Best Tent Camping near Broad Run, VA

Part of the VA State Park system, BCL is exceptionally well-maintained. Most of the site are RV accessible, but there are a few tent-only sites along the lake, which is where we stayed. These sites are absolutely beautiful--great lake views, and while the only swimming allowed is at the roped off beach area, there is a canoe launch and fishing opportunities right at the campsites.

The tent pads are filled with shredded tires instead of gravel or dirt, which provides a little extra cushion, but can be uncomfortable on bare feet.

All sites have fire rings, lantern hooks, and extra long picnic tables. Tent pads are of varying sizes--we stayed in site A12 and our 6 person tent fit easily, and we could have fit a second one-many of our camp neighbors had 10 person tents set up.

The water view loop was not heavily trafficked, though the water does provide a hazard if you have small children as it is not roped off in any way. Our kids loved having the water right there and we loved watching them, it just requires extra vigilance. Loops B and C have more sites that are very shady but closer together, and there is more vehicle and bicycle traffic going past campsites.

Bathrooms are clean, and have showers and electrical outlets to charge devices if needed.

The park has lots of hiking, including trails that go directly from the camp sites to the swimming area, boat/canoe rentals, cabins, fishing, and a lakeside diner that sells concessions. Campsites allegedly have Wifi though we did not test this to see how reliable it is.

Cumberland County is only at 455' elevation, so the heat and humidity in the summer is intense--we were very uncomfortable our first night because of this, so fall would probably be the best time to go as it is when central Virginia has the best weather.

Powhatan State Park is a relatively new addition to the VA State Parks system; the park itself has only been open since 2003. The primitive, canoe-in campground opened with the park, and the loop with electric and water hookups opened in 2016.

**Canoe-In Campground: **

When we stayed, we stayed in the canoe-in campground, although we hiked in the approximate 1/4 mile from the parking lot, rather than coming in by boat. This is a quiet, beautiful loop, with 8 sites, each with a picnic table and fire ring. There are composting toilets here and no potable water, so you will need to bring enough water for your trip or purification methods. Proper food storage is also essential back here; while this section of Virginia does not have the bear activity you’d find in the mountains, there are still raccoons and other wildlife who should not have access to human food. There are no bear boxes, so treat food storage as you would in the backcountry. 

-Sites 7 and 8 are closes to the toilets, and back up to the woods leading towards the Turkey Trail; hikers are visible from site 8 and audible from site 7.  

-Sites 4 and 5 back up to a very wooded area, and are further back from the gravel loop. Site 4 is closest to the boat ramp and is visible; site 5 is probably the most private in the loop. 

-Sites 1,2, and 6 are in the center loop, but have more space between them than inner-loop sites usually have. Sites 1 and 2 are right against the River Trail however, so will have hikers walking directly past during the day. 

The canoe-in loop sits against the James River; there is a rack to stow your canoe/kayak overnight, and a pay by honor-system pile of firewood. Due to the thick foliage there is no actual river-view during the warmer months, but it’s easily accessbile. When we stayed in early spring there were a lot of vines that served as “natural playground” for our kids; they used them as swings, monkey bars, and enjoyed getting their feet wet at the base of the canoe ramp, so much that they declined hiking or driving to the park’s man-made playground. This loop makes a great “trial run” site for anyone considering a future backcountry trip; the walk to the parking lot is short enough to make multiple trips if you need to, and you still have access to the park amenities if you don’t mind a walk/drive to get there.

River Bend Loop

The River Bend Loop has 29 sites with water and electric hook-ups, though very little privacy between sites. The surrounding trees give all but the first three sites decent shade and a wooded atmosphere, and this is a great loop for RVs or tent campers who enjoy being close to other sites. If you are looking for a feeling of isolation however, you would be better off minimizing your gear and walking to the primitive sites, or going to a different park altogether. The bathrooms here have electricity, flush toilets, and showers with hot water. Sites 1-14 are available for advance reservation, and sites 15-29 are first-come first-served. Site 25 offers the most privacy for tent campers, and it’s very large, but if the campground is at full occupancy all sites are going to have a crowded feel.

There are several hiking trails at this park ranging from very easy to moderate, and a couple of them are horse-friendly; our kids enjoy seeing horses on the trail with them, but be mindful if you have kids/dogs who may be afraid of the horses. The park also has a playground, picnic shelters, and ranger activities on the weekends, and there are three yurts available to book.

This is a very open, well-maintained park, and the camping options should appeal to a wide spectrum of campers, and my only reason for giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the lack of privacy in the drive-up campsites. It feels a lot like a hidden gem; the hookup campground fills up during warmer weather, but all of our visits here have been very quiet and peaceful. If you are looking for camping options near Richmond, I highly recommend this park!

We stayed here in March and it was very cold for tent camping, I think it got into the 20's at night! There were no other campers staying there while we were there in the canoe-in campground so it was very peaceful and quiet. This campground is primitive so there is no electricity or water. The sites include a picnic table and fire ring. Our tent pad was pretty level and pretty big! You could probably fit two small tents on there. There is a short .2 mile hike from a parking lot so we packed light and backpacked in. We stayed in site 4, which is towards the back of the loop. Not much privacy in the winter because there are no leaves on the trees. This campground has a pit toilet at the front of the campground and fire wood available for purchase near the canoe launch. 

We loved this park! The trails are fun and love all the beautiful views. We saw some incredible sunsets over the James River. There are all sorts of fun, gnarly trees for the kids to play on at the campsite! They had so much fun!

There are some great breweries nearby and only a short drive from Richmond and Charlottesville!

Camped on a Friday night, had site 106. It was a really nice site: set back a bit from the road, fairly wooded, not a long walk to the bathhouse water/electric hook-ups, and a long back-in driveway. Nice fire ring with grill (that had been cleaned), lantern/trash pole, picnic table. Pea gravel tent pad. Honor pay wood.

After a neighboring camper left we noticed they were disinfecting the campsites very well. Picnic tables, electric/water areas, fire pit areas, poles, etc. were all getting sprayed down between campers.

Walked around the trails on Saturday. The trail around Beaver Lake was a really nice 2.5 mile loop. Gorgeous in November. Like most weekends, a bit busy on a Saturday. Everything’s open right now, and masks are required in common areas, bath houses, etc.

This is by no means the biggest campground or the most modern but something which can be said for this campground is it feels like it was designed with family fun in mind. From the bouncing blob to the oversized chess set, from the lakeside beach to the swimming pool, it seems as though plenty of thought has been placed on how to keep a family entertained when in this area of Virginia.

The sites themselves are not just average tent and RV sites. Instead they have various types of cabins which you can rent in addition to these. The tent sites are grouped in the same area and while there are only a handful of them, they are well shaded, nicely spaced and pretty even. The rolling hills of the area do not seem to effect the layout of these spaces.

My site was equipped with a picnic table however I did not have a fire ring or lantern post. They do have some upgraded sites for tents which include these or even have electricity. I enjoyed the location and when I was visiting there were not many people staying in this area.

I do wish I hadn't been traveling alone because it would have been a bit more fun with all the activities had I have had a travel companion. This is one of those places where it pays to have a buddy!!

TIPS:

• If you will be staying on a weekend call in advance to book because of limited tent sites.

• During summertime this place is like one of those dream summer camps with lake toys including blobs and inflatable obstacles. Try to visit during this time of year to fully take advantage.

I will admit I was a little hesitant about coming to an RV park located within a Christian Retreat Center. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but we came anyway because the price through the Passport America discount was right ($20/night for a FHU site with the discount on off-season rates, so, $40 without the discount). I was happy we came, the office staff person was so friendly and so nice and welcoming, and the campground was just great. There’s plenty of activities here- there’s a playground, a gaga ball pit, basketball court, frisbee golf course, pool, soccer field, baseball field, and some really nice walking trails in the woods (some of these might be restricted to use by retreat guests, not sure). Some basic snacks and knick knacks and clothing available for sale in the office.

There’s laundry here, but the set up was a little awkward- there’s one washer/ dryer in the hallway of the lodge, which is a hotel-like building. It’s kind of a far walk from the campground, and there’s no place to hang out and wait for your laundry. It’s $5 for a load (wash& dry) and you can pay by credit card in the office or drop $5 in the box by the machines. Firewood available for sale here for $5, pay by venmo, at the office, or in the honor box. No alcohol allowed in the park. 

Cell service for Verizon and ATT was pretty decent, and they have great free wifi. Showers are good and clean and free, continuous water running (no button to push).

To be fair, I only went the once but wasn’t impressed. The site was so tiny - barely large enough for my friend and I to each park and set up a tent. We were super close to the road and dump station, so avoid that site (I don’t recall the number). There was also very little privacy between neighboring sites. No established fire ring or fire area. We asked the store attendant if we could just build a fire ring with rocks and he said that was fine. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen a site like this haha. The small beach area is nice enough, but it is tiny. Would definitely recommend Lake Anna State Park over this one; they aren’t too far apart.

Campground Review

The staff at this campground really went above and beyond to make sure I had all the correct information needed for my stay. They truly run like a well-oiled machine. They are the reason for the 3-stars. This was actually my second time at the park, but I didn't remember that until after I'd arrived and things started looking familiar. I should have known something was up if I didn't remember being here.

The campground itself is not my style. The sites were packed in close together and most of the tent only sites were tiny! There's even one site that wraps around a second site. After picking out my (first) site, I parked my car, looked around, and realized that there wouldn't be room for my both my tent and my friend's tent. I moved to the next site, put up my tent, and started looking for a place for my hammock. We're in the woods, it shouldn't be that hard. There were zero trees behind the second site. So, I moved again. Third time is a charm, right? We were able to get both tents up and found a place for both hammocks in between our site and the next. To give an idea of how close some of the sites are, the wood barrier around my site was only two feet away from the next site's barrier. I go camping to get away, not hang out with the neighbors.

The regulator on my lucky stove broke, so we cooked everything over a campfire. State Parks don't allow you to bring outside firewood (it's a good rule of thumb), so we bought their wood. All they had was huge pieces of fresh pine. I didn't bring a hatchet since I shouldn't need one for car camping. Luckily I had my Leatherman. More on that later.

The swimming lake is a good size. There is a concession stand, a beach with lifeguard, and a rental station for paddle boats. There were people in the water all weekend enjoying the awesome weather.

The lake trail passes right through the beach, then into the woods. The trail goes from sidewalk, to gravel, to jagged stones, to dirt, then blacktop. The last part of the trail is actually on an unmarked two-lane road over the spillway. All-in-all not the relaxing hike I had hoped for.

My take on this park is that it is best for families who love the water and want to go swimming every day. It does not have good hiking trails, or good camping - not the kind I'm looking for anyway.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - today I am testing the Leatherman Charge ALX. First, let me say this thing is AWESOME! I used it numerous times this weekend. It's fair to say that everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The regulator on my propane stove started acting wonky. I would be in the middle of cooking and the flame would go out. The only way to light it is to lift the grate in order to get the firestarter close to the burner. The cast iron grate was already scalding, so I used my Leatherman needle-nose pliers to lift it up. Voila! After relighting the grill the fourth time, we gave up on it and decided to build a fire.

The pine logs were HUGE! Plus, there was very little kindling in the campground to use as a firestarter. We found some large branches and used the handy saw on my Leather Charge ALX to cut them up into fire-sized pieces. The sawing took way less time than I would expect for a hand-sized tool! Then, I used the straight-blade knife to shave off some bark for a little fire-starter. This blade is sharp! We had a fire going in no time.

I used the knife to cut paracord for hanging my hammock, slicing my ribeye, and even used the diamond file to fix a broken nail. Hey, a girl's gotta have good nails even in the woods.

Now that I'm back home, I reach for the Leatherman any time something needs fixing. I don't have to lug a tool box around the house and yard to fix things. Everything I need is all in one amazing pocket-sized tool. This thing is the best!

The campground is well off the main road which means you have very little noise and light pollution. We camped in our smaller tent and had the rain fly off so we could stare at the stars all night. It was awesome.

The sites feel close together and many are exposed albeit a few seem sectioned off. We came in the summer and those trees helped create a cozier feel, but we could definitely see people and hear everyone else's conversations. In fact, there was a lodge about 400' away from our campsite and we could hear them until around 10pm. Seemed like a younger crowd, so no harm no foul.

It was insanely hot when we went. Something like 100% humidity and 93 F in the day. It only got down to 74 F at night which meant we were constantly sweating unless we were in front of our little battery powered fan. Oh, that sweet little fan paid for itself. Honestly, it was so hot I think we could have easily called it quits after the first night.

The lake is a 15 minute walk down a clear trail called Campground Walkway Trail. There is a pretty intense climb that is much harder coming back, so probably best to leave the flip flops and go shoes or hiking sandals. The trail takes you to a semi-private beach. It is close to the main beach, but it is separated by a wall. The real treat is if you take the loop along the water called the Railroad Ford Trail. It's 1.5 miles that takes you along a gentle slope along the water. That's where I took my pics hanging the hammock.

The boat traffic was LOUD and could be heard all the way at our camp site. They really know how to start early and stay late.

Wildlife is minimal including snakes. The campground host said a woman was bit by a copperhead recently on her exposed big toe. There are quite a few spiders since you are so close to the water, but the insects were not bad within the campground. A couple got into the tent, but I didn't dare tell the wife.

The campground hosts checked in frequently and were VERY nice. The showers were free and expansive. There was even a coke machine with many outlets for people to charge their devices.

Overall, this was a good campsite that will be better suited to Spring/Autumn weather conditions. If you are going to get in the water, try and stay somewhere else unless the weather cools down while you are there or you have a way to escape the heat.