Planning RV camping near Washington D.C. may sound simple—until you consider the traffic, limited parking, public transportation, and everything you want to see during your visit.
We faced those same challenges while planning our first RV trip to the nation’s capital. We wanted a campground that made exploring Washington easier while still giving our family a comfortable place to relax after a full day of sightseeing.
Our search led us to Cherry Hill Park in College Park, Maryland. It was the first campground we visited after buying our RV, and we have returned several times since. Each stay has reinforced an important lesson: when camping near a busy city, choosing the right campground can shape your entire experience.
Cherry Hill Park may cost more than some nearby campgrounds, but its convenient location, transportation options, helpful staff, and family-friendly amenities have consistently made it worth the price for us.
The Challenge of RV Camping Near Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. is an amazing family destination. The monuments, memorials, museums, and historic buildings can fill several days without requiring an expensive attraction budget. Many Smithsonian museums are free, and so are the memorials throughout the National Mall.
The difficult part is not finding something to do. It is figuring out how to get everyone into the city without turning transportation into the most stressful part of the day.
Driving an RV into Washington is not practical for most travelers. Even if you have a separate vehicle, city traffic and limited parking can make each day more complicated. Staying too far outside the city can create another problem: a long commute before your sightseeing even begins.
We learned to look beyond the nightly campground rate and ask better questions:
- How will we get into Washington?
- How long will the trip take?
- Can the campground help us understand the transportation system?
- Will there be enough at the campground for everyone to enjoy a slower day?
- Will the convenience justify the additional cost?
For our family, Cherry Hill Park answered those questions better than any other option we considered.
Why Cherry Hill Park Works for an RV Trip to D.C.
Cherry Hill Park is located at 9800 Cherry Hill Road in College Park, Maryland, close to both I-95 and I-495. The campground is outside the busiest part of Washington but close enough to make daily trips into the city realistic.
That balance matters. We could return to our RV at the end of the day instead of staying in a hotel, yet we did not feel disconnected from the attractions we came to see.
The campground offers full-hookup RV sites with 30- and 50-amp service, water, sewer, Wi-Fi, cable television, a picnic table, and access to its resort-style amenities. Other lodging options include tent sites, cabins, yurts, and glamping accommodations, which can be useful when friends or extended family want to join the trip without an RV.
Cherry Hill Park has also been family-owned for generations. That history is interesting, but what mattered most to us was how the campground operated. During our stays, the staff consistently helped guests understand transportation, tours, and ways to make the most of their time in Washington.
The Real Solution: Leave the RV and Use Public Transportation
The best decision we made was leaving the RV at the campground and using public transportation to reach Washington.
A local bus stops at Cherry Hill Park and connects guests with the College Park–University of Maryland Metro station. From there, the Green and Yellow lines provide access toward downtown Washington. The campground says the Metro ride from College Park to the National Mall area takes about 25 minutes.
Guests can also drive a tow vehicle or personal car to the Metro station and park there. We recommend checking current WMATA schedules, fares, parking information, and planned service changes before each trip. Transportation details can change, and weekend maintenance may affect the route.
The campground also offers guided Washington tours that leave from and return to its on-site bus depot. Tour offerings and schedules vary, but they can be a good solution for visitors who would rather not plan every Metro stop themselves.
This was the biggest lesson from our visits: do not treat transportation as an afterthought. Decide how you will enter and leave the city before arriving. A simple transportation plan saves time, reduces stress, and gives you more energy for the places you actually came to experience.
A Campground That Is Part of the Vacation
Some urban campgrounds are little more than a place to park for the night. Cherry Hill Park feels different. It can become part of the vacation rather than simply serving as a base camp.
Current amenities include:
- Two swimming pools
- A splash park
- A hot tub and sauna
- Miniature golf
- Playgrounds and recreation areas
- Dog parks and a dog-walking service
- An exercise room and outdoor fitness space
- Walking and biking access
- A fishing pond
- An on-site café
- Laundry facilities
- An RV, grocery, and souvenir store
- Golf-cart rentals
The selection is especially helpful on longer trips. Washington involves a lot of walking, and not every day needs to be packed with monuments and museums. A slower campground day gives everyone a chance to recharge.
That flexibility mattered when we traveled with our children. The adults could appreciate the history and convenience while the campground still offered the pools, playgrounds, and activities that made the trip feel like a family vacation.
Practical Tips We Learned From Repeated Visits
After returning to Cherry Hill Park several times, these are the tips we would give another RVing family:
1. Reserve early
Cherry Hill Park is popular because of its location and transportation access. Holiday weekends, school vacations, cherry-blossom season, and summer dates can fill quickly.
2. Pick your site based on your priorities
Some areas are closer to pools and family activities, while others offer more shade, privacy, or easier access to the bus depot. Review the campground map and ask the reservation staff for guidance.
3. Plan transportation before arrival
Download the Metro map, check service alerts, and decide whether you will use the campground bus, drive to the station, or book a tour.
4. Build in a campground day
Washington sightseeing can be tiring. Leave room for the pool, miniature golf, a campground meal, or an evening relaxing at your site.
5. Check attraction requirements
Although many Washington attractions are free, some require timed-entry passes or advance reservations. Requirements can change.
6. Budget for convenience
The nightly rate may be higher than at a campground farther away, but price should not be the only comparison. Add the value of transportation access, time saved, on-site help, and amenities before deciding.
Is Cherry Hill Park Worth the Higher Price?
For us, the answer has consistently been yes.
Cherry Hill Park is not the least expensive choice for RV camping near Washington, D.C. However, choosing a cheaper campground farther away could mean longer drives, additional fuel, more parking challenges, and less time enjoying the city.
We are willing to pay more when the value is clear. At Cherry Hill Park, that value comes from its location, access to public transportation, helpful staff, clean facilities, and amenities that keep the campground enjoyable even when we are not sightseeing.
That does not mean it will be the right choice for every traveler. If you need only a basic overnight site or plan to visit somewhere outside Washington, a less expensive campground may work. But for families who want to explore the capital while keeping the RV experience comfortable and manageable, Cherry Hill Park offers a strong solution.
Our Final Take on RV Camping Near Washington, D.C.
Our first stay at Cherry Hill Park came at the beginning of our RV journey. Since then, we have returned again and again—not because every trip has been identical, but because the campground continues to make a complicated destination easier to enjoy.
The lesson we carried forward is simple: the best campground is not always the one with the lowest nightly rate. Sometimes it is the one that removes the biggest obstacles from your trip.
For Washington, D.C., those obstacles are often traffic, parking, transportation, and keeping the entire family happy after a full day of sightseeing. Cherry Hill Park helped solve all four for us.
If you are planning an RV trip to the nation’s capital, we recommend putting it on your list and comparing its total value—not just its nightly rate—with the other campgrounds you are considering.
