Washington DC and New York Mountains

[Fine409]

Hi all. I hope this finds all our fellow campers well. I am planning our family vacation for this summer and wanted to know if anyone has ever camped near Washington DC and could recommend a good, clean family campground. In addition, any info on the best tours of DC monuments, White House, etc. would be great as well. From there we are wanting to go into the mountains to spend about a week and would appreciate some suggestions as well. It's our first trip into the northeast. We are pulling a Sandpiper 5th wheel.

[Bryan2503S]

I've yet to stay there but I have heard many good reviews of Cherry Hill Park campground from people here and elsewhere

Cherry Hill Park is the Closest Campground to Washington, DC :|: Cherry Hill Park

[ependydad]

Fine409 - for Washington, DC - the closest full hookup campground is Cherry Hill. You'll spend some money and you're right off of the beltway that goes around the city. However, there is a Metro bus stop right outside of the campground that takes you to the Metro subway. You'll hear the highway, but you can't beat the convenience.

The closest place without hookups is the Greenbelt National Park.

Other than that, the places that I've heard mentioned are:
- Kapitol KOA (spending, but decent from what I gather)
- Duncan Family Campground (a little distance south)
- Bull Run Regional Park (a little distance west, but fairly easy drive to the west-most Metro train station)

Of those, I've only stayed at Bull Run and my reasons were for work and not going into DC (I live just north of the city, so don't need to camp for site seeing). I loved it. It's not as convenient to mass transit as Cherry Hill but the metro station is about 15-20 minute drive.

I haven't done any tours in the city- we just kind of go in and wing it (then again- I have the luxury of only being just north of the city). Our favorites the Smithsonian museums, of course. If you're a air & space buff, there is an annex in Northern Virginia that has been added in the last few years. I've long wanted to go to the International Spy Museum. And, going to Arlington National Cemetery is always awe-inspiring.

[Jjsav]

As far as the Mountains of New York. Don't know what your final destination is but I have a few we stayed at, and we liked.

KOA in Watkins Glenn - Finger lakes area
Jellystone Yogi Bear in Ellenville - Catskill Mountains
KOA in Newburgh - again Catskill area and has bus trips to NYC and West Point.

Happy camping.....

[whj77372]

As far as NY State Mountains, the Adirondack's are a must. It is the largest park in the US with so much to do and see and I hope to go next summer. Good Luck

[Oakman]

We were at the Cherry Hill RV Park for a FROG rally this year and I think it's probably the best choice for visiting Washington D.C. It's a very clean park with excellent amenities which include two pools.

[KMP44]

We have never camped in DC, but visit my sister there all the time. So far, the best tour we have found is the open top bus. A little pricey, but you cover a ton of ground. Depending on the route, you see all of the monuments around the mall, Capital, White House, Ford's Theatre, Geaorgetown, Arlington National Cemetary... And you can get off at points if you want to. Plan a fiull day for that. Otherwise, pick and choose the Smithsonian mueseums and monuments you want to see. Those are all within walking distance of each other. One thing we found last trip was the National Archives. Amazing collection of stuff, including an original copy of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. And all free , but at the Archives, plan on waiting in line for the Constitution. The National Zoo is great as well. Last tip - depending on time - the Smithsonian has a second Air & Space museum at the Dulles Airport. It has many of their best displays. The space shuttle, an SR-71, a concorde, the Enola Gay,... Just amazing.

As for the mountains of NY as the earlier post recomended, head for the Adirondack Park - 6 million acres to explore. We go there 3-4X per year at least. Check out the Old Forge Camping Resort (our favorite all four seasons). Lots to do in that area. For state parks - $20 a night even for lake front, but no hookups, check out Lewey Lake, Golden Beach, and Moffit Beach. The Lake Placid KOA is also great. You can tour all the Olympic venues. Beautiful drive up to Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, but it is a bit of a hike.

[rracer5]

As mentioned, Adirondack State Park, 6 million acres, will take many visits to even put a dent in all its' natural beauty. The southeastern edge of the park is Lake George. It has many, many campgrounds and could serve as as your base camp for your daytrips into the mountains. If you wanted to stay close to camp one or two days, there is plenty to do. Dinner cruises on the lake, Fort William Henry, Fort Ticonderoga, amusement parks, shopping etc. https://www.lakegeorgervpark.com/ is one of the favorites so reserve early.

[MountainMan43]

If you are a DoD Civilian or retired military, Andrews is the best place. Can drive down to the Metro and take the Green right to the action.

[Sirsea]

X2 on Cherry Hill, it is a great park. As stated above, the Metro has a stop right at the gate and the park staff gives lectures on how to use the Bus and Train system. They also sell train passes on site. It was our first time on a city bus or train, actually enjoyed it and had no problems at all. As for tours, there is a "DC by Night" tour that originates at the CG about 6:00 PM and returns around 11:00 PM, goes to all the monuments, White House, etc.

[Dennis Carpenter]

We stayed at Cherry Hill Park. Nice campground and close to metro station. I would not hesitate to stay there again. Go to your congressman's web site and see if it says visiting Washington and look there. They sat us up with all our tickets and times to visit all the government buildings. Don't forget to mark the Pentagon we really enjoyed touring that building.

[youroo]

Fine409,come on down River to the (Tadpole Rally) May2-4-2014,there are several Frog members who will be at the (Tadpole Rally) that have been to the DC Frog Rally that can supply First hand Info! Since you work for the VA,are you a Vet as well? Welcome! Youroo!!

[Don and Elaine]

So far as Washington DC, Cherry Hill is about the only good choice...small sites but easy to get into downtown DC. New Yorks adirondak mtns. are a must see, Lake George RV park is one of the top 10 CG's in the country (according to travel channel) and is centrally located to all the Mtns. have to offer and lots of attractions for the kids. Koa in Watkins Glen is also a very nice CG but more centered around winery tours. Hope this helps