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Best Tent Camping near Takoma Park, MD

617 Reviews

Tent campers near Takoma Park, Maryland can access several established campgrounds within 30 miles, including Patapsco Valley State Park's Hilton Area and Marsden Tract Group Campsite along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. These locations provide varied tent camping options, from walk-in sites near water to more developed campgrounds with basic amenities. Some areas, like Swains Lock Hiker-biker Overnight Campsite, offer free, first-come-first-served camping with direct access to the Potomac River.

Most tent campsites in the region feature fire rings, picnic tables, and relatively flat terrain for setting up tents. The Hilton Area at Patapsco Valley State Park provides tent pads with crushed stone surfaces, though campers report these can be uncomfortable without extra padding. Several sites, including Marsden Tract, require short hikes from parking areas to reach the campsites. A visitor commented, "It's a small walk to the tent-only sites right off the C&O Canal which is heavily used by bikes and walkers." Seasonal considerations are important, as some locations like Patapsco Valley are only open from April to October, while others along the C&O Canal are accessible year-round but can be cold and damp in winter months.

Areas along the Potomac River tend to offer the most scenic and quiet tent camping experiences. Many sites feature riverside views, particularly at Swains Lock and Horsepen Branch where tent campers can watch sunrise over the water. A camper wrote, "We unzipped the tent to see a full moon setting, then later got up to watch the sun burn off the lazy fog on the river." The C&O Canal campsites provide excellent access to hiking and biking trails, making them popular with outdoor enthusiasts. Tent camping in this region generally requires self-sufficiency, as amenities are limitedā€”most locations have vault toilets or porta-potties but lack showers, and campers often need to pack out their own trash. Sites at Patapsco Valley State Park offer more developed facilities, including hot showers and drinking water.

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Best Tent Sites Near Takoma Park, Maryland (28)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Takoma Park, MD

43 Photos of 28 Takoma Park Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Takoma Park, MD

617 Reviews of 28 Takoma Park Campgrounds

  • Michelle N.
    Aug. 13, 2020

    Antietam Creek Campground ā€” 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.Ā There were no camp hosts on-site and nowhere to check in.Ā 

    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.Ā 

    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!Ā 

    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.Ā 

    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.

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

    Greenbelt Park Campground ā€” 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.

    Thereā€™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 thereā€™s a handle you have to hold down the whole time, but we used a rock to prop the handle down.Ā 

    The bathhouses are ok, happy to have free showers with hot running water. Faucets allow you to control the temperature and thereā€™s continuous running water (no button to push). Thereā€™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.Ā 

    No alcohol allowed in the park.Ā 

    GETTING TO DC: Thereā€™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 itā€™s been out a while and it doesnā€™t appear that it will be fixed soon. So what we did, since we donā€™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 itā€™s about $5/day if you take the metro, and about $9 if youā€™re just parking there. The College Park station is closer but is apparently a parking garage (canā€™t confirm because we didnā€™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.

  • 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. šŸ˜¬ The positives are as others have pointed out there is a huge park for kids- itā€™s not within walking distance for little kids but itā€™s a very short drive by the entrance to the park. Thereā€™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.

  • Napunani
    Jun. 24, 2022

    Little Bennett Campground

    Nice County Park

    PROSĀ 

    Very nice small Montgomery County ParkĀ 

    No reservation fee to make on-line reservationsĀ 

    Reserved 137 days prior to arrivingĀ 

    Entrance gate required entry code Instructed by staff via gate phone to proceed to campsite as check-in at camp store is at dead end with insufficient turning space for pickup towing 28ft bumper pull; complete check-in after camper was unhooked at site

    Ā Great night sky viewing as no lights what so ever in camping loops except for toilet/shower buildingsĀ 

    Lots of vegetation between sites providing privacy from neighborsĀ 

    Site#D69 shadyĀ 

    Very quiet campgroundĀ 

    Site#D69 level side-to-side but we were forced to greatly elevate front of trailer to level front-to-backĀ 

    Site#D69 gravel parking padĀ 

    Wooden/metal picnic table that was moveableĀ 

    Metal fire pit with cooking grateĀ 

    Toilet/shower facility very cleanĀ 

    3 washers and 3 dryers, along with folding tables in the basement of the check-in building. Accepted credit card for $1.75/loadĀ 

    Harperā€™s Ferry National Historical park 35 miles from ParkĀ 

    Walmart and Wegmanā€™s 5 miles from ParkĀ 

    CONSĀ 

    Out-of-state campers pay higher camping fee than Maryland residents,$66/nightĀ 

    No senior or veteran discountĀ 

    Trees falling on Park power lines caused power outage for hoursĀ 

    No toilet/shower facility in FHU loop so had to hike to facilities in Loops B & E

    No camp hostĀ 

    No ranger patrolling thru campsiteĀ 

    No WIFIĀ 

    1 bar Verizon

  • C
    Aug. 26, 2019

    Little Bennett Campground

    Lovely campground, nice hiking with kids

    We spent several nights here with kids aged 5-12 and will definitely come back. We live in Montgomery County and this is a nice camping get away close to home. We stayed in Loop E, where the majority of the campsites were set back a bit off the road, well spaced, and nicely shaded. We took a couple of walks through Loop A, and this seemed to be the case for those sites as well. We were a group of 5 and used 2 4-person tents. The tent sites all have a tent pad (great drainage during a downpour!) but the tent pad isnā€™t big enough for two tents. So beware if you intend to use two tents that most, but not all, of the tent sites seem to have a patch of level ground where a 2nd tent can be pitched. On Saturday there were fun activities for the kids all day (pedal cars, crafts, water balloon baseball, laser tag, to name a few from memory), with some activities also on Friday evening and Sunday morning. A fee is charged for some of these (laser tag and craft supplies) but most are free. There is a small arcade-style game room (with free wifi in the building) where we passed a rainy morning. Air hockey, table soccer, and a small basketball game could be played for free, but pool and the video games required $.25-1.00 per game. We used perhaps 5 miles in total of the hiking trails, doing loops down to the creek and back. They were all manageable for a 5-year old and the kids enjoyed playing in the stream in warm weather. We did see poison ivy at the edges of some trails. There is some distant ambient noise from 270 and overhead air traffic, but nothing too bad. If coming with kids, I would recommend bringing a playground ball and/or basketball so you can use the gaga pit or basketball courts even when no games are organized by camp staff. Also note that there was no ice in the camp store for the duration of our stay, but ice can be bought at the Liberty gas station and the small Clarksburg Grocery, both about a mile from the campground.

    Update after also staying in Loop A several times: I might just be imagining it, but the tent pads seem bigger in Loop A. We we able to jigsaw our two 4-person tents and a single on the pad in site 6. Poison ivy noticed in the site, camp staff brought us gloves to take care of it and a free bundle of firewood by way of apology.

  • D
    May. 22, 2023

    Little Bennett Campground

    Quiet sites with some activities

    We recently stayed the weekend here in loop A.Ā 

    There are several good things that can be said about this campground.Ā 

    Restricted- only people camping and visitors are allowed to use the facilities. Keeps things from being too crowded.Ā 

    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.Ā 

    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.Ā 

    Decent stocked camp store with reasonable prices. $10 for wood, 3.50 for 7 lbs of ice, $5 shakes, and lots more.Ā 

    There are some clear downsides, too.Ā 

    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.Ā 

    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.Ā 

    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.Ā 

    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.Ā 

    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.Ā 

    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.Ā 

    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 accommodateĀ 2 is even more problematic, especially with kids walking around. There were at least 10 cars going the wrong way in the loop.Ā 

    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.Ā 

    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.

  • Sean M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 22, 2020

    Patapsco Valley State Park-Hilton Area

    Great Small Campground - Cool Cabinso

    This is a small gem of a state park campground, one of only two is the massive Patapsco Valley State Park. Itā€™s a bit odd getting here through a suburban neighborhood, but the Hilton area is great. It seem like this area is, possibly unintentionally, geared toward children. There is a massive playground, nature play space, sensory trail, and a small nature center. There are a lot of easy, but beautiful hikes.

    The campground is on the smaller side. You get a fire pit and cooking crate, and a picnic table. The crushed stone at the sites isnā€™t comfortable for tents, and they wonā€™t let you pitch it on the ground, so bring extra pads and alternative ways to secure the tent to the ground. There are helpful and friendly camp hosts always on duty. The bathhouse is nothing special, but itā€™s well maintained and clean. 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 ā€œrough it.ā€ We found everything reasonably priced.

    Remember: no alcohol or firewood can be brought into the park. Firewood can only be purchased on site due to harmful insects. But the money goes toward the parks volunteer program.

    This is a very nice small campground that is great for kids!

  • 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.

  • Wendy W.
    Aug. 15, 2019

    Ole Mink Farm Recreation Resort

    Great resort-style cabin for ā€œglamping!ā€

    Well-appointed, semi-rustic cabins set in Catoctin Mountain. Not far from the Wm. Houck lake area and trailhead to Cunningham Falls.

    Our cabin came equipped with A/C and heat, full kitchenette, fireplace, screened in porch, and firepit area (including wood and fire starters!) with seating and picnic table.

    Ole Mink Farm is very resort-like with a central pool and clubhouse. They also offer various activities ā€” mainly on weekends ā€” like cornhole tournaments and campfire gatherings.

    And I canā€™t say enough about the customer service!! They take hospitality to whole new levels! We ran into a couple personal snags on our trip, and they were so accommodating. Even when my Mom got sick, they checked in on us and asked about her by name. What a wonderful group of owners!

    If you want to ā€œglamp,ā€ I would HIGHLY recommend this place!

Guide to Takoma Park

Experience the beauty of tent camping near Takoma Park, Maryland, where lush landscapes and serene environments await outdoor enthusiasts.

Tent campers should check out Patapsco Valley State Park-Hilton Area

  • This park offers a peaceful atmosphere despite its proximity to major roads, making it a great escape for those looking to unwind.
  • With electric hookups available, campers can enjoy modern conveniences while surrounded by nature.
  • The campground features well-maintained facilities, including hot showers and clean restrooms, ensuring a comfortable stay.

Tent campers appreciate these amenities at Lacy Oasis Campground

  • Nestled in a tranquil setting, this campground provides a serene environment perfect for relaxation and rejuvenation.
  • Visitors can enjoy amenities like picnic tables and firewood, enhancing the camping experience with cozy evenings around the fire.
  • The owners are dedicated to creating a welcoming atmosphere, making it an ideal spot for families and groups alike.

Tent campers like these nearby activities at Seneca Creek State Park Campground

  • This campground is conveniently located near scenic trails, perfect for hiking and exploring the natural beauty of the area.
  • Campers can easily access the Patapsco River for fishing and kayaking, adding an adventurous twist to their stay.
  • The park's peaceful surroundings make it a fantastic place for family outings and picnics, ensuring fun for all ages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Takoma Park, MD?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Takoma Park, 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 Takoma Park, MD?

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

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