Owens Creek Campground

Owens Creek Campground Overview

Rating

Phone (301) 663-9388

Address 15882 Foxville Deerfield Rd, Sabillasville, MD 21780, USA

Website http://www.nps.gov/cato/planyourvisit/owens-creek-campground-directions.htm

Hours

Owens Creek Campground Location & Map

Maryland Frederick County Sabillasville Foxville Deerfield Road

Owens Creek Campground About

Are you looking to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life and immerse yourself in the natural beauty of Maryland? Look no further than Owens Creek Campground, a serene and inviting destination nestled within the picturesque Catoctin Mountain Park. For locals across Maryland, this campground offers an accessible and truly refreshing opportunity to reconnect with the outdoors, whether you're a seasoned camper or looking for your first memorable family adventure.

Owens Creek Campground provides a peaceful, primitive camping experience that encourages visitors to fully embrace their surroundings. It's an ideal spot for those seeking a quiet retreat where the sounds of nature, from a babbling creek to rustling leaves, replace city noises. With a focus on providing a well-maintained and welcoming environment, Owens Creek Campground has become a favorite among Maryland residents for its blend of rustic charm and essential amenities.

Location and Accessibility

Owens Creek Campground is conveniently located at 15882 Foxville Deerfield Rd, Sabillasville, MD 21780, USA, within the expansive and beautiful Catoctin Mountain Park. For those coming from various parts of Maryland, the drive is a scenic one, leading you into the rolling hills and lush forests that define this region. It's approximately five miles from Thurmont, Maryland, making it a relatively quick and easy getaway for residents in Frederick County and beyond.

Getting to the campground is straightforward. From Route 77, you'll follow Foxville Deerfield Road for approximately 1.75 miles, and the campground entrance will be on your left. While the setting feels wonderfully secluded, it remains easily accessible, ensuring that your journey to relaxation is as smooth as possible. It's worth noting that cell phone reception can be sparse in some areas, which for many, is part of the appeal of truly unplugging.

Services Offered

Owens Creek Campground prides itself on offering a range of services designed to make your camping experience comfortable and enjoyable, even in a primitive setting. These include:

Flush toilets: Centrally located and regularly maintained for cleanliness.
Showers: Hot showers are available, providing a welcome comfort after a day of hiking or exploring.
Drinking water: Potable water is readily accessible throughout the campground.
Firewood for purchase: Available directly at the campground, with donations greatly appreciated to support this service. This also helps prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by encouraging campers not to transport wood from outside the park.
Campsite amenities: Each of the 50 single-family campsites is equipped with a tent pad, a picnic table for meals, and a fire ring with a grate for cooking and campfires.
Pet-friendly environment: Pets are permitted in the campground but must be kept on a 6 ft. leash at all times and should not be left unattended.
Seasonal operation: The campground typically operates from the end of April to the beginning of November, offering prime camping opportunities during spring, summer, and fall.

Features / Highlights

What truly sets Owens Creek Campground apart for Marylanders seeking an authentic outdoor experience are its unique features and highlights:

Spacious and private campsites: Many sites offer ample space and natural barriers, ensuring privacy from neighboring campers. This is a recurring theme in customer reviews, with many appreciating the thoughtful layout and natural screening.
Creek-side serenity: Owens Creek flows past the campground, providing a peaceful and soothing backdrop of babbling water. Several sites are located directly by the creek, offering an even more immersive natural experience.
Direct access to hiking trails: The Deerfield Nature Trail connects directly to the campground, offering a 1.5-mile loop with further connections to the wider 25 miles of trails within Catoctin Mountain Park. This makes it incredibly convenient to embark on nature hikes of varying difficulty levels, from easy strolls to more strenuous adventures.
Clean and well-maintained facilities: Numerous reviews consistently highlight the cleanliness of the bathrooms and showers, a crucial factor for a comfortable camping trip. Camp hosts are also frequently praised for their friendliness and helpfulness, adding to the positive atmosphere.
Family-friendly atmosphere: The campground attracts mostly families and couples, fostering a respectful and safe environment for all visitors. The primitive nature of the camping encourages imagination and outdoor play.
ADA accessible sites: Three of the campsites are ADA accessible, providing thoughtful features like hardened mulch pads and elevated tent pads, demonstrating a commitment to inclusivity.
Proximity to local attractions: While secluded, Owens Creek Campground is a short drive from other popular Maryland attractions, including Cunningham Falls State Park, and is within reasonable driving distance of historical sites like Gettysburg National Military Park and Antietam National Battlefield for those looking to expand their itinerary.

Promotions or Special Offers

Currently, Owens Creek Campground does not list specific, ongoing promotional offers. Reservations are handled through Recreation.gov, where you can find the most up-to-date pricing and availability. It’s always a good idea to check their official page on Recreation.gov for any seasonal discounts or package deals that might become available. The standard camping fee provides for overnight camping, with access to restrooms, hot showers, and potable water included at no additional cost. Firewood is available for a small fee.

Contact Information

To plan your visit or make inquiries, you can reach Owens Creek Campground directly:

Address: 15882 Foxville Deerfield Rd, Sabillasville, MD 21780, USA
Phone: (301) 663-9388

Reservations are highly recommended, especially during peak season, and can typically be made up to six months in advance through the Recreation.gov website for Catoctin Mountain Park.

Conclusion: Why This Place Is Suitable for Locals

For Maryland residents, Owens Creek Campground isn't just another camping spot; it's a cherished local gem offering an accessible and authentic outdoor experience. Its location within Catoctin Mountain Park means you don't have to travel far to feel completely immersed in nature. The combination of well-maintained, private campsites, clean facilities including hot showers, and the availability of firewood on-site makes for a truly comfortable primitive camping adventure.

The positive reviews from fellow Marylanders speak volumes. Campers consistently highlight the spaciousness and privacy of the sites, the cleanliness of the facilities, and the helpfulness of the camp hosts like Ty, who goes the extra mile to ensure a pleasant stay. The soothing presence of Owens Creek, alongside direct access to a network of hiking trails, provides endless opportunities for recreation and relaxation right at your doorstep. Whether you're a family looking for a safe and engaging environment for your children's first camping trip, a couple seeking a peaceful retreat, or an individual hoping to reconnect with the tranquility of the forest, Owens Creek Campground delivers. It's a place where you can truly unwind, build lasting memories around a campfire, and appreciate the natural beauty that Maryland has to offer, all within a convenient drive from home.

Customer Reviews

4.0

77 reviews

Gregory Mainolfi

Jul 21, 2024

Great facilities, many of the campsites have lots of space with privacy from other sites. Our campsite hosts were friendly, helpful and weren't imposing. Firewood available for purchase at the campground. We stayed at site 32 which was nicely separated. I took other photos of sites 31-34 for reference.

David S

Oct 09, 2023

My favorite campsite in the DMV! This is my 3rd time staying here. I want to give a shout out to one of the camp hosts - Ty! He helped to bring logs to my site and was super friendly. The bathrooms/showers are always clean and each site is well-maintained. I stayed in Site #29 this time which is a little more isolated by the creek. Felt very safe each of my times here and camp guests are respectful. Mostly families and other couples. Have a great time!

Rapid_Gunner

Aug 16, 2024

This place is absolutely the best camping I've done in a long time. Everything you need. From parking to your own grill and picnic table a pole to hang your food. I would recommend putting food in your vehicle so animals don't take off with your food.

Julie W

Sep 09, 2018

I'd give the Camp Host Mary 5 STARS or more if I could separate things out! Camping in the Catoctin Mountains and we're from out of state when in the morning to start our car it acted up and the oil light came on. We checked the oil and it looked way low. We were stressed and luckily the camp host got us a quart of oil so we could get to town, too sweet and kind, she was awesome our whole stay and we actually will miss her! The camping is gorgeous here and we love it and would love to stay for longer if we could! I'd give the camp 5 STARS as well for how lovely it is but the lower stars is because the facilities, although clean are in desperate need of updates. I was here over 12 years ago and they haven't improved the restroom/shower house much. Could use more than one shower per gender for sure as well. HOWEVER, it's lovely here and the price of a giant metal tub of wood for only $5 cannot be beat! However, trick to getting that wood burning is start with small dry dead-fall on top of some sort of fire starter log, add bits of larger dead-fall, there's lots laying around, and then increase until you have a fire with some good coals then add the camp wood a piece at a time. Learn from us, don't start with the camp wood otherwise you'll be working to keep it going all night! We stayed first at Site 2 for three nights. It is located right when you enter the campground and you have to walk or drive the very short distance for the bathroom. It's a great site with plenty of space between you and the siteson either side to it but you have no one behind you. Wet decided we wanted to stay longer and since the site was reserved after that point we moved to site 11, it is right near the camp host and a very short walk to the shower/bathroom, it is also a great site and still rather private feeling (as many of the sites are) we stayed another three nights! The following photos are of the sites we stayed at as well as the parking pad. We were car camping but set up our 10x10 canopy on the tent pad and slept in our car at night. Plenty of trees too if you want to put up a tarp for rainy weather. The lantern post also is great for many uses besides a lantern, we used it to help hold our tarp. Word to the wise, if you have a canopy but want "curtains" or panels, you can do like we did, we used the cloth/polyester shower curtains which are semi waterproof and machine washable and far cheaper than buying the standard panels. We just use shower curtain rings to attach to the metal frame of the canopy, works great!

J B

Jul 14, 2018

This place was great! The host, mary, was fantastic.i was told it gets crowded on weekends. If your a civil war buff its within easy drive of harpers ferry, antietam and Gettysburg. Quiet and great tree canopy. No open fields for kids but woods galore.