be annoying. Two speed bumps. Camp store sells smores ingredients, limited candy, no eggs or bacon get those off Rte 1. Past entrance on Rte 1 is a Food Lion, McDonalds. Gas stations along Rte one are tight so fill up before exiting to campground. If you are desperate there is gas 7/11 at corner of Pohick and Rte 1 but its sketchy. Up the road off Rte 1 is Fort Belvoir Access w a drivers license however cant shop without military sponsored ID. Great bbq at Telegraph Rd and greek at Olympians family restaurant. Movie theater on Telegraph is nice. Springfield Mall close. Take Onville Rd which is a backroad by Pohick Church to shortcut to Rte 1. Pohick Rd past camping turn deadends into private neighborhood. Do not pass camp entrance. Hard to turn around if you do. Near End of Pohick is a small walk with overlook. See birds at point. Drive a car not RV. Park at lot on right before road split deadend. Gunston Hall on left can see from campground and water. Tours are nice.
Took my family of 7 to the Bull Run regional park for our first camping trip and the experience was great! Didn’t want to stray too far from the house in the event that it was a nightmare, thankfully this local spot offered a soft opening to our family over the two days we spent there and all was good. The site was clean and well kept, bathhouse was close to the tent site and in ok shape (wasn’t expecting anything spectacular so wasn’t disappointed. Playground and trails were nice, kids really enjoyed the chance to take in nature. This experience was good and would recommend a visit for anyone looking for a soft intro to camping for their family!
Everything is everything is well maintained. The sites are clean and level. Plenty of activities on site. And a live band on the weekends. Also close driving distance to many towns and cities.
Camp site wasn’t level at all. I was actually kind of worried that it would slide into the woods. Pool was dirty. Ran out of hot water. Got chided by the golf cart police for driving >20 mph. Stayed at nicer campgrounds for significantly less money.
I have been here twice, the hiking is great and there is a National Park right next door, the location of Camp David. Great weekend.
Stayed here for Labor Day weekend and had a great time. Clean, well-maintained camp sites, well-stocked and friendly service at the camp store. My kids also LOVED the swimming lake -- especially great for small kids, because the roped-in part of the swimming lake only gets a few feet deep so you don't have to worry too much about them getting in over their heads. Bathroom and shower facilities were fine, and had a big sink you could use for cleaning/dishwashing.
The only downsides for us were that the campsites were relatively small, and close together. A couple campsites down from us was a big group that stayed up late socializing one night and we could hear them very clearly from our tent. And, while the swimming lake is great, it is crowded and you have to drive from the campsite to it (note that you do not need to wait in the long line of cars in the general public trying to get in, we just drove past them and showed the guard our camping receipt confirmation and got waved right through), and the parking fills up pretty early in the morning so you could end up without a spot. Similarly, the hike to the falls was a little crowded and underwhelming -- you also have to drive to that and park, and parking at the trailhead is very limited.
The bottom line for us was that it's crowded enough that you do not really feel like you are out "in nature," but, especially with small kids, all the amenities and recreation make up for it.
Came to stay for a volleyball tournament and got way more. Christmas lights and just a festive atmosphere. Campsite was easy to pull into and hookup to. Overall a great experience
This place is so noisy with these helicopters that fly 24/7. Another absolutely insane noisy campground run by nova. Absolutely a rip off because of the noise just like all nova parks seem to be. Insane
This place is absolutely the most horrific noisy place is like sleeping on the side of the highway. Absolutely annoying sound 24/!7, this place should be free. Absolutely a rip off to call this park a campground. More like a parking lot on the internete.
Pretty typical KOA. Level gravel sites. Reasonable WiFi clean adequate bathrooms. The location worked for my trip but not sure it’s that convenient to DC.
We booked site 136 due to proximity of the playground (traveling with a 5 & 10 yr old). The site was great except the weird parking stops on every site but the pull throughs. It only allows you to back your camper in so far.
We were able to drive to a DC Metro station easily - 30 minutes. Our main goal was to explore DC but there is lots to do near the campground. Even some National Battle Sites nearby.
Wonderful experience and amenities for the kids. Our first KOA experience. Lots of other kids playing at the park for my kids to play with. Very clean facilities.
This campground is about 25 sites. Only 5 sites have electric (2, 5, 18, 24, 25)but all 25 sites have water hookup. Weekends are some what noisy because of the games across the street in the park. This is not a gated campground so anyone can come through and have a tour. Park Police patrol the campground 2 times a day. Also the bathrooms are clean, their are 2 stalls and 1 shower, cleaned daily by park rangers. Raccoons run wild at night flipping trash can lids on your campsite hunting for food. Use repel spray to keep the raccoons off your site. Site 24 and 25 are very close together but the other sites are at a distance however, 6 of the 25 sites are unleveled so tent camping is probably the only option. This is not big rig friendly but there are pull through sites but the roads are very narrow and there is only 1 way in and 1 way out (same entrance) there is a dump station at the beginning of the campground with access to water as well. Free of charge. This is a quiet campground and it's cheap for maryland residents and about $20 for non-resident. There is no registration on site it's online only. www.pgparksdirect.com
We tent camped at Matoka Cabins and it was a beautiful Peaceful camping trip! Out spot was very private and you could see the bay and hear the waves. We will definitely be back for another visit. The owners are very nice.
We recently stayed the weekend here in loop A.
There are several good things that can be said about this campground.
Restricted- only people camping and visitors are allowed to use the facilities. Keeps things from being too crowded.
Good sized sites- My family of 4 was able to stretch out 2 tents, our 4 camping chairs, the provided picnic table, our car, and have plenty of room left over.
Limited activities on weekends- jumping pad/pillow, pedal carts, laser tag ($), ceramics ($), t-shirts ($), hikes, and more. Changes weekly. Details sent out at the beginning of the week.
Decent stocked camp store with reasonable prices. $10 for wood, 3.50 for 7 lbs of ice, $5 shakes, and lots more.
There are some clear downsides, too.
Only 1 bathhouse per loop. Pay attention to where your site is located. You might be in for quite a hike to go to the bathroom, which is inconvenient in the early morning hours. Loop E doesn't have a bathhouse (mostly reserved for RVs). The bathhouses have showers and somewhat warm water.
The tent pad is gravel. While this might help with drainage (I don't know), it makes it incredibly difficult to walk on and stake down your tent.
The camp store/activities are quite a good distance from some of the loops. It took me about 10 minutes to walk at a decent pace from the start of loop A to the camp store. From our site which was only not even close to the halfway point it would have added another 5 minutes. The spots really deep in would have easily been a 30 minute walk each way. So driving, especially with little kids, is unfortunately necessary in some instances, especially if you want to visit the playground/basketball/volleyball courts which are WAY down past loop E.
Activities are limited to certain times. When we arrived Friday the jumping pad was only open for an hour from 4 30 to 5 30. We arrived just before 4 30, so we unpacked a few things and took the kids to the jumping pad area (right next to loop A). It wasn't open and inflated until almost 4 50. You'd think because it was opened late they would keep it open later. Nope! Right at 5 30 a worker pulled up and shut things down much to the chagrin of the kids. Why they can't have it running more often is beyond me. 1 hour on Friday was clearly not enough, especially when opened late. Maybe 2-3 hours on Friday and 5-6 on Saturday.
They should consider having time for younger kids on the jumping pad, who are bounced off by the older kids. On Saturday there were at least 40 kids, some pre-teens/teenagers from girl scouts. My 4 year old was having trouble staying on the pad because "it is too bouncy". Kids come and go as it stays open longer, but little kids have trouble keeping up.
The pedal carts were a good idea in practice, but have 2 faults. 1. They are EXTREMELY hard to pedal. I tried two carts, one was totally stuck on an incline and the second barely made it around the track. I have no idea why they are so difficult to use. 2. There are no tandem carts. The only ones using the carts while I was there were little kids who couldn't use the jumping pad. I had my daughter on my lap while on the cart, but it was awkward to use this way. Either having a two seater or side car would have worked out better. Based on the condition of the other carts in the shed, only a few appeared usable.
Clear signs are needed. Lots of cars were going the wrong way down loop A. The road is barely big enough for 1 car, so having to accommodate 2 is even more problematic, especially with kids walking around. There were at least 10 cars going the wrong way in the loop.
The limit of 2 cars per site isn't enforced. A few sites had 3 cars, which fit ok. A pack of cub scouts were hiking a few of the trials, so a few sites had 4 or 5 cars. The sites were not big enough to fit that many cars plus camping equipment, so they started taking up the road. This made it hard to maneuver, especially with little kids running about in the road unsupervised.
All in all it was a great campground and I truly do appreciate the staff trying to provide a few things for families to do. With a few considerations and improvements, this campground could easily be a 5-star location.
Sites are gravel pretty level and not to close. Bathhouses are ample and clean but can be a hike from some sites.
We were traveling with our daughter and have had a long day. Pohick bay was on our list and Owen at the camping office did such a great job making sure that everything goes well for us. The bathrooms are clean and very well kept. We will definitely stay here again!
Well-maintained camp area offers year-round camping and hiking. Water is available all year long, but bathhouses are closed off-season. Portable facilities are available during winter camping.
I was thinking back to our visit from 2022 and realized I never wrote a review! We loved our stay! It was quiet and peaceful and we were able to take the metro into DC for a day of exploring!
Great campground as long as you select the correct site as that is incredibly important. I’m sure in peak season or holidays it can be very busy and then you’d be very tight to your neighbor especially in the A loop. Sites on the ends are by far larger than the center.
Workers are nice, campground is decent. After hours ranger was really helpful and sweet helping spot me backing in. The trails to the bay are fun. Whoever designed the comfort station in the front needs to refund the park. You have to be on the toilet to close the door, there isn't an inch of extra space in the stalls. The laundry machines are positioned as inefficiently as possible. The second comfort station smells badly of sewage and the grate in the showers is painful on my feet, and I'm a barefoot gravel walker. Try to get a spot with full hookups to avoid the bathrooms.Other than the bathrooms, it's okay.
My partner and I camped here in the middle of February '23. Great campground, clean comfort stations. Comfort station 1 is newer and more renovated that comfort station 2 but both were clean and well kept! it was very warm in the comfort station ( a plus in the winter) with hot water. There are a few trails here, a marina, waterpark & mini golf when in season. great for families. The staff at the camp store were nice and very accommodating. This was our first trip so when we booked our site we had no idea how close the RV sites were. I mean, zero privacy, barely any trees in between. So the camp store clerk allowed us to change our site to a more private one. Site 11 seemed very private for anyone looking to book.
also, just to mention, all sites that back up to the playground have no buffer or trees. You will be exposed to the playground but that may be what you're looking for.
All in all, a great stay!
These big spots were great but it was pretty expensive for what it was. I think you were paying for the location.
We stay at Ramblin Pines because it is close to family and a good proximity to visiting Baltimore and Frederick. The campground is quite large with lots of seasonal sites but there are some transient spaces that can accommodate big-rigs. In addition to RV sites, there are tent sites and cabins.
We stayed in one of the transient sites (#FR14) across from the RV storage lot. It was a long gravel back-in with 50-amp FHU. The water hook-up is in a pit so it doesn’t freeze so look under the cover. It can be a bit difficult to reach and you have to get on the ground to hook-up. Based on the location of the spigot, we were not able to attach our water filter (we drank the tap water anyway and it was good). The electric worked fine and were able to reach the sewer with our 20’ hose. The view out of our front window was of the storage lot which was not the most scenic. However, parking in the FR row is the easiest place for big-rigs to park since some roads in the park are tight and hard to navigate with the trees and with the two-way traffic.
There are lots of amenities and it seems some people come here for the activities and things to do. It is a destination for many campers. They have lots of themed events, the most popular being the entire month of October celebrating like Halloween. They set up a haunted walk through the woods, have pumpkin carving, trick or treating, a costume contest, haunted hayride, and site decoration contest every weekend. If you want to camp on the weekends– book early because we found it very difficult to get a reservation during October and you have to pay in full and there are no refunds for cancellations. Other weekends have live music, bingo, hayrides, cornhole tournaments, crafts, and more. Basically, there is something every weekend.
Huge fishing pond, shuffleboard, horseshoes, large dog park with agility, game room, playgrounds, jump pillow, heated swimming pool, and exercise room (which was decent but didn’t have a television to occupy your time), 18-hole mini golf. A short but nice hiking trail winds through the woods and is nice for walking dogs. There is a large covered pavilion with picnic tables for big gatherings. There is free Wi-Fi but it doesn’t reach sites in the back of the campground. Wi-Fi is great if you are near the office/store. The camp store is fairly large with some food/beverage items, t-shirts, large amount of RV supplies, and misc. other items. There is a coffee maker with free coffee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Kensington, MD?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Kensington, MD is Cherry Hill Park with a 4.8-star rating from 40 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Kensington, MD?
TheDyrt.com has all 28 glamping camping locations near Kensington, MD, with real photos and reviews from campers.
