elk neck state park

I grew up near Elk Neck and it is one of my favorite places to be. If this review were just for the lighthouse area at the very southern end of Route 272, it would be 5 stars. The lighthouse parking lot area has one of the best views in Cecil County, the hike is pleasant easy enough for most people, but interesting enough to entertain those who would normally do a harder hike. The lighthouse itself is great, and open for climbing from May-September on weekends during certain hours. There is a little side path back from the lighthouse that passes a lot of great fishing spots, beaches, and views. A hike off the trail through the woods takes you along the cliffs of the bay, where there are beautiful clay deposits to be found and to climb.The rest of the park is less nice in my opinion, but still worth a visit. The beach area can get extremely crowded on weekends in the summer and, in spite of the best efforts of some of the park rangers, can get very dirty quickly as a result. There is a neat rubber playground that some boy scouts built several years ago, but as it ages parts of it are starting to break. There are a lot of picnic tables and all of them have access to a grill, so that's nice. The campground is good for family camping, but definitely don't expect privacy from people or from bugs. This peninsula has some of the craziest bugs in the largest quantities I've ever seen, since much of it is marshland. Some of the park rangers can be extremely strict about how you park your cars, so be sure that your wheels don't touch the grass if you don't want to be pestered. The boat area is nice, it has a ramp, a bathroom, and a little store.One thing to keep in mind: DO NOT try to do a lot of hiking there. Apart from the lighthouse trail, there is a chance that the small Ravines Loop may be in ok shape and probably part of (but usually not all of) the Pond Loop. The White Banks trail is usually awful, especially the part south of the overlook, and it is a one-way trail that involves crossing Route 272. Mauldin Mountain is usually awful as well, along with Beaver Marsh and Farm Road (usually flooded). When I say awful, I mean completely overgrown with stilt grass. If you don't know what stilt grass is, it's invasive bright green grass that harbors tons of ticks and chiggers. I once leapt through stilt grass that was almost up to my chest in large fields attempting to do the White Banks trail. If you DO attempt to hike here, PLEASE spray yourself profusely with deep woods bug spray and wear pants.

Elk Neck State Park lies at the southern tip of Elk Neck itself (juts into the Chesapeake Bay. The Park has two sides to it: The Elk River beaches and marina, and the north East River Beaches. Within the park itself there are plenty of camping facilities, hook-ups, etc., as well as cabins for rent (better apply in January)

We camped two nights in one of the rustic cabins. The cabin was old and run down. Dirty and bugs everywhere. We camp all the time and have camped all over the United states - I know what to expect for rustic camping. This was just poor upkeep. If you want to stay in a cabin, try one of the mini cabins. They look much nicer! The park itself is very nice.. A nice walk out to turkey point and the light house. Hiking trails all around. Lots of wildlife (deer).

A wonderfully long walk to the Lighthouse that we usually see from our boat on the Chesapeake..being able to talk with others as they pass by on their way back....stops along the way overlooking the bay

If you are looking for a moderate hiking experience with natural surroundings, experience Elk Neck State Park. The park has accommodations for all levels of hiking/site seeing(fall leaves are at a peak) and the hike to the light house is a gem. You cannot go wrong with a day at Elk Neck State Park.

Just returned from staying in the mini cabin Warbler #4. It was more remote and quieter and located just around from the corner from more crowded loop with electricity filled with families. Our cabin held a set of narrow bunk beds and double bed with 2 electrical outlets and a unit that provides either heat or AC. The cabin was in very good shape although the floor had some sticky residue and as to be expected, a few stink bugs and moths. The bathroom was about a 3 minute walk to the next loop so plan accordingly. Bathroom was very clean with hot showers for the early birds and later in the afternoon. We took advantage of hiking to the lighthouse which was a great 1 mile hike. The kids also really enjoyed the ranger-led talks at the nature center: on Saturday they got to dissect owl vomit and Sunday watch snakes and turtles get fed. We will definitely return during the quieter seasons.

We stayed in Rustic Cabin #8 Maple. It's set just a little bit back from the other cabins and has a more private fire pit area. It's a short walk to the waters edge and we brought coffee and bagels down to enjoy the early morning bird activity. Expect to see bald eagles land in the trees right by your cabin! We recommend the Beaver Marsh hike.We got a bit lost at the end but followed the sandy beach back to where we started. The bathrooms are spotless & offer scorching hot showers! Too hot for me, but nice to have the option on chilly days.

Visited the park & lighthouse for the first time this past weekend. Walked the scenic trail from the parking area south to Turkey Point. The trail appears to be about .75 mile long with some elevation changes along the way. The lighthouse grounds are very nice with spectacular views of the Bay & River. There were 2 port-a-potties on the grounds - just in case;) The only disappointment was that the lighthouse itself was closed (slightly after Noon on Saturday) as no one was available on site (the gift shop was closed as well). It was still worth the walk to see the views! I would like to return & walk to the top of the light on the next visit....

The lighthouse closes at 4:00...just a heads up to anyone who wants to climb up inside. The trail is wide and a little hilly. About a mile one way, a nice easy walk. The volunteer was helpful and held our dog while we climbed in the light house. The view is great from the 100' cliff. It makes for a nice afternoon.

Nice leisurely walk out to lighthouse. A little hilly and lots of stones and gravel. Make sure you have your walking shoes on.

Went to Elk Neck in the middle of the week. It was very quite. We choose this campground so we could do a lot of kayaking. We drove to the harbor, it's only about 10 minutes from the campground. If you are registered camper, you do not have to pay to get into the harbor. Saw a lot of Eagles!! The people in Maryland are very friendly. The campground was clean, the bathrooms were clean. I would definitely go back. But I would bring a bike. This is a large campground with several camping loops. Happy trails to you!

Camped here in August, was still able to get a full hook up site during the week. Weekends are booked and booked quickly for all sites. Love all the paved roads you can walk plus trails through the woods. There is a little bit of everything for everyone!

Great vistas, but a heck of a hike to get there on an incredibly hot and humid day. We would go back for sure now that we know how to prepare.

My rating is actually 3.5 (Good). The hike to the lighthouse wasn't too long. On the way we met elderly couples with beach chairs waiting for the sunset, middle aged couples walking their dogs, young families chasing each other, really young couples holding hands and being 'coupley' :). There were benches and little fact plaques on the way. I went with friends, some of whom are into photography and since we went in the evening, we got some some wonderful photo ops around sunset. The lighthouse and the gift shop were closed when we went, but the area was nice to relax at for a while. There was no fee for this area.The beach is small but nice and sandy. There is a children's play area. Again, when we went the store was closed. We didn't need to use them, but I noticed there were picnic tables and bathrooms there. There is a fee for entering this area. Tip: For the beach, since there is a fee, weekdays are cheaper as the fee is per car. On weekends/holidays it is per person, and higher for out of state vehicles.

We enjoyed our trip to elk neck state park. It was an hour and 45 minute drive from the Philadelphia area. A very nice change of pace from the chaos of the jersey shore. It was a nice meeting point with our friend from Baltimore. We spent the morning at the beach and the playground by the beach. The playground was really neat with fun equipment such as a zipline. The beach was fun with lots of kayakers launching out. The sand was rocky/rough so bring your water shoes. The water was a bit murky with seaweed. We hiked the pond trail which starts behind the store at the campground. It was a little strenuous for little kids but it was an enjoyable hike.