Shortlists
Ninety-nine campsites is too many to compare. Each of these answers one question, how you get there, what the pitch is like, or whether you will be left alone, and says exactly what it looked for.
Getting there 5 lists
- Easy-access campsites
A gravel road in, under two miles of unpaved driving, and the pitch within 100 ft of where the car stops.
12 of 99 sites - Campsites for a low car
A gravel road in, and nothing steeper than 8 per cent anywhere on the approach.
12 of 99 sites - Campsites for a camper van or a trailer
Campers report room for a trailer or a pop-up, the road in is gravel, and nothing on the approach is steeper than 12 per cent.
14 of 99 sites - Campsites near headquarters
Fifteen minutes or less by road from the headquarters at 28700 Headquarters Drive NE, on the routed drive rather than a straight line.
32 of 99 sites - Campsites near a trail
A named trail from this site’s own trail guide within a quarter-mile (1,320 ft) of the pitch, measured to the nearest point on it.
25 of 99 sites
The pitch 5 lists
- River campsites
On the Bonds Landing terrace, or with a mapped watercourse named Potomac inside 500 m. That is the app’s own river tag.
9 of 99 sites - Campsites with the most open sky
97 per cent or more of the sky above the pitch is clear of the skyline. That is the top quarter of the forest, where the median site is {{medianOpenSky}} per cent.
22 of 99 sites - Sunny campsites
8.6 hours or more of direct sun on the pitch at the December solstice, the app’s own threshold for calling a site sunny.
49 of 99 sites - Shaded campsites
7.6 hours or less of direct sun on the pitch at the December solstice, the app’s own threshold for calling a site shaded.
17 of 99 sites - Campsites beside running water
A mapped watercourse within 500 ft of the pitch, measured to the nearest point on it.
27 of 99 sites
Peace and quiet 3 lists
- Quiet campsites
Beyond the reach of the shooting range, Interstate 68 and the freight railway. It is the same test the app applies when it says a site is out of earshot.
69 of 99 sites - Campsites with a phone signal
Campers reported usable reception at the pitch. Reported, not measured, and not carrier-specific.
7 of 99 sites - Secluded campsites
Campers described the pitch as secluded or private. Reported, not measured.
10 of 99 sites