The name of the park is deceiving because it is not in the mountains, but it has beauty in its meandering streams and trails. The campsites have gravel tent pads, and tents must be set up on them. The gravel on the site where I stayed was deeper than my tent stakes were long, and I could not get a good hold. I was trying out a newly required tent, which was not freestanding, so it was frustrating. My advice is to make sure you take a tent that IS freestanding. Deep gravel tent pads and non-freestanding tents do not go together. The tent site was large, had a fire ring, and a lantern pole, but the pad itself was NOT level. I had to move the picnic table so I could set up my tent on the only level spot I could find. Something you have to be careful about is poison ivy. There was poison ivy all around the perimeter of my campsite. The bathroom facilities were surprisingly modern and had spacious showers with hot water. As far as I know, there are no electrical, sewer, or water hookups, but there is a dump station. There is a mixture of pull-through sites and back in sites for RVs. There are plenty of trails to explore, and plenty of fishing holes. The Bluff Loop Trail leads from the campground and along Fishing Creek. To see Medoc “mountain,” you have to hike quite a distance, or you can drive to the park office down the road and hike from there. Cross the road to the Bear Swamp Trail, get on the Saponi Loop (which is also a bicycle trail), and then head to the Summit Loop Trail. There are several miles of bicycle trails as well as hiking trails, and some of them are one way only, meaning that hikers are required to hike in one direction and bicycles go in another direction. Even though this is in the Coastal Plain, the Bluff Loop Trail will take you by a couple of sections of whitewater. They are small, but if you like a (mostly) easy hike through the forest, this trail is a good one. There are no swimming pools or playgrounds, but if you want to just enjoy nature, there are hiking, biking, and fishing opportunities.
