Greenbrier State Park — Attraction in Boonsboro

This may be a long review but I really want to share my experience because I wish I had read more reviews or saw one like this before I made my reservation. I feel like 3 stars may be a little generous, but really, it all depends on what your looking for. First off, the camping map on DNR website (when looking to reserve a site) is not very accurate. The camping sites are much closer then they appear. Even the campers from the other loops are your neighbors which is NOT depicted on the map. Second, because the sites are SO close, if you are a couple looking for a quiet, relaxing weekend, you wont find that here. Especially if your neighbors have kids. In our case (it was our anniversary weekend) we were surrounded by famies in every direction. Also, not every site has a clear path to the bathhouses so depending on where you are, it could be a hike in the middle of the night to go pee, an uphill hike at that. The other unusual thing I noticed is the water pumps (at least the one in our loop) was so close to another site, it was practically a PART of their site! It made me feel very intrusive and almost rude to use it. Those are the main reasons we wont be going back, the sites being so close being the main reason. A few other things I feel the need to note just incase it helps anyone else to know: The employees though nice, were not very "informative". When we asked where the camp store was, all they offered as an answer was "at the beach". (good thing we had saw signs pointing in the direction of the beach the day prior) so we figured it would be easy enough. Not exactly. They failed to mention all the different parking lots which one was the one would be near the store, because you cant see the shop from the road. The only reason we actually found it was because my husband had a vague memory of it from when he was a kid. Even using the park map wasnt very helpful. When we did find it, again it was down hill so if you were handicapped, you probably couldnt get to the beach or the store without assistance. Again, its a bit of a hike from the parking lot, downhill, so coming back would be uphill and not easy for just everyone. Also, if you were a large family wanting to spend the day picnicking or just on the beach and had a lot of stuff you wanted to take with you, unless you had something to use to pull it all behind you, you would have to carry it all with you and again, in my opinion, its not a "short or easy" trip for everyone. Its just information I think should be mentioned when you check in. The camp store itself is very small and offers only a few necessities and maybe a toy or two. Nothing like most other camp stores Ive seen, not that it a deal breaker, just something I noticed. Because we didnt use the beach or picnic area, I have no real opinion of it. I just hope this helps others in the future. Park was clean, just not our kinda...

Great campground for families new to camping. It's rare that you can find a campground that feels like it's nestled deep in the mountains far from the trappings of modern life, while still being close enough to a town (Boonesboro, MD) to run to for forgotten items. Cell service is strong so even though it feels like you are off the grid you are not.

The park has a small lake for fishing and boating. The 4 camping loops each have running water bathrooms with showers. Pets are welcome on some loops and not others. There are several hiking trails that making it easy to get in a 1-6 mile hike or more if you are willing to do several of the loops. I didn't happen upon any amazing vistas/views on the 5 mile trail we hiked, but the woods were nice. The grounds are well kept, the campsites are flat with bluestone pads that dry quick (don't try to use tent stakes in the bluestone), the staff courteous. The wood that is sold by the camp ground burns fast, so load up on at least 3 bundles per night, more if you'll be burning wood during morning and day.

I don't have any real gripes, but the two things to look out for if they are a big deal to you is that the campsites are packed in a little closer than I would have liked. You will hear the neighbors in 4-6 sites near you. If like us and unlucky to get rowdy 20-somethings near you, good luck getting a good nights sleep. This isn't something that is cause for avoiding the camp ground, just be sure to get a campsite that is on the outside edge of one of the 4 loops where there aren't any campsites behind yours from the other loops. Although doing so may give you a longer walk to the bathroom, the reduced number of neighbors will improve your odds of not being near an inconsiderate group. The only other downside for seasoned campers is what is probably a benefit for relatively new campers, you will have full cell phone service and modern life is just a few miles down the road, reducing the 'primitive feel' that many campers are going for. So this really is a plus for some while a negative for those looking for something more off the beaten path. The hiking is very good, but the views from the hiking trails didn't have anything amazing, like a waterfall, overlook or vista that is the destination of the hike. However, it's more often the journey than the destination that matters so this isn't a negative, just a statement that the trails are nice, well-kept wooded trails, without any major destinations to see.

All-in-all, definitely...

You need to read this before going here!!! Wow... If i could give negative stars...the park security here has a big problem with understanding proper etiquette and how to handle situations. My wife and her friend with her friends young daughter were swimming in the water. Apparently, there are areas for people to swim in...and areas they don't want you to swim in. They are marked poorly and the on marker near where they were swimming was in Spanish. The guy came down and blew his whistle...yelled "hey you children, come out of the water"..mind you TWO of the people he's shouting at are over 21 and adults...he proceeded to tell them "apparently you children need adult supervision" at which point both of the woman adults identified themselves as adults, making this guy continue to yell "you don't know how to read, cant follow the rules, so you're children" and told them "you're done for the day" (we just got here no less then 10 min ago and just started barbecuing..) Another woman in our group, happend to be the mother of the other adult with my wife went over to talk to this guy...he was unrelenting and almost assaulting verbally...at this point all three adult females are talking over eachother trying to say that it was very unfair to say they are no longer allowed to swim, bc they didnt know the rule, and couldn't read the sign in Spanish...he became over whelmed and radios for back up...the back up arrives...take his story...and immediately side with him...telling us they wanted us to leave. They at least let the young daughter be able to continue to swim, and let us finish our barbecue we had just started...but never once did they warn us before stopping our time from swimming, apologized for calling two adults children several times. This place should really have more respect and patients for new comers...and definitely take lessons on not being disrespectful to patrons whom visit their parks. Very disappointed and discouraged. Will not be going back and would not recommend anyone going here untill they can improve their ability to properly inform the public of their rules without the disrespectful approach. No stars for this place. Don't go here when so many other great parks are within...