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Best Tent Camping near Sykesville, MD

1,061 Reviews

Tent campers seeking outdoor experiences near Sykesville, Maryland have several options within a 30-mile radius, including Patapsco Valley State Park's Hilton Area and primitive sites along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. The Hilton Area campground offers tent-specific sites with fire rings and picnic tables, while the C&O Canal provides more rustic walk-in tent sites along the Potomac River at locations like Swains Lock and Antietam Creek.

Most tent campsites in the region feature crushed stone or natural surfaces, with varying degrees of shade coverage. At Patapsco Valley, tent pads are set on crushed stone, which some campers note can be uncomfortable without extra padding. Walk-in tent sites along the C&O Canal require campers to park on nearby roads and carry equipment short distances to their sites. Facilities vary significantly - Patapsco provides clean bathhouses with showers, while the canal's hiker-biker campsites typically offer only pit toilets or portable facilities. According to one visitor, "The sites are flat and dispersed with most located adjacent to the river, and each site comes with a picnic table, fire ring and grill."

The primitive tent camping experience near Sykesville offers varying levels of solitude depending on location. Tent sites at Annapolis Rock Campground along the Appalachian Trail require a hike-in approach but reward campers with elevation views at 1,700 feet. Sites along the C&O Canal provide riverside camping but experience regular foot and bicycle traffic on the adjacent towpath. Many tent campsites in the area have seasonal limitations, with Patapsco Valley's tent camping season running from April through October. A recent review noted that "The C&O hiker/biker campgrounds run the gamut from good to great. Some are inspirational locations tucked away on a quiet bend in the river, others just meet the basic need of being flat enough to pitch a tent."

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Best Tent Sites Near Sykesville, Maryland (28)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Sykesville, MD

34 Photos of 28 Sykesville Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Sykesville, MD

1061 Reviews of 28 Sykesville Campgrounds

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 31, 2019

    Greenbrier State Park Campground - TEMPORARILY CLOSED

    Nice hiking opportunities!

    Ranger Review: Firebiner and Fiber Light Fire Starter at Greenbrier State Park

    **Campground Review: **

    We were here one week before this campground closed for the season (open April through October) and it was so quiet that it was hard to imagine what it is like in the summer when the beach is open and the campground is likely full. There are four loops; two with no hookups and no pets allowed, one with no hookups that allow pets and one with electric sites that allow pets. Each site is clearly defined, and the sites all appeared level with gravel pads. The bathrooms were reasonable. There are several trails in the campground plus it is close to several AT day hikes.

    There is a large day-use area and beach with lots of picnic tables. While the beach was closed for swimming, we saw a kayaker and two people fishing from a boat. Many hiking trails and this is an excellent place to camp if you’d like to do AT day hikes.

    ------------------------- 

    Product Review: 

    As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I have the opportunity to test products. At this campground, we tested the Firebiner and Fiber Light Fire Starter by Outdoor Elements. I’m reviewing both products since they can be used together, and we had much more luck with one than the other. 

    Upon unpacking my box from Outdoor Elements, my first experience was that it took a sharp knife to free the Firebiner from its cardboard backing, which was not an auspicious start. Once at our campground, we were able to use the safety blade to easily open the plastic packaging on our firewood. Unfortunately, it took several tries by two men trying the Firebiner to get a spark; they had to really crank on it, and it was not enough to light a fire. I’m guessing that with more patience and practice, it would have worked. Admittedly, we are car campers and not backpackers (and have the luxury of being able to carry/use a butane lighter), but I was looking forward to trying a new method. 

    We did use the Fiber Light Fire Starter and using our tried and true fire-starting methods, we got a roaring fire started very quickly. So, we had a 50% success! Packed in a small tin, you only need a pinch to easily get a fire started so we will use this in the future. 

    We also used the cutting tool on the Firebiner a few days later to remove the wristband from an activity we participated in and also used it to hang our lantern on a hook; this little tool is very strong (did not test but appreciate the 100-pound weight limit). I appreciate that it can also be used as a screwdriver, so the Firebiner is truly a multi-use tool!

  • Michelle N.
    Aug. 13, 2020

    Antietam Creek Campground — Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

    Great Site Along the Potomac River

    Stayed one night on 8/9.

    This is such a nice little spot right along the Potomac River. All sites are walk-in only, which means you park on the street, cross the bridge over the C&O and towpath, and then down a little hill to your site. When my dog and I arrived, someone was still there, but after letting them know I had this spot reserved, they promptly packed out. There were no camp hosts on-site and nowhere to check in. 

    There isn't much privacy between you and your neighbors (or the C&O towpath so be prepared to see bikers, walkers, and runners). Each site has a grill, fire pit, and picnic table. I stayed at Site 11 which had its own path down to the Potomac River. It was quite steep for my bum knees and ankles, but I saw kids easily run up and down it. The Potomac is mostly flat with some "swirlies" for experienced paddlers. I also saw some people tubing. 

    There's one bathroom area- 2 pit toilets and 2 portapotties. There is nowhere to leave trash, so be sure to follow Leave No Trace principles and pack everything out with you. The sites are fully or mostly shaded. Be prepared to make friends with bugs, but they shouldn't bother you. Also great news- no mosquitoes! 

    I have Verizon and had better service by my car on the road than at the actual campsite. At the site I could make calls but couldn't check the internet. Other than a few check-in calls to family, I was looking to unplug for the night. 

    I ended up not sleeping overnight due to a personal health issue, but I am looking forward to coming back when it's a little cooler.

  • Nate & Erika L.
    Aug. 31, 2021

    Susquehanna State Park Campground

    Great State Park Camping

    We decided to stay a weekend at Susquehanna based on the reviews on the Dyrt and it’s closer proximity to home. We arrived and were greeted by super friendly rangers who gave us the lay of the land. We found the rangers to be very knowledgeable about the area and the wildlife, plants, and trees in the park. They had two display tables full of flora and fauna by the check-in station set up for kids and adults alike to glean some knowledge. On one night while we were there, there was a program run by the rangers where kids could learn about some common native and invasive species.

    We hiked the Green Trail, which had a sign saying it was ‘very difficult’, but we found it to be no problem for our crew of seven kids aged 3-10 and four adults. We only passed one other hiker. We saw some champion trees, lots of deer, and had some run ins with more than a few spotted lantern flies. One ranger told us they have nine champion trees in the park, we’d love to go back and hike to find the others.

    With only two loops, the sites were fairly spaced out with lots of trees between them. We had a spacious electric site for our pop up and camped with friends who had a nice level, secluded tent site. We hardly ever heard any neighbors and all was quiet at night. Each loop shares a bathhouse, and there are some portable toilets spaced around the loop, too. The facilities were cleaned every morning. They even have a large laundry utility sink in the bathhouse should you need it. The only downside we found was that showering at prime time (around 8 or 9 pm) led to very little hot water. A small price to pay for good camping and hiking!

  • Nick C.
    Jun. 19, 2022

    Owens Creek Campground — Catoctin Mountain Park

    Cozy and Clean - Lots of Firewood

    The sites are very clean but close to each Other. You can hear the kids and families and all that. The sites have a nice mulched tent pad, fire ring / grill grate, lantern pole and picnic table. There is a firewood hut at the entrance and you can take what you need - just leAve a donation. The bathrooms are very clean and there’s some trails around the creek (dry creek/ nothing impressive)

  • Craig F.
    Jul. 1, 2019

    Gifford Pinchot State Park Campground

    Fun Camping and Lake Activities

    We had a wonderful stay at Gifford Pinchot State Park! 

    The camping area at GP is separated into A loop and B loops with approximately 300 sites. All sites had a paved pad, varying in size depending on the location, with tent site being smaller. Most sites have electric and there are 22 full hookup sites in the camping area. Both loops are peninsulas into the lake, which is convenient to launching boats directly from many sites. Loop A is closer to the designated swimming area with a sandy beach and playground. B loop is closer to many of the hiking trails and also several boat launch areas. It is nice that the camping area and amenities are separated from the public day use area. At the entrance to the camping area there are three dump stations. 

    During our stay we were at a full hookup site which was very spacious and often hard to find in PA State Parks. Our site was#299 and for some reason the entire site was paved/blacktop, which was different than all the other sites where the pad was paved and the picnic table area was gravel/grass. While this site made it easy to level our camper, it became quite hot in the afternoon/evening after the sun had baked it all day.

    Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed GP and couldn’t believe we hadn’t visited before because it is a great state park. Wood is available for purchase at the campground hosts’ sites and ice at the park office. As with most PA state parks, quiet hours are at 9:00PM, which is a bit early, and there is no alcohol allowed in the park. We look forward to returning to GP in the future.

  • 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.

  • Roger W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 2, 2023

    Owens Creek Campground — Catoctin Mountain Park

    Peaceful w filtered sun

    Owens Creek Campground : (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer) Overall Rating: 4.5 Price: $15/night w senior pass Usage during visit: very low including Fri night Site Privacy: understory trees, filter l e of site in many sites. Site Spacing: most very nicely spaced Site surface: blacktop Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: Very quiet Road Noise: Only a bit in first few campsites Through Traffic: no problem Electricity: No Water: Spigots at bathhouses Sewer: No Dump: No Generators: 6 AM to 10 PM Bathroom: Old but very clean.
    Showers: Yes. Double curtains Pull Throughs: Some Cell Service (Verizon): Very good Setting: A thick deciduous forest Weather: nice. Cooler because of shade Bugs: A few. Will probably increase as month moves on Solar: Too much shade for fixed solar panels Host: Yes Rig size: Not all sites will accommodate a 22’ trailing. Sites: Pictures are of some of the best sites. My favs: 14 nice woods view , (28 & 29 hear creek,)37. 45, 46

  • Simon S.
    Dec. 30, 2021

    Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park in Williamsport MD

    Great place for kids

    Camp site (Tent camping)

    Camp site was pretty spacious. We set up our tent on gravel. No hookups to electricity or water. Rangers deliver firewood for your convenience.

    Facilities / Amenities

    Huge pool divided into two sections, one for mainly kids and the other for swimming and water slides. There is a food court in the swimming pool and a camp store right next to it.

    They play movies every night at the outdoor theater near the pool.

    There is a basketball court, playgrounds, and jumping pads.

    During the day, we did tie dying t-shirts at the pavilion.

    There is a 18-hole mini golf course as well.

  • A
    Sep. 24, 2020

    Patapsco Valley State Park-Hilton Area

    Nice Small Campsite Close to DC

    Nice small campsite in MD not too far from DC. One negative was that when it rains it really flushes through the grounds. We had a site on the lower end of the loop and our site was hard to set up as we arrived during a storm and it was very wet even after the rain died down. Another negative was after the storm for the next few days we heard trees falling nearby. Where we were hiking. 😬 The positives are as others have pointed out there is a huge park for kids- it’s not within walking distance for little kids but it’s a very short drive by the entrance to the park. There’s also another small park on the loop. The restrooms were central and well maintained. We found a small river and swimming hole at the bottom of the hill off to the side opposite the cabins/park. All sites had a picnic table and fire ring. Firewood available from camp host. Hiking poles would have been good for the trails when we had a kid in a pack on our back. Overall a nice close small campground.

Guide to Sykesville

Tent camping near Sykesville, Maryland offers access to sites within Maryland's Piedmont region, with elevations ranging from 300 to 1,700 feet throughout the area. Campers can expect seasonal temperature variations with summer highs averaging 85°F and winter lows around 25°F. The region's topography creates diverse camping environments from riverside flats to higher elevation woodland sites.

What to do

Hike to elevated viewpoints: At Annapolis Rock Campground, campers reach 1,700 feet elevation after a moderate 2+ mile hike from Route 40. "The overlook at Annapolis Rock is glorious. The elevation is 1700 feet so its quite a trek up to the site," notes Teresa K. The climb rewards hikers with expansive valley views.

Kayak Patapsco waters: Watercraft access is available at several areas around Sykesville. "Roland Lake in Baltimore County is a great place to kayak on the Patapsco River. Tons of wildlife, facilities, and amenities for you and your family," reports Anthony S. about Patapsco Valley State Park.

Explore nature centers: Family-oriented educational facilities enhance camping trips in the area. "There is a huge playground, sensory trail and nature discovery center at the entrance to the park. The nature center was closed when we visited, but the kids still enjoyed the sensory trail and playground," writes Angel G.

What campers like

Riverside camping locations: Sites along the Potomac River at Antietam Creek Campground provide direct water access. "Each site has its own picnic table and fire ring/grill. Bathrooms were clean and was quiet at night. No service and hard to get to the water," reports Jennifer. The campground offers walk-in access from parking areas across the C&O Canal.

Mini-cabins for beginners: Alternative accommodations help ease newcomers into camping. "The best part of this campground are the neat mini cabins. Small one room cabins that have electricity and heat. They are a nice touch for those that want to camp, but not completely 'rough it,'" shares Sean M. about Patapsco Valley State Park.

Multi-use trail connections: Many camping areas connect to regional trail systems. "The sites are very open and run along the multi-use trail. People are constantly walking, running, and biking by. It is nice if you're a social camper, we got to talk to many people and also got to enjoy a nearby camper playing his violin as the sun was setting," writes Casey L.

What you should know

Tent pad surfaces vary: Site preparation can require additional equipment. "The crushed stone at the sites isn't comfortable for tents, and they won't let you pitch it on the ground, so bring extra pads and alternative ways to secure the tent to the ground," advises Sean M. about Patapsco Valley's Hilton Area.

Bathroom conditions fluctuate: Facilities maintenance varies by location and timing. "When we got there, they were okay, but by the 3rd night they were really gross. We were at the site next to them and could smell them. Not pleasant," reports Casey L. about Marsden Tract facilities.

Rain impacts: Weather considerations affect site selection. "When it rains it really flushes through the grounds. We had a site on the lower end of the loop and our site was hard to set up as we arrived during a storm and it was very wet even after the rain died down," explains Alexandra T.

Tips for camping with families

Playground access: Sandy Point State Park offers designated youth group camping with family-friendly amenities. "This campground is very well taken care of, and seemed safe to me. There are wonderful views of the water and swimming at the beach, pavilions for social gatherings, showers and bathrooms that are kept pretty very clean," writes Rachel S.

Kid-friendly trails: Some paths require preparation for children. "Be aware that neither the hiking trails or playground are stroller friendly," notes Angel G. about Patapsco Valley, adding, "It's the perfect little getaway from the city for camping, fishing and hiking."

Arrival timing matters: Park rules affect check-in flexibility. "This was also the first time we have ever had to wait till exactly 3pm to check in. So if you arrive early expect to wait until 3," advises Gabrielle E., which can impact planning with children.

Tips from RVers

Limited hookup options: Most primitive camping around Sykesville offers few RV amenities. "Nice small campsite in MD not too far from DC. One negative was that when it rains it really flushes through the grounds," explains Alexandra T. about camping at Dahlgren Backpacker Campground.

RV length restrictions: Larger vehicles face access challenges on narrow park roads. "Getting in to the park was a little difficult. We missed the entrance and had to turn around. Friends who were camping with us had the same problem," notes Gayle B., highlighting navigation issues for vehicles.

Park entrance navigation: Several campgrounds have entrance visibility issues. "Great little park with an amazing playground. Bathhouse was kept clean and the camp host was a great guy," writes Gabrielle E., though she also mentions entrance challenges for vehicles.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Sykesville, MD is Patapsco Valley State Park-Hilton Area with a 4.2-star rating from 19 reviews.

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

TheDyrt.com has all 28 tent camping locations near Sykesville, MD, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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