comes through in my descriptions of the camping destinations, such as the primitive sites in the state forests at Green Ridge, Potomac, and Garrett. However, I am aware that many more campers like easy access to facilities and don’t want to travel too far or with too many jugs of potable water. Thus, I included many campgrounds that offer anything a camper could want. For instance, new to this edition is Watkins Regional Park in Prince George’s County, which fits that description. However, I was careful to exclude campgrounds that were overrun with RVs and where finding silence and privacy were virtual impossibilities. Don’t misunderstand: I’ve shared campground space with RVers and still enjoyed the experience immensely. Thus, a campground with a lot of RVs wasn’t automatically excluded from this book. Besides, more and more campgrounds are geared toward catering to the RV set. But rest assured, you’ll find many campgrounds in this book that are impossible for RV owners to reach or where RVs aren’t even allowed. Also new to the 2nd edition are the campsites along the Patuxent Water Trail; there are certainly no RVs there.
:: WEATHER
Continuing on the “Maryland-has-it-all” theme, the state offers four very distinct seasons—though, as any denizen knows, nothing is absolute. For example, the winter of 2013–2014 was unusually cold, windy, and snowy (and felt relentless, frankly), and the following summer was mild and simply lovely, a break from the usual crush of Maryland’s humid middle months. Winter can range from mild to downright frigid. The western part of the state is known for heavy snowfalls. Far western Garrett County, home to quite a few campgrounds in this book, actually sits west of the Eastern Continental Divide and sees, on average, some 140 inches of snow per season and routinely surpasses 200 inches. Generally speaking, spring is lovely—cold to start but yielding to gradually warmer temperatures and lengthening days. Forests burst into color and migratory songbirds make their return. Summer can be a bear, with high temperatures and crushing humidity, but the long days and sense of freedom attendant summer everywhere more than make up for that. Fall is sublime. For my money, it’s the best of all seasons. The fall foliage explodes. (Head out to Western Maryland, especially, for this, as few places anywhere rival the shows in the western forests; in fact, in 2014, Travel + Leisure magazine named Garrett County’s Oakland the best town in the country for seeing fall foliage. Who says you need to head to New England?) Fall usually sees a steady string of gorgeous days and cool nights, with plenty of sun and warmth to get you out there amid the colors, with leaves tenaciously hanging on well into November. In my opinion, this is the best time to camp in Maryland.
:: FIRST AID KIT
A useful first aid kit may contain more items than you might think necessary. These are just the basics. Prepackaged kits in waterproof bags (Atwater Carey and Adventure Medical make them) are available. As a preventive measure, take along sunscreen and insect repellent. Even though quite a few items are listed here, they pack down into a small space:
■ Ace bandages or Spenco joint wraps
■ Adhesive bandages, such as Band-Aids
■ Antibiotic ointment (Neosporin or the generic equivalent)
■ Antiseptic or disinfectant, such as Betadine or hydrogen peroxide
■ Aspirin or acetaminophen
■ Benadryl or the generic equivalent, diphenhydramine (in case of allergic reactions)
■ Butterfly-closure bandages
■ Epinephrine in a prefilled syringe (for people known to have severe allergic reactions)
■ Gauze (one roll and six 4- x 4-inch compress pads)
■ LED flashlight or headlamp
■ Matches or pocket lighter
■ Moist towelettes
■ Moleskin/Spenco 2nd Skin
■ Pocketknife or multipurpose tool
■ Waterproof first aid tape
■ Whistle (more effective in signaling rescuers than your voice)
:: ANIMAL AND PLANT HAZARDS
Snakes
The prospect of being bitten by a snake should never deter a camper in Maryland. The state has only two native poisonous snakes: northern copperheads, which you may see, usually near water, in central, southern, and eastern Maryland; and timber rattlers, which live in the mountainous, western part of the state. Although the chances of being bitten by a snake are slim, take proper caution. For good information on snakes in Maryland, visit dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/vsnakes.asp.
Ticks
All outdoor recreationists in Maryland should be concerned about ticks. Your best protection is to be vigilant: Check yourself frequently and look closely. Often, the smaller the tick, the greater the chance for subsequent serious health problems. Tiny deer ticks (black-legged ticks), for example, carry Lyme disease; if you see a bull’s-eye rash radiating from a tender red spot, see a doctor right away. If you experience flulike symptoms (intense malaise, fever, chills, and a headache) a day or two after camping, look very hard for the telltale bull’s-eye rash and see a doctor to alleviate any concerns. If you find a tick attached to your skin, gently remove it with tweezers, taking care to pull it off gently so the mouthpart does not break off and remain attached. In general, ticks pose a major threat only during the warmest months of summer, but an unseasonably mild spring and/or warm autumn can mean a solid six or seven months of tick season. Take precautionary measures, but don’t let ticks keep you inside your tent. Generally speaking, Lyme disease tends to be overdiagnosed and afflicts relatively few people.
Poison Ivy
PCTomWatson
The old maxim for poison ivy holds true: “Leaves of three, let it be.” Poison sumac, however, can contain anywhere from 7 to 13 leaves. Because I am extremely allergic to poison ivy, I always take the following precautions: I do not scratch anything under any circumstances; if poison ivy is sitting on the skin, scratching and then touching skin anywhere else is the surest way of spreading it. I carry alcohol-based moist towelettes, and at the end of the day, I rub my legs gently with the towelettes to stave off infection until I can get home and shower. (Note: It is very important that these moist towelettes contain alcohol. If they contain just soap, wiping with them will only move the poison ivy oil, urushiol, around, increasing the risk of infection.)
Mosquitoes
Many of the campgrounds in Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore are simply inundated with mosquitoes in the humid summer months. Protect yourself against mosquito bites by applying an effective repellent. Most people reach for repellents that contain DEET, which is fairly toxic stuff. I prefer Burt’s Bees natural insect repellent. I once took it with me on a trip into the Amazon jungle and found it very effective even there. Unlike DEET-based repellents, there is no maximum on the amount and frequency of use for Burt’s.
:: RESOURCES
As you read this book, you’ll see that the vast majority of the campgrounds are run by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. I found time and time again that state-operated campgrounds were invariably clean, safe, and beautifully maintained. The Maryland DNR maintains an excellent website with links to all of the DNR-operated campgrounds featured in this book (33 of the 50). Visit dnr2.maryland.gov
