Manor Area Campground

This was our second visit to this nice little state park campground. Sites are private and generally pretty spacious. Several hiking trails, a nice playground, small aviary and historic area are within walking distance. The one downside is that you have to drive to other campgrounds to use the dump station (15-20 minutes away). Overall a great place to spend a few nights, just inconvenient to leave and go to dump station.

Join us on a video tour of Manor Campground at Cunningham Falls State Park in Maryland; video uploaded here on Campendium for your immediate reference. The Cunningham Falls State Park Manor Area has a campground, picnic area, hiking trails, an aviary, and a visitor center. Narrow roads within the campground may challenge big rigs. Verizon cellular service clocked in at 2.57 Mbps download speed and 0.91 Mbps upload speed. AT&T cellular service clocked in at 6.61 Mbps download speed and 1.38 Mbps upload speed.

We were in a 22' trailer and had had one hectik (fridge broke down, stolen campsite, and and relatives canceled visit) very hot week in July. By Sunday night when we arrived we needed some down time and the Manor Area campground gave us just that. We were glad to find it wasn't too far off the road. The gate was unoccupied so we made the loop to check the available sites which were plentiful. We chose site 10 that had electric which we paid for at the iron ranger. MD makes their Senior Pass available to non residencents that cut the cost in half. 2 days please (sun/mon)! #10 is a long back in nestled in the trees. Easy back in site with or 27' TT and our F150.

We didn't find the noise from nearby US15 bothersome. We rarely noted any low rumbling notes from the occasional heavy trucks, only hearing the occasional muffled singing tire sounds.

The grounds were well kept by the camp host. She stopped by and chatted about the nature of the area. She was knowledgeable about the subject and trained others in nature programs. This, as I recall, was their second year hosting at the Manor Area.

There's quite a bit of history here. Iron mining and pig iron production support the Rev war. Camp David is nearby too. Trails to walk and a few mile drive to the larger camping area where more amenities are available. We're self contained and didn't need nor want too much after the week we had and this place fit the bill perfectly!

I do not recommend anyone stay here. It is far too close to Rt 15. You will literally *feel* the rumble and freight-train like roar of mack truck engines all night long. It's so loud it drowns out any nature sounds even during the day, but at night it's unbearable unless maybe you're in a soundproof RV. Staying here was a colossal mistake and I wish we had visited first. I don't remember other campgrounds at this park having the same issue, but the Manor Area should be avoided by anyone who enjoys a peaceful, nature-filled experience away from road noise. I would actually recommend you pull into a highway rest stop and pitch a tent over paying money for this place. It would be exactly the same experience.

We stayed in the Electric Loop, site #6. Site was very shaded, and quite secluded. Camping pad was nice and level, although the driveway was slightly sloped. Nice amount of space in between sites. Very short walk to bath house. Campground was relatively empty our first night (Thurs), but filled up the next day. Still, heard hardly any noises from our neighbors. Camp hosts were very friendly, and came over to introduce themselves and go over park info shortly after we checked in.

Bath house was centrally located. Pretty average as far as cleanliness goes, but everything worked, and the showers were hot. Great recycled tire playground, and awesome nature center w/ turtles and various birds of prey on site in the Manor Area. If you head over to the Houck Area of the park (about a 15-20 min drive), you’ll find the lake, falls, and another campground. The Houck area definitely tends to be more crowded. I can’t speak to the campground, but the lake is nice, and the falls are beautiful. The hike up wasn’t too strenuous, either; my husband, dog, and 5-year-old handled it just fine.

Overall, this is a great park. Beautiful, wooded setting, and secluded, spacious sites. Would definitely stay in the Manor area again. Houck area is very nice, but a little too crowded for me, especially with summer traffic to get into the lake area.

I camped here because it is only 22 miles to Gettysburg and it's all good highway. You are charged more as a non-resident and $6 more per night for electrical power. Only 10 campsites have power and none of them have water. This campground does not have a dump station; you have to drive 7 miles along a narrow winding road to the Houck campground for a dump station. It is near the highway so traffic noise is a problem.

We camped here in February and there was only one other camper. It was quiet except for the faint noise from the highway. The sites are pretty big, and they have a fire pit picnic table and a little bit of a workbench for some reason.
We paid $18 through self registration when we arrived by using the provided envelopes. A Ranger checked in with us A few minutes later to see how everything was going.
Lots of hiking trails here but not much else to do in the winter. We stayed at site 20 which was very close to the Porta-John that we used since the bathroom facilities are closed during winter.

The park is very nice with a few electric sites. We had a pet so we were in loop b. Bathhouse was clean and alot of space with nice showers. Our site was very private with a nice view of the woods.

There is no swimming at the Manor area but with your camping fee you can go to the Houck area which has a nice lake for swimming, fishing and they also rent boats.