Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Doswell, VA

Nice size spots. Lake on site. Playground for kids. Fun bike rentals. Lots of dog walks and a dog park. Camp store has a little bit of everything.

We stayed during the covid pandemic when things were just starting to open back up, so the play grounds weren’t available. The bathrooms are clean and the laundry facility is a plus. They also have a dog park which we used a ton. Most spots are shaded and there are paved and gravel roads. The spaces are very snug so forget privacy when they’re busy, but at the time we were the only ones on our little road. The store is super pricey, but overall a good campground.

They have a wide selection of ways to camp, and are pet friendly and affordable!

This is our second stay here. It is quiet and always clean, pet and family friendly. Trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. And if that’s not enough, you can go down to the river and fish, kayak/canoe or go boating.

This was our first time camping at state park with our dogs and it has been great. We were able to score a campsite with a view of the lake and easy access to the Channel Cat Loop trail. Our tent pad was covered in rubber pieces which made for a comfortable base for our tent, and the separate area with fire pit, picnic table and pattern hooks was awesome. Another couple joined us and there was plenty of room for all four people and three dogs to spread out. Fell even more in love when majority of campsites left on Sunday, leaving peace and quiet all around. Bonus is having the dog only section at the swimming beach, which made for a fun afternoon with our pups.

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!

My partner and I were traveling to Richmond, we needed a quick place to stop and rest. We reached out the day of and the owners of the property were so kind, accommodating, and understanding. They set us up with firewood, and all the necessary equipment to have a wonderful night under the stars. The icing on the cake was waking up and spending some time with their horses and goats and this really sweet orange cat. The property was gorgeous and the experience was wonderful.

This place was a fallback for me and my daughter when all the sites in Shenandoah were taken up one weekend. All I knew was they had spots and we could camp there. I'm actually really happy with it because it was a really nice place and the man working there was really kind. When we pulled in we were greeted by a friendly fat cat. We paid our fee, which was only around $15, and then another $5 for a bunch of firewood. The Firewood was a bit wet and didn't work out, but hey, beggars can't be choosers.

We walked down to the river, which was the location of even more and bigger camp spots. Plenty of people with dogs running around and having a good time. This would be the perfect location for a small scout troop or a big family outing. Back towards out campsite, there was an old abandoned horse farm. We did peek into the barn, but it looks like no one has taken care of it for about 10 years, and I didn't want anyone getting hurt. We did go back out to the field at night to do some star gazing and that was beautiful.

The campground were only about half full when we were there, so it didn't feel like I was invading on someone's space, or them on mine. My biggest complaint is just that there isn't a whole lot to do in this area. Shenandoah and GWNF are about an hour drive, and this place was about a 2 hour drive from home for me. If you're passing through the area, or just want a nice little campsite, I would definitely recommend it.

This is a stunning state park with a gorgeous campground. The whole place seems very well taken care of, with a camp store, visitor center, and discovery/education center for kids.

We are on our way up from South Carolina, so we only stayed a night, but it was wonderful nonetheless. Everything was closed when we arrived, so it was a welcome surprise to have firewood available for sale on an honor system. The roads to the campsites were paved, and we had an easy time finding ours thanks to a prominent sign.

We booked a pull through site with full hook ups, a faux wood picnic table (no splinters,) and fire pit. The site was pretty big, laid with gravel and pebbles, and edged with wooden curbs. We didn’t have any trouble leveling out and hooking up, the connections were in a great spot for our trailer and others on the grounds. The site is in a thicker forest, so bring bug spray, and I found setting out a couple Thermacell mosquito repellants was effective (very little wind that day.) The site had a lot of privacy and the ones around us were spread out nicely as well, some even had two levels with stairs put in. Easily one of the nicest sites we have ever stayed in. The campground has a ravine behind it, something to be cautious about with pets/kids.

The park is on a cliff overlooking the Potomac River, and the Big Meadow trail brings you too Fossil Beach. It’s a sandy beach with lots of rocks and clay, I’m sure I would have found more fossils had I brought a little sifter with me.

We loved it here, it was a beautiful and private campsite with a great park to explore.

The trails at this park are very well maintained. They are designated as hiking, biking, and/or horseback riding, so you'll know which trails are best for your activity.

This park has some of the best bike trails in the state - over 25 miles. Several new mountain-bike-only trails opened just this year. The difficulties are clearly marked as Novice through Expert. They even installed maintenance equipment at the entrance of each new trail so you can make minor adjustments without carrying your own equipment.

A number of the hiking trails through this park are wide fire roads. Smaller paths wind throughout the park connecting the larger trails together. Be sure to get a park map before you start your adventure. This is the largest state park in Virginia and it's easy to get turned around.

If you're into Geocaching, or want to learn how, you can pick up a hand-held GPS from the park office along with a list of the geocaches located in the park. The geocaches are rotated on a fairly frequent basis, so there will always be new caches for you to find.

Pocahontas State Park has a great Nature Center where you can pet or hold some of the smaller snakes, and watch the box turtles wander around. Here you can learn about the local plants and wildlife so you know what to look for out on the trail. There are even craft activities for the little ones. Just check with the park office or the Nature Center for a schedule of events.

For water lovers there is a large swimming pool that is open during the summer months. If you're camping for the night, your entrance to the pool is included in your stay. Or, if you prefer kayaks and canoes, you can put in at Swift Creek Lake for a flatwater paddle. The park has rental equipment if need to borrow gear.

The southern end of the park has been designed for the horse lovers. There is ample parking for trailers and miles of wide trails so you don't have to ride single file. The park includes new facilities for your horses including two exercise rings. There are no overnight facilities for horses at this park.

The camping sites are nothing special. Tent and RV camping are in the same area. They do provide plenty of room for your tent, and include a picnic table and fire ring. Many of the sites are in almost full sun, so you may want to bring a shade of some type with you.

Beware that there is a huge tick population in this park. Be sure to wear bug spray if you'll be out in the woods at any point.

All-in-all, this is a fantastic park for families. There is a little bit of everything for everyone in your family.

Great place to hike, ride bikes, walk dogs.!water park looks awesome but didn’t go because I couldn’t leave my dog.

This was our first time at a state park and we definitely enjoyed it. Relaxing, fishing was nice and we loved walking the trails with the dogs.

Have waited six months into our RV life to start reviews for fair comparisons. Spent two nights. Nice site backing into the woods and the leaves were changing. Great hiking and biking from the campground. Love having the access to the lake. Great areas for dog walking. Family next door was really loud, but not the campgrounds fault.

We stayed at Bear Creek Lake 11/26 & 11/27.  We wanted to stay at a park that had a nice trail system attached to walk about during the day.  It was SO NICE walking along trails that were not crowded (we're from Northern VA, it's crowded).  My dog thoroughly enjoyed getting out and getting new sniffs!  The staff and camp hosts were very friendly and helpful while respecting and maintaining social distancing (COVID-times, amirite?).  Sites and facilities were well-maintained.  The only negative is that the sites are pretty close together, but that's more of a personal preference!

This place was great! My wife and I live in D.c. we brought our dog for an extended weekend. It is really nice for people looking to get out of the city and into the woods, and fast. Nice clean sites and beaches, there are 2. One is a drive up and the other is a bit of a hike. Which is great if you're looking for that kind of thing. There's a convenience store just outside of the front gate to pick up anything that you probably forgot at home! I got cell service too which was nice. Also cheap fire wood for sale within the park.

The main attraction for this campground is, obviously, the lake. It is a place where people can fish, boat, canoe/kayak, etc. My favorite thing to do is put my kayak in the water and paddle around no matter what season it is. I have stayed at this campground numerous times with my son, grandson, and/or his family. The sites are fairly level, although some do have a slight slope. There is no water or electricity at any of the sites, but there are fire rings. Some of the sites have a standing grill and a picnic table. There is plenty of shade, and many of the trees are close enough that I can stretch out my hammock for an afternoon siesta. The sites are grassy, and the road is gravel. Depending on where you choose your site, the bath house is a short distance away. My grandson loves camping there because of the playground, and for dog lovers, there is a fenced dog walk. Sometimes, you can find wood where the local residents cut their trees and shrubbery and drop it off adjacent to the campground. Otherwise, you need to take your own wood for a fire. However, every time I have been there, including this time, we were able to find plenty of wood for a campfire. Since the campground closes during the winter, the bath house is not heated, but the showers do have hot water. There are electrical outlets as well in case you need to plug in a blow dryer or electric razor. The last time we stayed here, only my son and grandson were with me, and we sat around the campfire just enjoying the occasional sounds of geese and the regular sounds of tree frogs and crickets. The only other distractions are a few cars passing by along the road, but that diminishes significantly after about ten or eleven o’clock. For children, another fun thing to do is to play in the spillway, which is also part of the road. The embankment dam and spillway are only a few steps from the campground, and there is a place to launch your canoe or kayak. The boat ramp is farther away into the neighborhood. This campground has ten sites and is by reservation only for its over 4,200 residents and their friends and family. Overall, I enjoy staying at this campground because it is a quiet setting when you just want to get outdoors.

I gave this campground a 3 out of 5, mostly because it wasn't very memorable. I had a good time there with my family, but there wasn't anything that really stood out to me.

Also, I really love to hike and get out into nature when I camp. Powhatan, Virginia isn't the best place for that compared to all of the amazing wilderness you can find in other parts of Virginia.

The sites were a little close together for my liking, but they were still very nice.

The staff was very helpful and friendly.

I grew up going to this campground. It's located in Gordonsville, Virginia. There's not much to do in the area, but the campground itself is nice.

There is a nice pool, arcade, camp store, horse riding, and the camp sites are pretty nice.

All around good place to camp.

I grew up near this park and only went twice. While the trails are extensive, they are not very interesting. Also, the ticks in this part of virginia were out of control and i found myself spending more of my hike picking them off than looking at the scenery. The scenery however left much to be desired. I would not recommend this park. There are far better ones like Prince William State Park near D.C.