DC Move In

Washington, DC

The primary reason we purchased the RV was to visit with family. The secondary reason is to be on call when we are needed. We were needed in Ft. Belvoir, VA to help with a move to a new Military assignment for our Son-In-Law, Daughter, and grandson. It had been some time since we visited the east coast. We lived in NYC for several years during our working days. We knew this was not going to be a budget visit, nor would it be a pleasure to drive in our 35″ Grand Design Solitude 310GK-R in that traffic.

The drive was fine as we weaved our way along the Blue Ridge Mountains. Ginny was trailing me this run in our Subaru wagon. We knew that driving the Dually in DC traffic was not going to be a cakewalk and wanted a car to move about town. The minute I hit the outskirts of the Washington metro area with the rig in tow, driving the east coast traffic came rushing back.

We planned to stay at Cherry Hill Park just north of DC in College Park, MD. This was a premium campground very close to downtown DC and a short drive to FT Belvoir. Our midway stop in both directions this trip was Wytheville, VA. We had our hands full with carrying for our grandson and helping with getting the kids settled in their new home. We had very little time to sightsee on this trip. I will be limiting my overview to the RV parks we stayed at.

Here is a rundown of this trip.

Mileage: 1,398

Nights: 9

Diesel Fuel & RV Park Daily Average: $136

• Wytheville KOA –  231 KOA Road, Wytheville, VA 24382

Web Site – Wytheville KOA Holiday

Nights: 1

Average Per Night – $42

Park Overview

This KOA Holiday turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. Located off I-81 just north of downtown Wytheville, it could not have been more convenient to the highway. The park is nestled back in the woods. The road noise from the highway is very minimal. I typically like to give an RV park a full review. However, because we overnighted at the park it will be hard to give it a fair and critical look. I will give you my review lite for now.

A) Site Quality: ⛺️⛺️⛺️.5/ 5 

During our round trip to DC, we stayed at this location twice. Both times we choose a patio site. Now you might wonder why we decided on a patio site given the fact that it was just an overnight. We have found out the hard way that many of the standard sites at these more established KOA’s tend to be tight. They also seem to be prone to water puddling during hard rain. So with that said our sites were L1 and L6.

This portion of the park seemed to be somewhat new. They identified the sites as Premium full hook up. They were gravel with a concert patio, table, and fire pit. There was no shade, sites were level, long, and would accommodate in our case staying hooked up to the truck. I would recommend these sites if you have a rather large rig. On our next stay, we will more than likely try the Full Hookup pull-throughs 1-8 on the west side of the property. There is a bit more shade and grassy area between rigs.

B) Amenities: ⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️/5 

What’s not to like about a bowling alley on-site. That’s right in the Family Fun Center you will find a Batting Cage, 18 hole Mini-Golf, Arcade, Cafe, and yes a 4 lane bowling alley. The pool looked very inviting and clean. I did not get a chance to see the laundry facility, showers, or for that matter the bathrooms.

C) Location: ⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️/5 

Directly off I-81 with easy on and off exits the park sits in the woods about two miles from the exit. There are three filling stations at this exit as well.

D) Paw – Friendliness – 🐾🐾🐾🐾/5

There was a couple of dog runs in this park. One is situated at the end of the L section and the other at the south end of the park.  You have plenty of places to take the dog for a good walk around the park with grass everywhere you head. Zoey gave this park 4 paws up.

Wanderers Overall Rating:  ⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️/5

Cherry Hill Park

• Cherry Hill Park – 9800 Cherry Hill Road – College Park, MD 20740

Web Site –Cherry Hill Park

Nights: 1

Average Per Night – $109

Park Overview

This park deserves a full-on review that I plan to put together in the coming days. In the meantime, I thought I would do a review lite to give you an idea of what this park is all about. It is certainly one of the most expensive parks we have stayed in, but it’s all about location and frankly amenities. If you are visiting anywhere near Washington, DC this has to be your RV park.

A) Site Quality: ⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️/ 5 

We typically try to book pull-through sites if we are visiting a park for the first time. I want to do some extensive recon on the park prior to booking a back-in. The last thing we need on a long and in this case stressful day is a tight or partially blocked back in site. This of course tends to kick the price we pay up. There are a number of pull-through sites on the property but not all are created equal.  During our stay, we were on site 729. The 700’s had patios, tables, chairs, picnic tables, shade, and a fire pit. We were in close proximity to all the amenities. The site was gravel and very long, relatively level accommodating our truck and trail car easily.

You might be able to save a bit of money booking a back-in. However, I would recommend if you have a large rig to book by calling in and asking for the length of the site. I would also recommend you stay on the southeast side of the property. The right-hand side of the park as you look at the site map is a good long hike to any of the amenities. They do have a shuttle but it was not running due to COVID

B) Amenities: ⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️/5 

Amazing to say the least and way too numerous to list. Highlights include two large pools, first-class Mini golf, splash park, well stock store, and bus service on-site to downtown DC. I will go into complete details with my review.

C) Location: ⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️/5 

This park is just off of I-495 north of DC in College Park. There are plenty of restaurants, grocery and specialty stores, IKEA, and many other points of interest nearby. If you have brought your bikes you are mins away from a great trail system. You can drive but the park offers a DC sightseeing bus that leaves directly from the park. It costs $20 and will bring you back midday or late afternoon.

D) Paw – Friendliness – 🐾🐾🐾🐾/5

Zoey loved this park. We could take very nice walks in the morning around the perimeter of the park. They do have a dog park but honestly, it’s situated near the highway, loud, and hard to get to. The walks offered all the grass and exercise she needed in the am.

Wanderers Overall Rating:  ⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️.5/5

Return Home

• Wytheville KOA –  231 KOA Road, Wytheville, VA 24382

Web Site – Wytheville KOA Holiday

Nights: 1

Average Per Night – $42