Yurt camping at Little Bennett Regional Park in Clarksburg, Maryland is a fun weekend getaway
I was not planning to write a blog post about yurt camping at Little Bennett, but ended up having so much fun that I wanted to share it other DC adventurers. Little Bennett Regional Park added three yurts to their campground in 2016 that are available to reserve alongside their campsites. As someone who lives in a small apartment in the city, yurt camping is a great way to spend time outdoors without owning, storing, or transporting a bunch of camping gear. Each yurt has two bunk beds. The top bunk is a single and the bottom is double, so it sleeps a total of six people and is a fun way to spend the weekend with friends. No bedding is provided, so you should plan to bring your own. The first yurt (number 36) is closest to the bathrooms, while the last (number 40) is a bit more quiet and secluded.
Only two vehicles are allowed at each campsite, so plan to carpool if you have larger group. The yurt has a door that locks and comes with a fire ring and picnic table. I recommend bringing a few camp chairs to make sitting around the fire more comfortable. The yurts do not have electricity so plan to pack flashlights and a battery backup for your phone if that’s something you want access to throughout the weekend. One of my favorite features of the yurts is the sunroof at the top with a lovely view of the changing fall leaves.
Loop C, where the yurts are located, has a bathhouse near the front of the loop. There are water spigots with drinkable water placed throughout the campground, but the water pressure is a bit too high for things like filling water bottles. This is easier to do at the water fountain by the bathhouse. The bathrooms have flushable toilets (which were well-stocked with toilet paper), sinks, and showers. The showers are fairly rugged but the water was hot; bring shower shoes if you plan to shower on your trip. There are power outlets in the bathrooms if you need them.
To prevent harmful invasive species from killing the trees in the park, visitors are prohibited from bringing in their own firewood when yurt camping at Little Bennett. The camp store sells firewood for $8.00 per bundle. Each bundle contains six to eight pieces of wood that burns very quickly. The high price and low quality of the firewood is my only complaint about this adventure. Budget for one and a half to two bundles per campfire, especially if you plan to cook over the fire.
Another nice thing about yurt camping at Little Bennett is that the campground has a variety of activities available, including a pedal cart track, movie night, crafts, and historic sites. My group took advantage of the 25 miles of trails. The trails closer to the campground are well-marked and easy to get to. The natural surface trails further north are not as well-marked. Horses are allowed on this section of the trail, so be on the lookout for poop as you hike! Most of the trails are pretty flat and not very strenuous. We enjoyed the wide range of scenery along the trails, including meadows, forest, streams, valleys
Little Bennett Campground is clean, well-maintained, and a quiet escape to nature that is only an hour from DC. Although the minimum reservation for yurt camping at Little Bennett is two nights, I recommend you plan for at least three nights and make it a long weekend. Our group arrived after work on a Friday night and began packing up Sunday morning, so we really only had Saturday to relax and enjoy time in nature. We all felt this was too short and plan to add one more night next time.
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Address
23705 Frederick Road, Clarksburg, MD
Metro Station
Little Bennett Campground is not accessible by public transportation.
Directions
The yurts are in Loop C. After checking in, drive down the road passing Loops A and B on your right. Loop C will be on the left. You will see the yurts on your left as you drive down Loop C.
Cost
- Montgomery County, MD residents: $80 per night
- Non-residents: $90 per night
- Firewood must be purchased from the campground at $8 per bundle
Hours
Daily from April to October. Weekends only in March and November. Check-in starts at 1:00 pm and check-out by 11:00 am.
Length of Adventure
2 to 14 days. There is a 2 night minimum for all reservations.
