Agency-listedMD DNRFree
Deal Island Wildlife Management Area - primitive camping area
Drive-up · public land · MD · 38.17601, -75.91130
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →The land manager lists this site. Someone from the agency inventoried it, so it is a real camp — not a spot we guessed at. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
FREE primitive camping. Deal Island Wildlife Management Area (Maryland DNR), Somerset County, on the lower Eastern Shore about 11 miles west of Princess Anne via MD-363. The DNR's own page states 'A primitive camping area is available for overnight stays,' located off Riley Robert Road. Under Maryland law (COMAR 08.03.02.08) camping in a WMA's designated camping area needs no permit and is capped at 14 consecutive days; the WMA regulations set no camping fee, and there is no paid entry (Maryland's only WMA permit, the 'public hunting permit,' is free). It is a primitive tidal-marsh site: no hookups, no potable water, pack out all trash, and expect wind, mosquitoes and biting flies in season. OpenStreetMap independently maps this spot as 'Deal Island Primitive Campsite' tagged fee=no, and the point sits on DNR-owned Deal Island WMA land. Confirm the current camping rules with the DNR Wellington Wildlife Office (410-651-2065) before you go; we have not visited.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Deal Island Wildlife Management Area - primitive camping area
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Deal Island Wildlife Management Area - primitive camping areaNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Deal Island Wildlife Management Area - primitive camping area · public land · MD
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail1 mi
- FFuel7 mi
- MMechanic7 mi
- RxPharmacy12 mi
- GGrocery12 mi
- HHardware12 mi
- WWater12 mi
- DDump13 mi
- +Urgent care13 mi
- OOutfitter14 mi
- EVEV fast charger20 mi
- LLaundry21 mi
- ShShower27 mi
- AAir-up41 mi
- PPropane46 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 7 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Deal Island Wildlife Management Area - primitive camping area
Access
Drive-up
Land
public land
Elevation
3 ft
State
MD
Coordinates
38.17601, -75.91130
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Deal Island Wildlife Management Area - primitive camping area · public land · MD (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureWater · nearby
- Nearest townDames Quarter · ~1.1 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelRoyal Farms · ~19.3 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~26.8 mi
- Dump station~12.7 mi
- GroceriesFood Lion · ~11.8 mi
- PharmacyCity Discount Pharmacy · ~20.3 mi
- Hospital / clinicTidalHealth McCready Pavilion · ~12.8 mi
- HardwareLusby's True Value · ~19.8 mi
EV charging — from Deal Island Wildlife Management Area - primitive camping area · public land · MD — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger20.2 mi straight-line NE — EVsmart - DPL - Salisbury University Academic Commons (at a park) · SWTCH · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-01-13 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach10 within 25 mi · 39 within 50 · 549 within 100 · 949 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)24.4 mi — Salisbury, MD - Tesla Supercharger, Salisbury
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)11.7 mi — EVsmart - DPL - Somerset County Technical High School, Westover, MD (at a park) · SWTCH · J1772 · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-01-13 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargerFree (as listed by AFDC)
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 197568 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Deal Island Wildlife Management Area - primitive camping area · public land · MD — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomFederal restroom · ~20.6 mi NW · FWS
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 20 · ~21.3 mi N
- RestroomFederal restroom · ~21.7 mi NW · FWS
- RestroomFederal restroom · ~22.5 mi NW · FWS
Open Deal Island Wildlife Management Area - primitive camping area elsewhere
Other camps near Deal Island Wildlife Management Area - primitive camping area
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Somerset County~0.0 mi
- Saxis WMA~21.3 mi
How we know this — Deal Island Wildlife Management Area - primitive camping area
Stay limit
14 nights (14 consecutive days per COMAR 08.03.02.08)
Source
public land records
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
How it was placed
MD DNR Deal Island WMA page (dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/pages/publiclands/eastern/dealisland.aspx, read 2026-07-22): 'A primitive camping area is available for overnight stays' and 'A primitive camping area is located off of Riley Robert Road.' Somerset County; Wellington Wildlife Office (410) 651-2065. Free / no-permit / 14 consecutive days per COMAR 08.03.02.08 (camping in a WMA's designated camping area needs no permit; the chapter sets no camping fee); no paid entry (MD's only WMA permit, the 'public hunting permit,' is FREE per COMAR 08.03.02.01B(9)). Coordinate = OSM node 12900269325 ('Deal Island Primitive Campsite', tagged fee=no), CONFIRMED on DNR-owned 'DEAL ISLAND WMA' land via MD DNR MD_ProtectedLands/FeatureServer/0 point-intersect (DNRType='DNR Owned Property', ManagedBy='Wildlife and Heritage Service', DESIG='WMA'). Ingest 2026-07-22.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Deal Island Wildlife Management Area - primitive camping area
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Deal Island Wildlife Management Area - primitive camping area
Finding water out here →Fire rules & restrictions →How to read this page →Reading the aerial →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →