Maryland, Hagerstown - Greenbrier State Park

Campground: Greenbier State Park

Location: Hagerstown, MD – 12 miles east of,

Overall Rating: B

Setting Rating: B+
(mountains and woods; picturesque area but limited picturesque glimpses from campgrounds)

Site Rating: B+
(excellent size; well leveled gravel pad; primitive to electric; water taps could be closer but we have seen worse; excellent size fire pits; well off the main highway; quiet setting and quiet campgrounds)

Washroom Rating: B(central basic moderns in each campground; adequate maintenance; clean and well ventilated)

Recreation Rating: B
(man made lake for swimming; lake at a distance from the campgrounds; basic playground by lake and picnic area; numerous hiking trails in the area; a good range of sightseeing opportunities within 20 miles)

Conclusion: Last visited 2011. From our experience Maryland has some of the best state campgrounds. We have visited this campground twice for 3 to 4 nights and will likely do so again. As with most state campgrounds, recreation within the park outside of swimming and hiking is thin.

Virginia, Winchester - Candy Hill Campground

Campground: Candy Hill Campground

Location: Winchester, VA – just off US Hwy 50 and Rte 37

Overall Rating: B

Setting Rating: C+(backs upon busy Rte 37, one hears the traffic; boarders farmland, golf course and city; mountains off to the west)

Site Rating: B+
(Well maintained sites. While some sites are off a nice size, there are several sites that are narrow; 50 amp full-hookup to primitive; a number of pull-thrus; plenty of room to maneuver for back-in sites; numerous paved pads with others being gravel; gravel are generally level; fire rings brought to site upon request; most sites are partly shaded with a handful well shaded and a number mainly sun; grass around all sites is well trimmed; A handful of sites are close together, so close that some canopies only clear the next site by four to six feet; A number of sites of a nice size; the heart of the campground itself is quiet, but road noise is an issue for about a third of the campground)

Washroom Rating: B (central older modern; adequate size and kept clean; well maintained)

Recreation Rating: B+(a good size pool with a large amount of deck furniture; shuffleboard; a well equipped games room; a good children’s playground; a group meeting room; basketball hoop; several golf courses in the area; a good amount of sightseeing opportunities within 20 miles)

Conclusion: One of the better campgrounds in the area. In our opinion the campground's biggest issue is road noise. The campground is a solid place that is a good place for those traveling through the area to spend one to four nights. The camp store is well equipped with the staff friendly and helpful. 

Virginia, Mountain Valley KOA

Campground: Mountain Valley KOA

Location: Harrisonburg, VA – 7 miles north of

Overall Rating: B+/A-

Setting Rating: B+(situated in a rural setting; rolling hills farmland and woods; situated in the Shenandoah Valley; quiet and well off the road)

Site Rating: A-(excellent size and spacing for a private park; good privacy; large stone fire pits; many pull-thurs; full-service to primitive; the majority of the gravel pads are generally well leveled; water and electric hook-ups well placed; little grass around sites; well shaded; average size tables)

Washroom Rating: A-(very clean and well maintained moderns; of adequate size; close to most primitive and pop-up sites)

Recreation Rating: B(adequate size pool; good amount of deck furniture and tables just outside the pool deck; movies shown on weekends; access to a 2 mile hiking trail from campground; fishing pond; well marked pet walk; several sightseeing opportunities within a 25 minute drive; nice playground equipment with parent benches)

Conclusion: We have visited this campground twice and find it to be the best campground we have visited of between Hagerstown MD and Lexington VA along the I-81 corridor. Though it is not strong on the recreation side, either in the campground or within 5 miles, it is a very lovely campground for an extended quiet stay.