Campgrounds Near Kid-Friendly Bike Trails Around DC
31 campgrounds within 50 straight-line miles of Washington, DC, are close to at least one bike trail rated green, meaning Family or Beginner, in OpenStreetMap or Trailforks data. 21 are in Maryland, 9 in Virginia and 1 in West Virginia. The C&O Canal towpath accounts for much of the green mileage. 9 of the entries are the National Park Service's free hiker-biker campsites along it, led by Swains Lock Hiker-Biker Campsite with 24.6 green-rated miles nearby. For drive-in camping, Oak Ridge in Prince William Forest Park, Lake Fairfax, Burke Lake and Patapsco Valley are also close to green-rated trails. 13 of the campgrounds take reservations. A green rating is the trail mapper's difficulty label, not a safety guarantee. The NPS says hiker-biker sites need no fee or reservation, allow one night only, and have non-potable water that is turned off from mid-November to mid-April. Sort by green miles or by distance to the nearest green trail to find an easy ride for young riders.
| Miles from DC | Campground | State | Green-rated trail miles | Green-rated trails | Nearest green trail (mi) | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14.1 | Swains Lock Hiker-Biker Campsite | MD | 24.6 | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail, Muddy Branch Greenway Trail, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath | 0.0 | Year-round |
| 22.4 | Horsepen Branch Hiker-Biker Overnight (HBO) Campsite | MD | 20.9 | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail, Seneca Bluffs Trail, Seneca Greenway Trail | 0.0 | Year-round |
| 30.9 | Marble Quarry Hiker-Biker Campsite | MD | 20.0 | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail | 0.0 | Year-round |
| 11.0 | Robert C. McDonell Campground | MD | 17.8 | Cabin John Trail, Highway Loop Trail, Kidney Bean Loop Trail | 0.1 | Not listed |
| 10.8 | Marsden Tract Group Campsite | MD | 16.9 | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail | 0.1 | Not listed |
| 32.1 | Indian Flats Hiker-Biker Campsite | MD | 16.4 | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail | 0.0 | Year-round |
| 30.3 | Turtle Run Hiker-Biker Campsite | MD | 15.7 | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail | 0.0 | Year-round |
| 41.5 | Brunswick Family Campground | VA | 15.5 | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail | 0.1 | Not listed |
| 45.8 | Ed Garvey Shelter AT Camping Area | MD | 14.7 | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail, Goodloe Byron Memorial Footbridge | 2.2 | Not confirmed |
| 36.7 | Calico Rocks Hiker-Biker Overnight (HBO) Campsite | MD | 13.1 | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail | 0.1 | Year-round |
| 38.9 | Bald Eagle Island Hiker-Biker Campsite | MD | 12.1 | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail | 0.0 | Year-round |
| 27.0 | Chisel Branch Hiker-Biker Overnight (HBO) Campsite | MD | 11.9 | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail | 0.1 | Year-round |
| 28.3 | Hilton Area Family Camping | MD | 11.3 | Grist Mill Trail, Garrett's Pass, Cascade Falls Trail | 0.3 | Not listed |
| 27.5 | Little Bennett Campground | MD | 11.2 | Danger Noodle, Cool Spring Run Trail, Ten Mile Creek Trail | 3.0 | Not listed |
| 48.7 | Harpers Ferry Campground | WV | 10.9 | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail, Goodloe Byron Memorial Footbridge | 0.2 | Not listed |
| 48.9 | Huckleberry Hill Hiker-Biker Campsite | MD | 10.8 | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail, Goodloe Byron Memorial Footbridge | 0.0 | Year-round |
| 29.5 | Hollofield Area Camping | MD | 9.1 | Outside of Range, Trolley Line #9 Trail, Alberton Road/Thru Trail (white) | 0.6 | Not listed |
| 30.8 | Turner Farm | MD | 8.4 | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail, Danger Noodle | 3.3 | Not listed |
| 27.7 | Hike In Camp Site | MD | 5.3 | Danger Noodle, Cool Spring Run Trail, Ten Mile Creek Trail | 4.3 | Not listed |
| 26.9 | Prince William Forest RV Park | VA | 4.8 | Burma Road, Spriggs Lane Fire Road, Taylor Farm Road | 0.4 | Year-round |
| 28.9 | Turkey Run Ridge Group | VA | 4.8 | Old Blacktop Road, Taylor Farm Road, Burma Road | 0.1 | Year-round |
| 29.3 | Oak Ridge Campground | VA | 4.8 | Old Blacktop Road, Taylor Farm Road, Burma Road | 1.4 | Seasonal (approx Mar–Nov) |
| 29.4 | Cabin Camp 3 | VA | 4.8 | Taylor Farm Road, Old Blacktop Road, Burma Road | 1.3 | Seasonal (approx May–Oct) |
| 30.9 | Campsite #6 | VA | 4.8 | Taylor Farm Road, Old Blacktop Road, Burma Road | 1.6 | Not listed |
| 31.3 | Chopawamsic Backcountry Camping Permits | VA | 4.8 | Taylor Farm Road, Old Blacktop Road, Burma Road | 2.0 | Year-round |
| 9.6 | Cherry Hill Park | MD | 4.0 | Northwest Branch Trail | 2.6 | Not listed |
| 15.8 | Lake Fairfax Family Campground | VA | 3.3 | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath | 4.5 | Not listed |
| 29.3 | Horse Trailer Camp Sites 1 & 2 | MD | 3.1 | Danger Noodle, Cool Spring Run Trail | 4.4 | Not listed |
| 17.2 | Burke Lake Park Campground | VA | 2.1 | Green Loop Trail | 3.4 | Not listed |
| 31.6 | Ramblin’ Pines Campground | MD | 0.9 | Not listed | Not listed | |
| 32.0 | Patapsco Valley State Park Campground | MD | 0.9 | Alberton Road/Thru Trail (white) | 4.4 | Not listed |
How this list was built
Sources: Trail difficulty ratings from OpenStreetMap and Trailforks; campground records from Recreation.gov (NPS C&O Canal, Prince William Forest), state parks and OpenStreetMap. Distances are straight-line (great-circle) miles from the city point used across this site. "Not listed" means the source does not publish the field, not that the answer is no.
- Same "kid" rule as the live /kid-friendly-bike-trails/ pages: at least one trail rated green/Family/Beginner in OSM or Trailforks data. No claim beyond the trail rating is made.
Related: /states/md/kid-friendly-bike-trails/ · /states/va/kid-friendly-bike-trails/ · /near/washington-dc/ · /states/md/mountain-biking-campgrounds/