Great for a quick getaway, with the kids, near the city.
We have stayed at both the Hollifield area and the Hilton area of PSP. We have a 7 year old, and much preferred the Hilton area. It's not far from Baltimore, and was the perfect get away with my little boy. As you enter the park, there is a HUGE tire park/playground, that anyone entering the park has access to. There is also a small nature center, a sensory trail for the kids and an area for some "natural" games/play area. You can easily spend the entire afternoon just at the playground.
Once you leave that area, through the parking lot, you come to the entrance for the camp area. There is a decent drive - maybe a half mile or so- to the camp area. It has fairly steep rolling hills and would not be good for small children to bike or walk, but okay for older kids. Just a head's up, in case you're wondering if the littles can bike from the campsite to the tire park. I wouldn't count on it.
Once you enter the camp loop, the camp host is right off to the right. The host that was there was incredible. He was there when you needed him, but wasn't overbearing. He delivered firewood to our site for us, and was nice to make sure we had some kindling, as a recent storm had soaked all the down branches.
There is another smaller playground near the camp host, at the entrance to the camp loop. It is small, but something and is easily walkable from the campsites.
I'm giving this camp a 4 for a few reasons:
- Most of the sites we saw had a bit of a grade/slope to it and made setting up our tent a bit more challenging.
- They do NOT sell ice at the park, and you have to leave to go buy ice.
- The bathhouses were adequate, and clean, but very old and out of date.
- There is no coded gate. The first night we were there, some guys came in around 10 pm and began to party. I yelled out that people were trying to sleep and they left. I did not like that I felt so "open" to people that were not camping there.
Otherwise, this was a great experience. Minimal noise from the highway, easy access to town... would be a great way to visit Baltimore without having to stay at a hotel. Close to Elliott City and about a 30 min drive from the city. We saw deer in the mornings and had an overall great experience.
