Best Cabin Camping near Doswell, VA

PWFP has a number of large group cabin campgrounds available to rent, with capacities of 75 to 200. They are called Goodwill (#1), Mawavi (#2), Oreda (#3), Pleasant (#4), Happyland (#5). My organization has rented 3 of the 5 different cabin camps over the years. These camps were made by the CCC and even used by the then-CIA during WWII. They are extremely rustic and you should expect to see lots of bugs, snakes, etc. during your stay, and it adds to the experience in a great way. The cabins have beds with waterproof mattresses, closets, screen windows, and electricity, but no fans or AC (bring fans!!). There are central shower houses, central dining halls (with full modern kitchens, fridge, etc), and extra buildings called craft lodges (which have tables for activities, discussions, etc.). Sites have extras like fire rings with seating, swimming ponds, hiking trails, grassy playing fields, etc. but I’m not sure they all have all of these. They’re all among the trees and shady. The PWFP rangers and website have lots of great info on the local flora & fauna (best moths I’ve ever seen in my life here). This is a great place for a school overnight or scouting. They’ve been working on renovating them since we started renting them in 2006, so make sure to tour all the different camps to get the one that meets your needs best. Full info is at https://www.nps.gov/prwi/planyourvisit/upload/Group%20Cabin%20Camping.pdf

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.

What a beautiful park! Over 1500 acres with 40 sites, this trip was the start of the camping season for me- the opening weekend for camping in State Parks in VA(COVID-19). The park and grounds are extremely well-maintained. I was very happy to see such a clean bathhouse, especially during the current pandemic. Each staff member I encountered was extremely helpful and polite. The park has lots of trails, miles of open meadows, and James River access. Great park for bicycling. The sites in the River Bend Campground(main campground) are private and wooded, especially this time of year when the trees are so full. The map makes it look like they’re really close together so I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived to my site, which was the las time available for booking(#16). There are 29 tent/RV sites and three yurts. The sites are gravel and include a picnic table, lantern/trash pole, and a fire pit with grill gate. Theres also a group site for 24 or so, bit that’s not open at the moment due to state restrictions. There’s overflow parking for the campground, dumpsters, and a dump station. Some are pull-through for RVSs and many have water/electric. Wood is for sale at the park but no ice or refreshments. Pet-friendly. There are also laundry facilities at the main bathhouse, nice hot/cold showers. Many picnic areas and a playground. There’s also a canoe-in site with 8 primitive sites: no water, electricity, or facilities(there’s a pit toilet). Depending on the time of the year they might be in the flood zone if the river is high, which it was during this trip. Some of those sites can also be booked for hiking into- it’s only a 0.2 walk from the parking lot. Tabb Monument State Park is nearby if you’re working your way through the parks as I am (no overnight facilities there). You’re also about 10-15 minutes from the town of Powhatan so if you need groceries or gas, you’re not far from Sheetz, Food Lion, etc. Loved this park so much and will definitely be returning!!!

This campground is beautiful! We have been here multiple times but have only car camped here one night. This park has trails, a sprayground, playground, camping, cabins, nature center, and picnic areas. I love this park. It really is beautiful. We stayed here one night for a vintage scooter rally. The bathrooms were very clean and well lit. It was nice and quiet and I love the campsites themselves. It was a nice site with a picnic table, lantern holder, and tent pad. The camp store was closed by the time we arrived but we had everything we needed. We even did a little Geocaching fun while we were there. I love this park and look forward to more camping hopefully next year. They do have yurts and cabins too. Great place for stargazing but city lights are close by.

This was the first time camping with just my grandson and me, and I looked forward to him playing in the water, playing at the playground, fishing, and kayaking on the water. Unfortunately, the pandemic restrictions caused the playgrounds, the boat rental, and the swimming complex to be closed. With no swim beach and no play area, that stretched my imagination to keep him entertained. I took this into consideration when reviewing this campground, but there were other reasons for disappointment. 

According to the website, you can purchase a fishing license at the park office. This was not true, so I had to drive seven miles to purchase one. While I was there, I also bought two bags of ice since it was more reasonable than the price at the campground. When I was ready to dispose of the trash, I discovered that the nearest trash disposal was not within a reasonable walking distance, so driving to the trash bin was the best option. The sites were level, and many of them were either paved or gravel. I liked the separation and privacy between most of the campsites. The lower numbered sites had lots of shade. Unfortunately, most of those had been reserved. The site we had was large, but the shade was minimal. I guess the site being so large is a double-edged sword. We had a small teardrop, and the distance from our little kitchenette in the back of the camper to the picnic table on the gravel pad was quite a walk to carry a heavy cooler by yourself.

I’m glad I wasn’t staying in a tent this time. The gravel pad between the pull-through and the picnic table would not have been pleasant. The two nights that we stayed at this campground, the temperature was in the mid-90s for most of the day, so not being able to swim made us miserably hot. The worst part, however, was going to the bath house and shower. The showers were large, and the bath house was clean, but there was NO ventilation. There were no windows or exhaust fan. Stepping inside was like stepping into a sauna. Immediately after turning off the water in the shower, I started sweating from the heat in the shower. It looked as though there might have been a heater, but without having ventilation during the summer, it was TERRIBLE planning. 

There is a boat ramp, but when I got there, it said“swimming prohibited.” I was hoping my five-year-old grandson could at least play in the water. I let him anyway(technically, he wasn’t swimming). The boat ramp is small, and motors are not allowed. The only place to fish was really from a boat. There were not many places from the shore to cast. Fortunately, we did take a kayak with us. At the boat launch site, there was a swing set, but it was also closed. To get to the boat ramp and lake, we had to drive 1.8 miles to get there, which isn’t a bad thing, but everything(camp store, trash dump, etc.) seemed out of walking distance. We got a chance to hike a little on one of the trails, which was fairly easy. If the whole family would have come camping with us, I could have tried one of the bike trails. From the campground, I saw one of the bike trails, which looked pleasantly challenging. 

There are two camp stores, but the one within walking distance of the campground was closed for the summer. The camp store near the entrance was a decent size, but you would have to drive to it from the campground. There are picnic shelters, meeting facilities, a CCC museum(which was closed), a snack bar(which was closed), and laundry facilities. Overall, it wouldn’t be such a bad campground to stay at if everything was open.  Also, despite so many things not being open (swim complex, all of the playgrounds, one of the camp stores, the boat rentals, the CCC museum, etc.), I was charged FULL PRICE!!!  However, even with everything open, there are reasons I would prefer to camp elsewhere next time.

Stopped off at this campground after finding it while passing though just before Labor Day weekend. While it was the last weekend for the pool before its closure and while they were in the process of working on some of the plumbing at the campground, it was a well put together campground which was very impressive.

Located somewhat remotely from the larger community and near several places of interest along the road, this camp was a great stop for a tent camper like myself. They offer a basic tent site for $26 with nice bath houses. For full connections the price does rise slightly offering both both 20/30 amp and 50 amp connections for RVs.

The roads around the camp are gravel and a little bumpy but the sites themselves were pretty level and grassy for tents which was pretty nice. Sites are located far enough off the road that road noise is minimal.

I did also notice they have cabin rentals available and a pretty nice little store with lots of options for those who didn't bring everything with them.

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.

First time staying in a travel trailer at a state park. We booked the day of, because we were being indecisive, and there were a few spots available.

We came in after hours, and the guide at the entrance told us where to get our packet (from the kiosk in front of the camp store).

It’s very easy to find everything here, and the camp ground had both pull-throughs and back in spots. Plenty of separation between you and your neighbor for some privacy. No issues with the water/electric/dump station. Almost no cell service to speak of, but that’s the beauty of going to a place like this. Very kid and pet friendly. The community showers and bathrooms are very clean.

Lots of bugs and mosquitos. Plan accordingly.

Both the visitor center and camp store have plenty of souvenirs, but not much besides that. Just know, if you don’t plan well enough to bring something, you’ll be traveling 20-30 min out of your way to reach anything besides a gas station (nearest grocery store/Walmart is 25 min away).

Overall, it was a great first experience in our RV at this state park!