We arrived on a Friday to find that almost all of the campsites were full, though some campers had not registered. If you go— REGISTER. It takes all of two minutes and helps arriving campers figure out if there’s actually space.

It looked like a relatively nice site, except that the sites were fairly close. My camping companion and I opted to find dispersed camping along the road— equally beautiful setting, but much less on top of others. There are some spots along the road leading up to the campsite and more as you continue past it. You’ll find spaces with fire pits and at least some room to pull off the road.

Be forewarned that the road is quite bumpy. I was fine in a small car with relatively low clearance, but if you have extremely low clearance or things hanging down from your car, you’re gonna have a slow, difficult drive in.

Lots of fun plants, animals, and insects around if you also enjoy Seek. We spotted a ghost pipe among other fun things!

This area is gorgeous! Many of the sites are along streams that run down toward the river. Get here early-- we arrived late on a Thursday and scored a great spot. Most sites were taken early Friday afternoon. The flora is beautiful and peaceful and there are lots of animals about to see. We spotted a raccoon, a bunny, a chipmunk, and (along the nearby roads) lots of deer-- don't drive too fast! 

The sites are not very far off the road; I am a fairly light sleeper and woke a number of times to car noise. However, the sites are spaced far apart, and most are far enough from the road to feel like you have privacy. 

One downside was the amount of rubbish left from other campers-- please dig a hole and bury your toilet paper/waste! We found numerous spots of TP dotting the woods near our site, which is disgusting and bad for the environment/nearby water sources. 

Plenty to do in the area. We went on a hike to the highest point in MD, saw Cumberland, and went to Morgantown for a day. 

Firewood is available at nearby convenience stores. You need to use local wood. 

Pit bathrooms are not available at the sites, but at an adjacent state park. There are bathrooms and showers available at a nearby state park (New Germany) if you're desperate for a shower or such.

This is a great but very crowded camping area. Clearly a favorite of many DC area campers. We arrived on a Friday around 6 and found every campsite full. We ended up at an overflow site. Get there early if at all possible! And if it’s mostly full, look for breaks in the brush where other cats have pulled off. There are usually fire pits to be found near them. Campsites are well-distanced from each other. We did not hear others while we were there.

Additionally, this is not a great campground for cars that are low to the ground— the roads are gravelly, potholed, and very slow to navigate in a passenger vehicle with low clearance.

The area is gorgeous! Beautiful mountains and nature. Lots of critters and plants to check out.

Bring your own water— none available as far as I could tell. There was a creek a few hundred feet from our site, but it was too steep to get to for bathing or washing dishes (we tried).

Sites vary in distance from the road. Our overflow site was far enough that we could see the cars but not so close that them going by woke us. We could also hear nose from the interstate, but it fades into the background after a couple hours. We estimated we were 1/4 mile from the interstate as the crow flies.

There are fun activities nearby as well. We saw the tunnel at Paw Paw and went to Cumberland. You can apparently rent kayaks from a man nearby, but he prefers to take groups. Drop by his store the day before to see if you can get in on the action.