Best Glamping near Frederick, MD

What a wonderful place! The resort is spacious, scattered throughout the woods. The RV sites are comfortable with all the amenities. And the customer service is impeccable.

We stayed during a few weekdays in October and we almost had the whole place to ourselves. We stayed in one of the cabins, which had 2 beds and a bunk bed, sink and toilet, refrigerator, microwave, dining table and sofa. There was also a front porch with picnic table and fire pit.

Honestly, the beds were not very comfortable and way too small for a couple to sleep in one. It was a VERY dark walk to get to the bathhouse for showers. And the fire pit had no grill, so we ended up having to use the stoves of some RV camping friends for meals. Otherwise the stay was great.

I would strongly recommend camping there in the summer months or during weekends in the shoulder season if you have social kids like mine. There were tons of things to do there for adults and kids alike. The activities — such as putt-putt, jump zone and the playground ended up being kinda boring for them without others to share it with. Obviously that would change with crowds. And advance reservations are a must — this place books up fast!

I would highly recommend staying at Merry Meadows, especially if you have an RV and a group of friends to join you!

This state park is at the top of the mountain and has a smaller lake perfect for a short kayak trip or fishing. Lovely views from the lake and very nice secluded sites. Our site was up a hill a little but we were good. We were right aside of flushing bathrooms and the dump station. We didn't like you had to go all the way out and around to dump and then out and around again to leave. Other than that very nice park with hiking trails, lots of beautiful pavilions, picnic areas, building that had food for sale, peddle boat and kayak rentals, fishing, beach area for swimming, multiple boat launches. Definitely need a bicycle to get to day use area as the loop is very long. Also, watch for no pets allowed signs as it is just the first part of the sites in Area A.

We had another great stay at Cherry Hill Park in College Park, MD. 

We stayed in a level pull-thru site(#1715) with picnic table on a paver patio, iron table and chairs, clean gravel surface, grill, and fire pit. The site was just big enough for our motor home and Jeep. Full hook-ups with 50-amp service all worked fine. 

If you’re visiting Washington, this is the place to stay. They offer a daily charter bus plus the Metro bus stops at the campground entrance. And if you have a car, it’s about 35-minutes drive time(maybe a bit longer with traffic). 

To be honest, it’s a great place to stay even if you’re not visiting D.C. They have two swimming pools, a cafe, playgrounds, well-stocked camp store, delivery of firewood, ice, and cafe orders, and a concierge to help with travel and tourist sites. 

The entire park is clean and well-maintained. 

THINGS I ESPECIALLY LIKED: 

1. Proximity to Washington, D.C. 

2. Excellent condition and clean 

3. Great staff to help with making the most of your stay

If you are used to primitive/secluded camping this is not the campground for you. We arrived and there was a ton of trash in our site. Someone left their air fresheners, handbag tags from marshalls, and a ton of other junk. This campground is also very noisy. There are supposed to be quiet hours but people were playing loud music from their cars, from speakers, and whatever else until at least 11pm. Our site had no privacy either, we were right next to several other sites (closer than other state parks we've been to). Physical distancing and mask wearing was not enforced/required. People in the close quarters of the restroom were not wearing masks and didn't seem to mind getting within 6 feet of other people. The woman at the front office who we checked in with even took her mask off because it was fogging up her glasses. Oh, and the wood that we purchased from the camp host was wet, so the fire was a dud until a friendly neighbor gave us some of his wood. 

The only positive thing about this campground was the hiking. The first day we hiked up the mountain to the west of the campground, and the second day we hiked up the Tuscarora Trail to the east of the campground. No other campers were hiking these, so we got to appreciate nature by having the trails mostly to ourselves.

Had a relaxing weekend here as our first trip of the season. Weather was pretty good but windy at times. We had 3 RVs in sites 12, 13, and 14 as well as 2 of the deluxe cabins. Our RV sites faced the large parking lot with dump station and registration building. Not an ideal view but it was okay. Site 13 had the best space. Site 12 was good too. Both had a concrete patio, great fire pit, and a round resin picnic table with 4 nice chairs. Site 14 was narrow and no patio. The area in the back had more wooded sites. They are expanding and creating more sites so there was some construction noise but that stopped by 4:30pm and not on the weekend. Campground was at capacity in the full hookup sites and seemed like it would’ve been noisy but it wasn’t. The cabins had a queen bed, 2 bunks, microwave and refrigerator and a small bathroom. That was a tight space but a bathroom none the less. There are bath houses too. Putt putt golf was free and they had a playground and bounce area for kids. There’s a pool that looked nice but not open yet and I saw an indoor basketball court sign. In season they offer a pancake breakfast most days and a small coffee shop. The store was well stocked with supplies, food, wine, and souvenirs and also offered coffee. Locally, you’ll find the town of Harpers Ferry, river rafting/tubing, and the Harpers Ferry brewery that has a gorgeous view and live music that’s just minutes away.

We have found municipal campgrounds in Northern Virginia are a bit spendy for being government sponsored.  Not as bad as South Carolina, but way more than Florida.  Fine.  Comes with the territory.  But Bull Run manages to goose you even more.  There are occupancy AND transaction fees that really add up if you're only there a few nights.  But the real kicker is a 2-night minimum stay.  Even mid-week.  In APRIL for gosh sakes!

While we were here, there was a fairly heavy day of rain.  Couple inches, I suppose, but nothing Biblical.  The mouths of the metal culverts in our loop were bent downward from campers driving over them, which obstructed the flow.  Result was lots of standing water at our campsite.

We're done with NOVA Parks campgrounds.  Better cost options exist with Fairfax County Parks.

What a lovely spot for relaxation and some time in nature. Too bad the Marc train runs right above your head all night. If you are looking for a relaxing camp experience make sure to bring your noise cancelling headphones. It’s lovely to have a site right on the water. Unfortunately that area of the river has a very muddy/mucky bottom so you will need to walk (not far) down to the rocky entrance so you don’t lose your water shoes. I recommend bringing a float and spending your day relaxing out on the water. The site itself has a fire pit and picnic table which was great. There was also a bathroom facility very close by. We were on site 2 and 3 and it was a bit of a hike to the showers. Overall though, when the train comes barreling by at 1am, 2am and 3am you either laugh or you cry depending on how tired you are.