Mid Atlantic Cheap or Free in Maryland

[Bob Thompson]

About the only time I get to Maryland is when my destination is Washington DC and the Smithsonians. The only listing I have for Maryland and the one I use when I go there is:

COSCA REGIONAL PARK, Clinton, Md. See: http://www.pgparks.com/places/parks/cosca.html
The campground has 25 spaces and although it is not the greatest being a little dated, it is wonderful given the location. Some of the sites can accommodate large RV's and it is almost never full. It is very affordable given the location. Overnight camping $23 with water & elec., Seniors pay $13 per night. There is a dump station. It is convenient to get to from the south via Hwy 301 and Hwy 5. To get to the Smithsonians, take Hwy 5 about 4 miles to just inside the loop, and go to the Branch Ave Metro station and take the metro right down to one block from the national mall. We camped here in mid-September and it was 80% empty! Great fun! Enjoy!

[enduroryda]

Bob....Thanks for the great info! Our son is looking at a college in D.C. and this info might come in very handy in the near future. Thanks for posting!

[AirConditioner]

Welcome to Maryland!

Please check the link below for over 30 parks we have available - one or two year round (dry). Maryland has some great public camping sites that are very cheap and well maintained. I have also camped above Frederick at the Crow's Nest - a little worn, but acceptable - however very, very hard to get a call-back for reservations. 301-271-7632

Maryland Public Sites: http://reservations.dnr.state.md.us/...sicSearch.aspx

Have Fun!

[Soyboy]

I would second the state parks idea. Most run $25-$30 a night. A couple bucks more if you want an electric site. I think Assateague is $40 for an electric site at the state park.

There are also several National Park campgrounds that are very reasonable. Catoctin Park north of Frederick, however the sites are on the smaller size (FYI, this is the park that Camp David resides in, when the President is in residence, some of the roads are closed, but you still have campground access). Assateague National Seashore, which is adjacent to the State Park is also very reasonable, however, it has sparse facilities....cold showers and (clean) pota-potties.

A couple of or favorite state parks besides Assateague (state or federal) would be Cunningham Falls State Park north of Frederick. It is adjacent to the Catoctin park noted above. Nice size campsites, some with electric, nice beachs and a 50? acre lake. This park is just 15-20 minutes south of Gettyburg and makes a nice alternative to the private parks in that area.

If you really want to boondock, try Green Ridge State Forest in western maryland. You can really get away from it all there, but you have to be judicious about you sites as some of the roads are not RV friendly (but many are).

Pennsylvania state parks are even a better deal, I think they are $15-20 a night. We visited Ohiopyle this summer and had a great time, what a beautiful area. Of course we visited Falling Waters while we were there, well worth the time and money. One thing I like about PA parks is that they do not allow alcohol. I drink myself, but I can do without. This policy seems to keep a lot of the yahoos out.