Pocomoke River State Park
Pocomoke River State Park
4
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The 14,753 acres of this scenic park is famous for its loblolly pine and cypress swamps that border along the Pocomoke River, providing visitors with many outdoor activities such as fishing, boating, camping and hiking.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
107 reviews
Excellent
62
Very good
25
Average
8
Poor
4
Terrible
8
Erin M
Washington DC, DC1 contribution
Sep 2022 • Family
The Nature Center is amazing! It's visually engaging with hand-lettered signs, wonderful murals, and beautiful displays. We took a group of kindergartners who got to watch and learn while the very knowledgeable and friendly naturalist fed the turtles, eel, and more. They loved it! The "touch table" was also a big hit. Highly recommend!
Written September 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Meg S
Salisbury, MD18 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
We actually decided to do a solo by ourselves 5 mile hike on the pretty deserted Green Chandler trail. It was one of the eeriest hikes I have ever done. First let me say we didn't see a soul, but we did see some weird stuff. This was in the middle of a Sunday afternoon with beautiful sunny skies and neither one of us scare easy. I wish I could post some of the pictures I took but they wouldn't come through on trip advisor site. Beautiful desolate setting, the forest trail was not always easy and some of the trail was over grown which added to the mystic. I recommend it for any brave soul who wants to say they have hiked in the Pocomoke Forest and I'm glad for the experience but I'm not sure I would do it again.
Written March 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
ccnmeg
Clinton, MD6 contributions
Jun 2015 • Family
Rating is average of five for beautiful surroundings and one for the unfortunate problem.
We are a family of seasoned campers who had decided to book a cabin for some creature comfort during an extended stay with plans to explore this site and the eastern seashore. Upon arrival - we discovered that there was no airconditioning in 2 of the cabins including ours. Called to switch cabins but they are fully booked - bummer. However, our cabin was in the tree canopy which was cool and comfortable during the rainy weekend. We were situated right in front of the river which has an kayak, canoe landing space that lots of folks used instead of the boat landing at the large pier. The setting was idyllic and beautiful with tall trees and a pristine river. There was even a playground that kiddo enjoyed tremendously.
We arrived before the weekend and a large group was camping there, which resulted in the women's bathroom being continuously busy and without toilet paper. However, after the the group left, the bathroom was clean and well stocked.
Before writing this review, I read the other reviews about spiders on this campsite - I did find many Eastern Harvestman - arachnids but not spiders. Their mandibles (mouth parts) are too short to bite humans so they are harmless. We did not find any roaches during our 5 day stay but we did encouter a pest of a different kind.
On the first night of our stay, we notice our pup was scatching quite a bit - he has allergies so we assumed the new environment was the cause and did not think much about it. By the second night we started scratching like crazy and noticed multiple bite marks on our arms and legs. On closer inspection, we found weavil like bugs all over the sleeping pad and on our sleeping bags. We took out our organic insect spray and sprayed around like crazy - lifting up our mattress and spraying under it as well.We could not sleep the rest of the night. Miraculously, by morning - all of the bugs were gone. The next night - this episode repeats - by now, we are suspecting that these were bed bugs - after squashing a couple and discovering our blood in them, we caught a few and placed them in a zipper bag and sprayed them with the bugspray to see if the spray would work - they took quite a while to die - we are not sure from the spray or the lack of air in the bag. By now, we decided to take the problem to the camp office at Shad landing.
We showed the bite marks - all over our limbs neck and face but the camp office was not convinced that they had a bed bug problem until we produced our zipper bag of small nymphs and large adults. Hubby was quite badly bitten because he slept closer to the wall whereas kiddo was bitten but not extensively because she was on the top bunk.We had to wait a while for the camp manager. He apologized and refunded our reservation immediately, and promised to have pest control in to inspect and eradicate the problem. He also offered us a tent with sleeping pads for camping so that we could complete our stay. We tented nearby and did see pest control visiting the cabin the next day.
We are sadden by this incident and hope that it is a isolated case. We are afraid to bring home our stuff in case we spread the infestation to our home. We inspected and washed our sleeping bags at a nearby laundromat before tenting. But when I got home - I researched and found out that they could get into bags and clothing and lay eggs there so I had to boil everything that we brought home. It is a horrible itchy experience that took many weeks to heal and has left us with ugly bite scars all over. I am now too afraid to stay in a cabin ever again.
We are a family of seasoned campers who had decided to book a cabin for some creature comfort during an extended stay with plans to explore this site and the eastern seashore. Upon arrival - we discovered that there was no airconditioning in 2 of the cabins including ours. Called to switch cabins but they are fully booked - bummer. However, our cabin was in the tree canopy which was cool and comfortable during the rainy weekend. We were situated right in front of the river which has an kayak, canoe landing space that lots of folks used instead of the boat landing at the large pier. The setting was idyllic and beautiful with tall trees and a pristine river. There was even a playground that kiddo enjoyed tremendously.
We arrived before the weekend and a large group was camping there, which resulted in the women's bathroom being continuously busy and without toilet paper. However, after the the group left, the bathroom was clean and well stocked.
Before writing this review, I read the other reviews about spiders on this campsite - I did find many Eastern Harvestman - arachnids but not spiders. Their mandibles (mouth parts) are too short to bite humans so they are harmless. We did not find any roaches during our 5 day stay but we did encouter a pest of a different kind.
On the first night of our stay, we notice our pup was scatching quite a bit - he has allergies so we assumed the new environment was the cause and did not think much about it. By the second night we started scratching like crazy and noticed multiple bite marks on our arms and legs. On closer inspection, we found weavil like bugs all over the sleeping pad and on our sleeping bags. We took out our organic insect spray and sprayed around like crazy - lifting up our mattress and spraying under it as well.We could not sleep the rest of the night. Miraculously, by morning - all of the bugs were gone. The next night - this episode repeats - by now, we are suspecting that these were bed bugs - after squashing a couple and discovering our blood in them, we caught a few and placed them in a zipper bag and sprayed them with the bugspray to see if the spray would work - they took quite a while to die - we are not sure from the spray or the lack of air in the bag. By now, we decided to take the problem to the camp office at Shad landing.
We showed the bite marks - all over our limbs neck and face but the camp office was not convinced that they had a bed bug problem until we produced our zipper bag of small nymphs and large adults. Hubby was quite badly bitten because he slept closer to the wall whereas kiddo was bitten but not extensively because she was on the top bunk.We had to wait a while for the camp manager. He apologized and refunded our reservation immediately, and promised to have pest control in to inspect and eradicate the problem. He also offered us a tent with sleeping pads for camping so that we could complete our stay. We tented nearby and did see pest control visiting the cabin the next day.
We are sadden by this incident and hope that it is a isolated case. We are afraid to bring home our stuff in case we spread the infestation to our home. We inspected and washed our sleeping bags at a nearby laundromat before tenting. But when I got home - I researched and found out that they could get into bags and clothing and lay eggs there so I had to boil everything that we brought home. It is a horrible itchy experience that took many weeks to heal and has left us with ugly bite scars all over. I am now too afraid to stay in a cabin ever again.
Written July 29, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Maureen W
1 contribution
Jul 2022
7/23-8/2/22. My husband and I have camped for weekends there many times and have always enjoyed ourselves, but unfortunately not so much this time. We took our 8 year old granddaughter for some kayaking, hiking, and swimming in the pool. We were very disappointed to find the pool is only open on the weekends and for the time we were there the park could not even manage that. It is also open to the public, so the ONE day the pool was open wail we were at the park it was very crowded, and kids using the "F" bomb without being told to stop by the lifeguards. Also the boat rentals were closed for a few days as well. We ended up driving to Assateague 3 times, which really was not our plan. There's really not much for kids to do if you are staying for more then a weekend.
Written August 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
SeanCheri
Harpers Ferry, WV2 contributions
Jul 2012 • Family
My family and I have just returned from our camping experience at Pocomoke River State Park at Shad Landing. We have a pop up camper and stayed for a week. The campsites our very close together allowing very little privacy. My young sons wanted to use the pool, but it was rented out to local youth groups every day of our stay. Vans and buses arrived as soon as the pool opened and there was no room for campers to use the facilities. The ball field behind our campsite was also rented out to locals and they had free use of our bathroom facilities. Now on to the bathrooms, they were covered with daddy long legs and it made for an interesting shower and bathroom experience. At our campsite there were sworms of bees and daddy long legs and it was plain disgusting. I would not recommend this park to anyone, don't stay here. We looked at other camping destinations and found Janes Island State Park and it looks much better than this place. Bathrooms much cleaner and no long legged creatures observed. We are very displeased with Pocomoke River State Park and will never be returning to camp here ever again.
Written July 23, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
passionatetraveler06
Hanover, Pennsylvania31 contributions
Jun 2012 • Family
After reading the other reviews of the campground at Pocomoke State Park, I was excited to take my family on a new adventure. We got a later than usual start which ended up being a blessing. We arrived at the campground after dark and the rangers and DNR police were incredibly kind and helpful. That is where the positive experience ended. When we arrived at our site and started to set up the tent, we noticed A LOT of daddy long-leg spiders. We sort of dismissed it at first since it was nighttime in the woods. However, when we went to the restroom it was filled (entire walls covered) with spiders and other insects. By this time I was pretty creeped out but tried to remain positive for the kiddos' sake. Upon returning to the tent we discovered a whole other level of disgusting...ROACHES!!! Yes, our tent was covered with woodland roaches and, to make things more interesting, the male of this species is attracted to light and flies so even getting the kiddos in the car bug free was impossible. We quickly checked our vehicle and the belongings we removed to be sure they were bug free and actually abandoned our tent and lantern and fled to a hotel. We have camped a lot and this is the first time we have ever abandoned a campsite or encountered any type of bug infestation of this magnitude. We did return the next day to retriever our tent and lantern and there were fewer insects during the day but I would NEVER recommend this campground to anyone!!!
Written June 12, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
usanewfie
Manchester, MD17 contributions
Jul 2011
We stayed at Millburn Landing and there is literally nothing there other than the slow moving Pocomoke River. No swimming, so unless you are into kayaking or canoeing, this side of the state park offers little for a family and should be avoided. The ranger office wasn't manned for the two days / one night we were there. We left early in the morning because there was nothing to do for the kids. I'd give it a terrible rating, but kayakers might really enjoy the place.
Written July 7, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
G. M
2 contributions
Jun 2017 • Family
Each year we have a family camping trip. This year we went to Shads Landing State Part for four days. We have stayed at Shads Landing many times over the years and knew what to expect. To our surprise this trip was a very different experience. Almost everyone in the group discovered ticks on their bodies. I am not describing an occasional tick that someone gets from stomping through the woods,. The ticks we experienced were being picked up on the camping pads and surrounding roads. Even grandpa had three ticks on him and he mostly sat in a folding chair by the campfire. Bug spray was used liberally on everyone but we were still subject to heavy attack by these ticks. I mean a heavy attack. One our our families left early in the moring after the first night. It was bad.
My recommendation is to avoid Shads Landing State Park at all costs. The long term heath issues asscociated with tick bites is not worth a few days at this park. They have a real problem there and seem unwilling or unable to address it.
My recommendation is to avoid Shads Landing State Park at all costs. The long term heath issues asscociated with tick bites is not worth a few days at this park. They have a real problem there and seem unwilling or unable to address it.
Written June 13, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Tina F
Dagsboro, DE2 contributions
Jul 2014 • Family
We will Never return....We just returned form camping there @Acorn Trail w/our kids, grand-children, & friends, we had 4 campsites together! The park rangers were just very Over the top Nit pickey w/Everything!!! From telling my husband he was parked on a root, and that we were too loud @quiet time & all we were doing was talking & not to mention, twice we found the park ranger spying on us....Years ago we used to camp here & have a really good time but Not any more, too many rules & the rangers will just not let you be!!!! My family & friends will never come back to this park....shame on you!!!!!
Written July 7, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Irateinindiana
20 contributions
Jul 2017 • Family
We arrived on a Sunday just before dark...we stayed in a tent at Millburn landing, Deer Run. We were set up with help from the ranger, they even brought us a firestarter and cleaned our semi wet fire pit. We were off to a great start...in the dark. It only got better when we awoke to lovely woods behind us, the bathroom nearby even has a 1 person private shower and bathroom, never a wait. We journey'ed over to the pool...IMPRESSIVE! Diving board, splash park...and $.35 popsicles!!! Shaded picnic area at the pool, and large bathrooms. We drove to Assateague Island ($20 a car for admission for a week to see the wild horses and amazing beaches) the drive is simple, easy, and enjoyable never a bit of traffic even in construction spots. There is a dollar store nearby for affordable needs (less than 5 miles) and another on the way to the island. The rangers were friendly, warned us to wear off and check ourselves for ticks that they just got a warning from the state...we never saw one and we were vigilant in checking, although that kept us from hiking...not something we came to do, we came for the island, horses, and beach. We had the very best vacation we have ever had and total cost with campground, Assateague island state park beach admission for 5 days was under $150. How can you beat that???? The only complaint I have is we had to hunt for water, no instruction or direction was given to us at check in and we didn't expect it to be a tiny pump well in the middle of the wood in front of us...oh well, lots of bathroom trips to the sink washing sink, lol. We found it the day we left, oh well. We did drive to Ocean City and wished we hadn't. Overcrowded, expensive, and super touristy. This state park and the Assateague Island made this hands down the BEST vacation we have ever had! Heaven on Earth is what Assateague Island is...don't miss it...it's why we came and what led us to stay at this state park and camp. My son wants to go every year for his birthday, and we will! I am certain!
Written July 18, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
fishingfever326
Littlestown, PA4 contributions
One review said bed bugs in the cabin but that was in 2019. any reports in 2020?
Meg S
Salisbury, MD18 contributions
We just Hiked the forest we never camped or stayed in a cabin so I can't help with the question.
Coastal13719780572
Tennessee
Do Pocomoke Chesapeake health have WiFi
Meg S
Salisbury, MD18 contributions
My review was for the Pocomoke State Forest and hiking and that is a wilderness that has no WiFi. Pocomoke Chesapeake Health I am not familiar with but I'm sure you could Google it to find out 😊
We have reserved the Algonquin Pavilion on July 7th. How much are the entrance fees?
bigocean12
New Hampshire1 contribution
Is there wifi available at the park? If not, is Snow Hill the closest location for wifi? Thanks
George
Bug512
New Jersey28 contributions
Hello George, from the past visits we did not see a wifi signal. I would call the park directly and ask if it's available at the camp store / check in area. I looked online for wifi in Snow Hill and from what I found the McDonalds (in town) and the Worcester County Public Library (307 N Washington St Snow Hill, MD 21863) has free wifi. Personally we have a mifi device where we can access a cell signal and then have wifi in our motorhome. Let me know if you have any other questions. Gene
Pocomoke River State Park (Snow Hill) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Pocomoke River State Park
- Hotels near Pocomoke River State Park:
- (3.82 mi) Chanceford Hall Bed & Breakfast
- (4.25 mi) River House Inn
- (8.01 mi) The River Gem BnB
- (2.18 mi) Secluded Snow Hill Riverfront home accommodates 7 near major attractions
- (7.41 mi) Holiday Inn Express Pocomoke City, an IHG Hotel
- Restaurants near Pocomoke River State Park:
- (8.92 mi) Crusty Crab Seafood Shack
- (4.20 mi) Oaked 110 Whiskey and Wine Bar
- (7.85 mi) Don's Seafood & Chicken House
- (4.16 mi) Daily Brew Coffee House
- (4.15 mi) Del Vecchio's Bakery
- Attractions near Pocomoke River State Park:
- (1.54 mi) Nassawango Golf Course
- (4.22 mi) Pocomoke River Canoe Company
- (4.15 mi) Pocomoke River Cruises
- (5.46 mi) Furnace Town Living Heritage Village
- (3.95 mi) Julia A. Purnell Museum