We found this park while driving south to Georgia and decided to stay for a night. It was full of trails and it’s the halfway point on the Appalachian Trail so you can hike some of it too! Our campsite was #31 in the Horseshoe Loop (no elec/water) near the bath house that was very clean. There are water spigots located throughout the park though. Friendly campground hosts attend the firewood barn and are willing to help with suggestions for stores and and such. Check in and check out is both 3pm, which allowed us to spend the morning hiking. Cell service is pretty non existent but there is WiFi at the ice cream/general store.
Lots for kids to do. Camp store has pretty much anything you need! Friendly staff and clean grounds. Overall good campgrounds. Quiet mid-week which was nice too.
A group of 4 families visited this lovely quiet spot.
Pros: Quiet Lovely little hike for young kids right out of the camp site Close to DC so am easy drive Handicap accessible Lovely little boardwalk to a small creak past a saw mill
Cons: Bathroom was just so-so. I prob wouldn’t want to shower there but - your are camping!
I LOVE Catoctin Mountain Park in general!! The trails are well-kept and the scenery remains as natural as possible (I hate it when you go to some parks and it looks forced or man-made).
The Houck area is pretty wide-spread with sites ranging from dispersed walk-in to camping by the lake. There’s pretty much something for everyone.
But, let’s talk about the lake for a sec… Hunting Creek Lake is a 75 acre man-made lake near Cunningham Falls. Ironically, all the streams and creeks in the area couldn’t make a sufficient lake, therefore one was created. It’s labeled as great for boating, kayaking, and fishing. There were even paddle boats available. It’s quite picturesque from the get-go.
But, once we got in, I have to admit I was thoroughly disgusted. I love swimming in natural water features, but this kinda creeped me out. There was all sorts of algae and growth in the water. We would hit pockets and cold and warm water, which felt like you were walking through someone’s urine — there wasn’t much circulation or movement of the water, so it gets stagnant-feeling. Not to mention the abrupt drop-off when you enter into the lake. Nothing natural feeling about this place.
I give the park 5 stars, but the lake only gets 3, if that.
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 — mainly on weekends — like cornhole tournaments and campfire gatherings.
And I can’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 “glamp,” I would HIGHLY recommend this place!
Our family enjoys the secluded sites and peaceful atmosphere. Access to many hiking locations.
Our first time at Dogwood Acres Campground. Was pleasantly surprised as this was just a weekend trip at the end of June to start the season. When booking the dates earlier in the year, I spoke to a woman in the office who was even willing to drive to a few sites and text me photos since we hadn’t been there before making our final selection. Went the extra mile to ensure we would be happy.
Was impressed upon driving into the place. Looked clean and tidy. Good signage. Flat all gravel sites. Clean pool. Pavilion was a nice meeting place. Big pond was pretty. Friendly staff.
Campground was a mix of seasonal and weekenders. Lots of trees. Some made pulling in/backing in a bit challenging.
I’m recommending this campground to our friends to come back together as a group.
Love love love this campground. Activities for the kids, diner with a great breakfast selection and subs and pizza for dinner. Very clean facilities. Great staff. Delivery of wood or ice to your site. You can get a site along the creek where you can tube or kayak (they rent them out here)! Close to Antitiem battlefield, vineyards, antiques or even DC (1 hour). At Halloween they have a great haunted house.
Great campground and staff! Staff even came and opened up the firewood for me after their 7pm cut off when I called the “emergency” number. Always quiet and peaceful. Third time staying there!
Even with the pavilion out of commission, my son and I had a great time! Very clean, great bath houses. Nice staff and everything you need right there!
Campground has so many activities for active families. Pool, swing sets, hosted events and theme nights and weekends. Sites are large enough for 2 tents, many Rv and seasonal rentals one main bath house and very clean potable potties scattered throughout the area. Small creek runs at the end of the grounds.. Very close to so much history, close to downtown Gettysburg with sight seeing tours offered for the battlefields, shopping and dining close by.
Nice campground. Very clean facilities. We typically stay in the primitive tent loop which is right on the lake. It can get a little busy on the weekends since there is a boat lauch at the end of the primitive lane, but some of the sites are secluded/set back enough to be private.
You can bring your own boat (gas allowed) or rent one from their marina. There is no swimming allowed in the lake but there is a pool located at the park, there is no extra cost to use the pool if you are at the campground. There are also a lot of trails available for hiking, biking, or riding horses.
This park has a lot that you can do or just relax by the fire. Perfect for families.
Dogs allowed at the nice sized campsites. Beautiful trails with old growth forest. Steeple pole Trail has a great view.
I stayed at Cuningham Falls State Park a few weeks ago and the campground was very good with lots to do hikes, swimming etc. But last night I stayed at same state forest but 4 miles away the Cunningham Falls State Park Manor Area. I haven't seen this much space between campsites in a long time. The place was clean, paved roads, great price and very quiet. If you have kids or like to talk to other people go to the original campground but if you perfer quiet and your own little piece of the woods go to the Manor Area. It was August 1st and the bugs were minimal and there is a visitor station and aviary but I wasn't able to see them.
What a DUMP! Pay showers, strong odor from septic, I would recommend Pinchot Park, across the road. State owned and has the lake for swimming and fishing and hiking!
Went to this state park early July for 3 nights. We had a terrible storm going on when we were to arrive so I called and the office was very friendly and helpful. He put my mind at ease about arriving too late. Our site was relatively easy to get into but many sites were angled, sloped, and looked like they'd be best for a tent. Our site was private and kind of faced away from most other sites. There was a hiking trail behind us that led to the lake. The park has a lake with a swimming area roped off and guarded and camp store and marina where you can rent kayaks and canoes. While hilly, it would be a great bike riding area if you want a work out. Bathhouse was adequate, Not particularly dirty but not super clean. Only 2 showers in the ladies room. Campground hosts were around every day and super helpful. t was close to Antietam Battlefield and Antietam Creek Winery which had live music and allowed our dog to come in. There were some live reenactors at the battlefield and a great car audio tour you can get from the visitor center. I would go again!
I loved this campground! I'm not a huge fan of the "go find a site" policy they have, but it worked out fine. I got an amazingly large site with a nice fire pit and picnic table. The site was very level so that was great! Nice indoor and outdoor pools! Cable TV isn't free, but I never use it anyway. Wifi too isn't free and only available is certain areas. Verizon cell service is weak but useable. I'll definitely be back!
By far, the worst place we have ever camped. The sites are so small that my truck was either parked over the firering or blocking our door. Our slideout is 3” from the neighbor site’s picnic table. There are MULTIPLE long term residents, complete with sheds & tarped covered belongings clogging the lots. The fuse on the (campsite) panel kept blowing every time we ran the air and microwave together.
Have been going here since 2001. Always and enjoyable time and my kids have grown up but they still enjoy going.
Perfect site for the family or if you just want to be out for the night. The hike to the falls is not too far and the lake is nearby too. Really close to Route 15 so you can grab everything you need on the way or run out really quick if you forgot something!
I have been here 2 times now it is normally members only but we did the tour and got free camping to stay here very clean and a lot to do
The staff are very polite and helpful. The sites are shaded with mature trees. They have a pool, put put golf, a good general store, and a café/snack shack. The hookups are oddly spaced and you need to ensure you have extentions handy. My electric hookup didn't work on 30A. The bath house needs cleaning more regularly. If they invested a little bit on upkeep this would be an awesome place.
Michaux State Forest campgrounds have vault toilets and the sites are well-maintained. I went in late fall and was the only camper at the area I stayed in. Unfortunately you cannot reserve sites online and it's a little tricky, but it's free…
Camping is free in several areas throughout Michaux State Forest (as well as other PA State Forests), BUT you usually need to have a camping permit (also free) and you can only stay in designated campsites. To obtain a permit, find out where the designated sites are, and/or find out what designated campsites are available, you have to contact the State Forest District Office for the forest you would like to camp in.
More info can be found here:
This park just is near enough to Baltimore and DC to allow for a quick getaway and offers a lot to do. There are trails in the park you can hike, run and bike; the lake is small but you can paddle and fish; and, nearby you'll find some great sections of the Appalachian Trail.
The camping spots accommodate large tents if needed and the showers are hot.
Be aware: no alcohol in Maryland parks.
We took our maiden voyage in April to this camp ground since it was close to home. We’ve tented camped and pop up camped here prior so we knew the area. Beautiful weather! Great camp ground! We walked all over, watched crew races on the lake, drove into Hanover where there were stores and went to the Utz chips outlet. Our site was great and there was only 2 other campers within sight. There’s a huge pool though not open at that time. There is a marina to rent boats and a disc golf course. A small store at the marina has some essentials. There’s a nice nature center as well. Bath house was decent. Great place to camp!
Clean campgrounds with the best shower/bathroom ficilities I have seen. We've been on the road for a week, and this was easily the most impressive. They also have a pool, which we didn't use, and was pretty close to some restaurants, if you aren't cooking on site. I highly recommend this place!
Well this is day 5 of my trip to Washington DC. Entire grounds are well manicured with plenty of room. Nice stocked store with a friendly staff. Upon check in you are escorted to your site and oriented to all hookups etc. lots of shade. Sites fairly level. Close to downtown areas with good shopping and ghost tours. Today celebrates day 1 of the battlefield so many people are dressed in 1860s attire. Site offers tours if desired. Otherwise the battle field is only 5 miles away
This is a great campground - quiet. The stream around the perimeter was very nice. We had a primitive site for tents, but wish we had gotten one with water and electricity. There were portapotties that were clean when we got there, but they didn't dump out after the weekend. We were right across from them, so we could smell them. In laws stayed at a full RV site which was only a short walk for us to get to them. Both sites were nice, but again, I wish we could have gotten a site with hookups closer to them to make the family camping experience more enjoyable.
The pool was quite refreshing, the store was nice, but quaint. The mini golf was very very basic, but the fact that it was free made up for it. It was about a five minute drive to the downtown area which was wonderful to walk around when we got there. Also a couple of blocks from the battlefield which was really cool. We had a couple of day drives to lancaster while we were there.
Because we left most days, it didn't bother us that they only had activities during the weekends. That might be an issue for some. We also brought our dog and they had special bins and supplies installed for poop bags.
One of the evenings, we had a large rainstorm and they filled in all the deep puddles and holes in the driving roads with crushed stone. They are on top of that upkeep making it easier for those hauling campers to not have any surprises on their way out.
All in all, I would definitely stay here again.
Great location with lots of riverfront sites. Pet friendly near the Appalachian trail. The propieter is also an AT shuttler. Restrooms and showers are awful. Campground needs a lot of maintenance.