Best Equestrian Camping near Ridgely, MD

Tuckahoe is a hidden gem on Maryland’s mid-Eastern Shore region. With many of your standard amenities and a quiet atmosphere, it was a great spot for my first time camping with my kids.

Our campsite was on the non-electric loop. We had a small creek and trail back up to our campsite. We only had a handful of neighbors and foot traffic at the time was almost nonexistent, so we practically had the park to ourselves.

There is an electric loop with electric hookup, but no water or sewer. Those can be found at the campground entrance. Each loop has a wood shed and clean, well-appointed bathhouse. There are water pumps along the road for refills.

There are 4 basic cabins on each loop and most sites are designed for RV and/or tent use. There are 3 sites that are tent-only on the non-electric loop.

Multiple trails in the area are widespread. Wear comfortable hiking shoes and bring a map! They also have equestrian trails with an equestrian center nearby. The lakefront boasts a picnic area with individual tables and grills, recycled tire playground, and kayak rentals (for a fee). Fishing is allowed, but no swimming (which was a bummer for us, but exploring some of the local creeks helped provide some relief from the summer heat).

Nearby is Atkins Arboretum. Their 5 mile trail system covers around 400 acres. There are woods, “grasslands,” and “wetlands” to explore the various ecosystems of the Eastern Shore. They also had a goat area and garden play area for children. There is a fee through the Visitor’s Center which supports the center, but some of the trails can be accessed via other Tuckahoe trails.

Centrally located, you’re still within easy access to a local town center (Denton), supplies, and dining. I can’t recommend Tuckahoe enough if you just want a quiet spot or you’re new to camping!

We were looking to explore Maryland's Eastern Shore and picked Tuckaho because they had electric sites available. We were so pleased with our stay. The campground is well maintained and the sites are great. We have a small travel trailer and our site was pretty level and nicely private. We backed up to a hiking trail which was nice. There's lots to do here. There's a disc golf course and the camp store has discs available to use. We've never played before but had a blast learning, now we're hooked. We also enjoyed kayaking on the lake. If you enjoy birding this park is great, we saw so many cool birds. There's an arboretum and horse riding trails. We will definitely be going back!

Tuckahoe State Park is tucked away onto the Eastern Shore of Maryland, close to the Chesapeake Bay. It features every kind of camping you can imagine. RVs, tents, youth group, etc. while I was only there for one chilly April night, my partner and I were looking forward to kayaking along the lake and creek. I was new to the sport and it was windy so the lake was a bit scary to kayak but the creek was perfect. With all the vegetation growing back, it felt like you were in Florida. There were interpretive signs all along the creek to teach about the birds, amphibians, and even beavers one might see. One of the downsides to the campground was that the bathrooms were small and far away from the campsites. That is, if we went to the right ones. Could have been user error.

Park Name-Delaware Seashore State Park

Date of Stay-June 2018

Site-237

This is one of favorite local parks! The location (in between Dewey/Rehoboth Beach and Bethany Beach/Ocean City, Maryland) is PERFECT. You have close access to miles and miles of touristy beaches and uninhabited beaches. From the campground you can walk less than a 1/4 of a mile to get to the beach.

Even though this park is run by The State of Delaware or a subsidiary agency the park is well maintained, the sites are level. All of the RV sites are full hook up and level. If you have a larger vehicle make sure you bring your “A” game when it comes to parking and pulling out as the interior roads are a little bit tight.

Even though they don’t have the staffing levels of a KOA…there was always someone “official” around who could answer questions or help out if needed.

If you are able…try to book a site on the newer side (sites 400-480)…the sites are WIDE and DEEP

We stayed in a full hook up site, and we found the campground to be clean, well maintained and so close to the beach. You can walk to the beach from the campground, and the beach has a restaurant, bar, showers, and a nice seating area/hammock seats. The campground itself has no trees, and the sites are a little close together, but it is bearable for access to the beach. There is room to sit outside, large picnic tables and enough private space. We did not use the bathhouses, and my brother in law went to the camp store and reported it was basic, but it is a state park. There is a really nice playground. There are no fires permitted at the sites, but there is a communal fire pit (may be more than one - not sure). We were at the South Park location. It is very close to Rehobeth the town and surrounding areas.

Last family trip of the year and it didn’t disappoint. We stayed in site D25 again just as we did 2 yrs ago. It’s a pull through site as are all sites in loop D. This is pet friendly and has electric and water. Dump station is across from loop D. There are 5 loops with Loop E being tent and cabins/hurts only. That Loop also has island tent sites. We couldn’t walk into that area. Each loop or area has its own bathhouse which appear to all be individual family style bathrooms.

The layout of the sites in loop D is not typical. All sites in this loop are pull through and parallel to the road, so the left drivers side of your camper faces the road and the right side faces your camp area. If you stay in an inside loop site you will be facing the camper on the other side of the loop. For instance D11 and D14 face each other. The distance between sites across the loop isn’t huge or blocked by any foliage but didn’t seem to be an issue for our friends who stayed in D24. If you stay on the outside of the loop you will either face the woods (higher numbered sites) or loop C through the trees ( lower numbered sites). Our site is pretty level as are most sites. This is Delaware which is flat land.

The one issue with most every site are the trees. Most every site has a tree to watch out for. Other loops are all back in sites and many of those have trees to keep an eye on as well. This is a shaded campground. At the end of each loop is a pier on the pond which is large and beautiful. There are playgrounds in each loop and bike rentals at the camp store.

The tent area is walk in but they provide wheelbarrows or carts to haul your stuff. These sites are very private and well spaced off the walk-in path and from each other. The cabins and yurts are also walk-in but again you have the use of carts. Some of the cabins are facing the pond and offer gorgeous views.

There is a primitive group camp area complete with bathhouse, screened in pavilion, open air pavilion, numerous picnic tables, horseshoe and volleyball courts and sits at the point so the views of the pond are plentiful.

There is a disc golf course within walking distance and the weekend we were there a competition was happening. There is a day use area with boat rentals and lots of trails for hikers or horses to use.

The town of Laurel nearby has a few stores. I found This and That Country Store which was so cute. The owner was super nice. The beach areas of Delaware are not too far away if you want a beach day.

This has become one of our favorite campgrounds in DE.

The really great aspect of Delaware Seashore State Park is your close proximity to the water. The park is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian River, and Indian River Bay. The park has two separate campgrounds divided by the Indian River Inlet. We stayed at the southern campground but both are similar with regards to the hook-ups, sites, and proximity to the water. Both campgrounds are wide open with no shade. Pads are paved but patios and area between sites is sandy with a little bit of grass. If you don’t like sand, this is not the place for you. 

We were there in April so it wasn’t very crowded and temperatures were cool so we didn’t mind the lack of shade. Some campsites are open year-round and can accommodate various camping units from tents to 45’ RVs offering back-ins and pull thrus. Roads are fairly narrow and paved campsites barely fit big rigs as we had just a few feet to spare but were able to park the car in the sand/grass so it was not a problem. Most campsites have 30- and 50-amp electric, and water and sewer hook-ups. There are also no hook-up and tent sites. There are bathhouses with free showers scattered throughout the park and laundry facilities. Since we were there in the off-season only one bathhouse was open. There are no fire pits at your site but two community fire pits are located on the outskirts of the campground. Our over the air antenna picked up a dozen or so television channels and we had no problem getting cell or internet service with our Verizon phone. 

Full hook-up sites range from $30-$55/night depending on if you are a resident and what day of the week you are there. No hook-up sites are available from $25-$50/night and tent sites range from $20-$35/night. We inquired about a senior discount and received it after a phone call to them. The south campground is about a half mile from the ocean access where there are two full-service restaurants(which were both closed when we were there). The beach is wide and great for walking on and dogs are permitted during certain times of the year. If you like to fish this is a great place for surf fishing in the Atlantic and bank fishing in the Inlet River. If you have personal watercraft, there is access to the marsh and bay directly from the park. 

Near the north campground is a full-service marina with a bait and tackle shop, fish and seafood sales, and a short hiking trail. Just up the road is the Indian River Life Saving Station with a visitor center, museum and gift shop. Continue on up to the road and you will pass through the small town of Dewey Beach. Keep going another mile or so and you enter Rehoboth Beach where you will find everything you need(and don’t need). Rehoboth Beach is a typical beach town with everything from t-shirts to taffy and a mile-long boardwalk. If you are a beer lover there are plenty of breweries to choose from ranging from the smaller craft breweries like the Dewey Beer Company to the larger producer Dogfish Head..