Harpers Ferry-Civil War Battlefields KOA

Awesome location! Right next to the Harpers Ferry National
historic park, and the Shenandoah river (which has plenty of hidden tubing inlets if you don't wanna pay 35 bucks a person at River Rafters, an adventure sport company right next door to KOA). The campground was good, we were lucky to get a tent site right next to the woods, but most campsites were just in dirt and gravel areas. Definitely request a wooded site. The pool was great, clean. There's a couple big bouncy castles for kids and a massive bouncing pillow. However we went in July and it was just too hot, they should put a tent up over then bouncy pillow. Lots of bathroom facilities, clean enough for a campground that sees lots of foot traffic every day. A great hidden gem of this campground is the mini movie theater in the back of the registration building, playing 4-5 movies a day in nice air conditioning.

It was easy to access and in a prime location to enjoy Harper’s Ferry. That’s where the positives ended for us. Our neighbor was so close that his slide-out was within a foot of our picnic table and so close to the fire ring, we could not safely light a fire. All the sites in our area, we were in site 48, also had significant slopes requiring substantially lifting the front of the camper with blocks and tongue jack. There are some good sites further back that actually had some room between each other and trees for shade. Otherwise, a typical KOA. Lot’s of families and kiddos and really seems to be aimed at that demographic. Since it’s basically the only game in town, if we’re headed back to Harper’s Ferry we’ll likely stay again, but pay the extra to select our spot ahead of time and get one in the back-9.

The park was easy to find. It is located at the same exit as Harper’s Ferry National Historical Park. There is pavement all the way including inside the park.. Signage is adequate. Check in was efficient and friendly. The rules are fairly basic. The interior roads are in very good condition.

Our site, 104, was a gravel back in that was just long enough for our Coach and Towed. Services (30/50 amp, water, sewer and cable) were to the left side. Distancing is close for a rural park. Our site (considered a deluxe patio but that is all that was available) was a graveled back in. It had a concrete patio, a swing bench, patio table with four chairs and a fire pit but no picnic table. It was flat and slightly sloped to the rear. Overall the park appeared to be well maintained but it would have been nice of the thick layer of leaves would have been raked or blown away before we arrived. We raked the site ourselves so as to not have our dog track them into the coach.

There is park included wifi (5G) and cable TV. Satellite should not be difficult. We did not use the washrooms or showers but we checked and found them clean. The Laundromat had many washers and driers out of order but we had no problem finding a working set. The pool and other amenities were closed for the season while we were there.

There are trails from the park as well as bicycle rentals on site. An interesting feature is that the park encompasses part of the battle field. There are numerous markers showing points of interest. If you are looking for peace and quiet please be aware. This is a KOA and geared for youngsters and their partying parents. It did get quite loud in the evenings.

There is a camp store on site but no restaurants or stores within easy walking distance. Just a short drive away you can find food, shopping and convenience stores. We found this park to be a good base for visiting local attractions but at $95.00 per night and we did not feel we received fair value. We would look for a quieter more economical location if we were to return.

Small, tight, unlevel sites. Sewer connections are uphill, making it interesting and difficult to dump the tanks! The manager, John, was the most rude KOA employee I’ve ever met.

The campground was clean and the staff was nice. We didn’t use much of the facilities, but they seemed in good order. Our site wasn’t very level and while we were able to easier level our trailer, there wasn’t a much room to sit outside between the slopes and the large tree roots.

Gravel pads all around. Some were level, ours was not. Utility connections were not placed well, notably the sewer opening was 8" or so above the ground making it hard since my dump valve is low. Great laundry room with plenty of machines and decent rates.

Reservations were easy on the national site. Check in was also easy. The site was one of their cheaper ones and as a result was difficult to get into and nowhere near level. The site was gravel. There is a picnic table and fire ring at each site. Many sites are much nicer but you pay more for them. The park is extremely nice with water features, mini golf, jumper and many other family friendly facilities. We had water and electric but full hookups are available. Antenna reception gets a few junk channels but no major networks. The camp WiFi is excellent. AT&T has 1 bar 5G. The camp is right next to the Harpers Ferry National Historic Site. This would be a great spot to spend a week with family in the summer.

Reservations were easy on the national site. Check in was also easy. The site was one of their cheaper ones and as a result was difficult to get into and nowhere near level. The site was gravel. There is a picnic table and fire ring at each site. Many sites are much nicer but you pay more for them. The park is extremely nice with water features, mini golf, jumper and many other family friendly facilities. We had water and electric but full hookups are available. Antenna reception gets a few junk channels but no major networks. The camp WiFi is excellent. AT&T has 1 bar 5G. The camp is right next to the Harpers Ferry National Historic Site. This would be a great spot to spend a week with family in the summer.

Roads are very narrow with some rocks and trees making turns difficult. Assigned a site that didn't fit our rig. Office insists that site will fit a 42' rig (our rig is a 43' 5th wheel) and where are we supposed to park our truck? Chose a site that would accommodate our rig and went in to tell the office where we were. Was told we were in a premium site, so we owed them an additional $46 dollars (already paid them $95 plus $2 per pet!). We then were told that we could either pay the $46 or they would refund our money and we could leave. Seriously?

Site was not level at all, very tight, and oddly-shaped. However, it was definitely one of the more spacious RV sites in the campground. The bugs (mainly gnats, a few mosquitoes) were horrendous while we were setting up. After a few hours of burning citronella and mosquito coils, they were tolerable.

This campground was huge, and very crowded. We were there in the days leading up to 4th of July, and there was not a single empty site. Our section had mostly pop-ups and mid-size travel trailers, so the sites were all grassy. However, the area with pull-through sites for big rigs was just a huge RV parking lot. All roads were very narrow and winding. We did fine with the pup, but can’t imagine trying to navigate a large motorhome through there. Crowding/space issues aside, this is a really nice (albeit expensive) campground. Everything, from the grounds, to rec halls, to pool and laundry, was sparkling clean and beautifully maintained. Staff was very friendly, as well. Tons of stuff to do here, especially for families: arts & crafts, indoor movie theatre, games, civil war reenactments, wine tastings, etc. We were certainly never bored, and the kids thought they had died and gone to heaven. Bathrooms were very clean as well, and there was surprisingly never a wait for the showers. Free daily pancake breakfast is included during the on-season, which was nice.

Overall, this is a really nice place, but much more of a resort than a campground in my opinion. The kids loved it, but I’ll always prefer the wooded seclusion of a state or national park. However, if I was looking for a more action-packed, activities-filled “glamping” experience, I wouldn’t hesitate to return.

UPDATE- July 2017: Stayed here over 4th of July weekend for the 2nd year in a row, in site #119 this time, and we’re thinking of making it an annual family tradition. Same great activities, noise and crowds as last year, but we had a blast again. The bathhouses looked much shabbier and dirtier to me this year, for some reason. Still definitely usable, but I’ve been far more impressed with the cleanliness, ventilation and overall condition of MD State Park bathhouses. So, back to the peace and quiet of camping on public lands for a while. Til next time!