Camp Burson Campground — Hungry Mother State Park

We absolutely loved Camp Burson at Hungry Mother. The camp was clean and friendly. The spaces were somewhat close together, but they were large, so it didn’t bother us. There was a hiking spot just across the road, a camp store with ice and firewood, and a nice bath house with flush toilets and showers. The beach was a short drive away. The staff there was very nice and the beach was well maintained. The real stars were the camp hosts, The Viles. The sweetest couple. So friendly and helpful. They made our stay so much better. Highly recommend this campground. If there was a playground here, it would be 5 stars. There was one by the beach, but not within walking distance.

I wonderful place for fishing and hiking. The lake is beautiful and the Camp is clean and quiet. We love it.

We had unseasonably warm temperatures in October. Fall colors were just past peak. Our site was clean, spacious, level. Easily accommodated our 25 foot RV. Trails started close to our site and were just beautiful. Bath house was ok. There is a washer and dryer available. Plenty of grass for the pups to enjoy.

We just spent the night, did not get to use any of the facilities. Beautiful ride in, drove by so many deer on the side of the road. Very clean, well organized, sites are almost level on their own. Not a lot of privacy, but plenty of room. We will have to come back and spend more time.

Easily accessible with a large RV. Has multiple pull through sites, bath house and laundry close by. We were there during off season so some of the park was closed and they collected payment through honor system. We did some great hikes and walked around the beach area which was very nice. Would love to revisit during warmer months.

Camp Burson is a nice campground with large sites. The other campground, Creekside, is nice and secluded but no sewer hookups and road in is narrow for large rigs. The town of Marion has what you need and nearby towns, like Saltville, with its museum, are fun to explore.

This was our first visit to a Virginia State Park and we were impressed. The campground was really nice as our site was very long, had a huge patio, was level, and water and electric were well-placed. Our site (#43) was on the end of a row with our patio facing a hillside next to a stream that made for a very pleasant rushing water sound. The weather was great for the first few days of our visit so we made the most of being outside and exploring the park. We went for a few hikes which offered great views of the surrounding mountains, gave Spirit plenty of time to swim in the lake, and I paddle boarded around the lake. 

The park itself is over 3,334 acres and packed with recreational opportunities with the centerpiece being Hungry Mother Lake. There is a swim beach, boat launch, hiking trails, restaurant, boat rentals, fishing piers, convention center, nature center, and plenty of camping. The campgrounds are divided into three sections– Creekside, Burston and Royal Oak. All campsites in the Creekside section are reservable while only some in other sections are reservable. The Burston Campground has the largest sites and offers some full hook-up sites and water and electric sites (50 amp) with pull thrus and back-ins. Sites are level and can fit big rigs but the only problem we had were that some of the trees need to be trimmed back and scratched the upper sides of our coach. The Royal Oak section is for tents only (no hookups are provided) and has really cool wooden pads that give you the feeling of hanging over the hillside. 

The restrooms and shower house were very new and really clean. Each shower is in an individual room which makes for nice privacy. There is a laundry with two washers and two dryers costing $1.50/load. Also located here is a dish washing station with two big deep sinks and hot and cold water. There is free wifi at your site that worked fairly well and we were able to get about six over the air antenna television stations (albeit none were from major networks).

This full hookup section of the park looks like just an rv park at first glance, but once you pull in it is different. The sites are clean and spacious (except for the row of pull through sites in the middle, which have less space), the grass is green and soft, and everything is in excellent order. Our site was very large and well situated, though not shaded or private. The park staff were suoer friendly. All of the campers were nice, classy folks who seemed to have been here before. There were lots of kids riding around on bikes having fun. The creek was right next to our site, and the boys enjoyed playing in it. The trail around the lake leaves right from the campground at the dam, which is really pretty. It's a mile and a half to the beach, which has nice sand but not the clearest water. The trails and grounds are very nice and have some good history. There are lots of family activities and programs. Overall, a very nice place to camp.

We stayed here overnight on the way to see family. The sites are a good size, very level and easy to access. The bathhouse was immaculate. Easy trail access. Nearby road is a bit noisy because you are in a valley and the sound reverberates but fortunately the traffic is not too heavy. Not a lot of tree cover to provide privacy in the sites.