State Park or Private RV Park

[sailingsuppo46]

All,
My wife and I are new to this, and we are trying to fill our summer schedule with as many outtings as we can. We are looking for help in finding good state parks near the Maryland Coast or recommendations on private parks. We are not set up for dry camping yet. Thanks,

[aintgotnun]

I don't know anything about Maryland but I personally am a huge fan of state and national parks. They tend to be more natural in their surroundings and your not packed in like sardines. That being said..... I've been in several private parks that were nice as well but almost always tighter and closer to your neighbor.

When we travel distances and are only going to stay one night somewhere a private park is our usually our option due to quick in and out. If we are staying somewhere for several nights we try to find a state or national park.

[sailingsuppo46]

Greg,

Thanks. Good point about space. I rode through a couple of sites the other day, and your neighbor was pretty close. Get the wrong camper next to you and it could be a long weekend. I will give them a shot and see how they are. I fins a few on line that look promising. Thanka again.

[Iggy]

Originally Posted by sailingsuppo46

All,
My wife and I are new to this, and we are trying to fill our summer schedule with as many outtings as we can. We are looking for help in finding good state parks near the Maryland Coast or recommendations on private parks. We are not set up for dry camping yet. Thanks,

Here is a link to Trailer Life campground search
I use it alot to find where the campgrounds are and what they have.
LINK

Good Luck

[08flagvlite]

I can speak for Florida.... The state parks here are plentiful, however 99 percent of them do not have sewer hookups, while almost all private campgrounds do. Also, because of our "reserve america" reservation system, it's a little difficult to get in to a site. On the flipside though, state parks are definitely cheaper to stay in here. Randy

[Radio]

Overwhelmingly favor state parks for anything but en-route overnight stops. Except for two issues:

1. Seldom will a state park reservation system allow you to pick your site in advance. You take what's there. On holiday weekends you better get there a day early. I just stay home because I don't like the crowds, preferring solitude.

2. State parks seldom have sewers. Power, water, cable TV and sometimes WiFi but seldom sewer. We adapt. Use the bath house and reduce galley water by using paper plates and such.

Still, I remain a BIG fan of state parks, just about anywhere.

[tentcamper1]

we only do state and national parks. we hike, bike and swim and most of the private parks are to small to get out and go hike for several miles. also the sites can be "tight". FYI our state park system in Indiana allows us to make reservations 6 months in advance, only a few have full hook ups. have a great summer!!

[masonga]

No real preference here...but what part of MD are you in, and how far are you looking to roam? Like others have said, the main differences are more space in the state parks, balanced against fewer "amenities" with less space but more amenities, and typically activities if you ave kids in the private CG's.

We are in Calvert County and I could make a couple suggestions depending on haw far you want to go.

[Momma Tac]

We have stayed at Point Lookout State park at the very southern tip of Maryland two different times and really liked it. There is one area that has full hookups and another area with electricity only. Reservations can be made in advance and you can pick a site. This state park has water surrounding it with boat docks off of one area. We enjoy staying at state and national parks.

[MrT]

Originally Posted by tentcamper1

we only do state and national parks. we hike, bike and swim and most of the private parks are to small to get out and go hike for several miles. also the sites can be "tight". FYI our state park system in Indiana allows us to make reservations 6 months in advance, only a few have full hook ups. have a great summer!!

x2. Last I looked, Indiana & Michigan use the same reservation system. It used to suck big time, but has improved a lot in the last few years. It is rare to find sewer & water hookups in a Michigan State Park, but most have at least one "modern" campground with electric and a "modern" bath house. The norm is fill with water upon arrival, and dump waste upon exit. Our most memorable stay this season so far is Indian Lake State Park near Manistique in the U.P.

That said--it can be a little hit and miss, so we do a lot of state parks, but also do private (or chain, e.g. KOA) parks. We don't dry camp (yet), nor have we checked out any of the NPS sites. We will likely stay at the Platte River Campground in the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore next season.

tentcamper1: stayed at Brown County a few years ago. Loved it!

[Dave_Monica]

We've used this site About.com: Camping - resources for campers - camping articles, camping recipes, campground reviews and more about camping outdoors. many times to find out parks by state. We also search the internet (google the park name) for info on hiking, attractions, etc, posted images on photobucket, sites like that. It gives you a pretty good idea what the park is like. We've even found photos of campsites and used them to book on-line.

Dave