Camping Journal

As I state on my "Camping in DC Web page" I find it funny that I had to move to Atlanta to discover this campground in the DC area.. I spent a week there in the summer of 2005, when I had to go back to DC for business.

Now, I have to tell you that if you are accustomed to public campgrounds with large wooded sites, Cherry Hill Park is not that. This is an RV park, not a wooded campground. The majority of sites are lined up shoulder to shoulder like rows of soldiers. Not my usual thought of camping, but if I were doing the tourist visit to DC this is the place to stay.

The positives: Water, electric, sewer and cable at every site. Two beautiful pools for relaxing after a long day of walking around DC. If you don't feel like cooking there is a diner on site with the normal fast food fare (breakfast lunch and dinner, figure 7AM to at least 10PM). A game room and places to hook up your laptop for high speed internet. A wooded hiking trail around the park gives you more then two miles of walking, if DC didn't do you in. Pets are welcome and they have bag stations set up all around the campground. A large field is available if your dog needs to run.

The negatives: This campground is build right along side both I-95 and the Washington Beltway I-495. It is probably better to say that the roads are next to the campground since the family has owned the land from the 1930's. Traffic noise is constant and I'm sure it gets a little worse in the winter when the leaves are off the trees. The sites are a little close for my taste, but it is well worth it for a campground in this close.

Location: Cherry Hill Park	Date: 8/12/2005
Miles Towed: 875	Weather: H mid 80's L mid 60's