Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Doswell, VA

Enjoyed my corner pull-through site F2 even though it was gravel with some muddy spots. There are some paved spots near the entrance (7-10 and 15-19 plus VIP 1 & 2). Fire pits and wood for $6 upon request. Nice office with two small dogs to greet you and a jar of dog treats. Was decked out for Halloween during my stay, and the flower beds, pond, playground, basketball court and dog park were among the nicest. There is even an on-site dog walker, so dog people will really appreciate staying here. I noticed one side of the park (around site 22) is very noisy during the work day as there is a big lumber yard there. The proximity to the Great Outdoors and a couple of cute pub houses was a nice surprise. Recycling dumpster on site.

We’ve got a little 20 acre hobby farm. This historic property has gently rolling hills, with a little creek amidst a couple acres of cleared, open, secluded woodland perfect for pitching a tent and listening to nature. Fields in the back lend a great view for star gazing and looking up at the Milky Way. If the peace and quiet isn’t enough for you, there are pet goats, cats, a dog, and chickens that all love attention. Guests are more than welcome to help in the garden, pick flowers, and enjoy fresh produce and eggs while they’re here. Located 5 minutes from the James River, guests can hop over to the boat landing for fishing, swimming and boating or check out Blanton and Pleasants, a community staple. If you’re a hiker, there’s a state forest and state park just a short 15 minute drive west.

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.

We picked Americamps because we were traveling through the Richmond area and it was very convenient to I-95. We usually pass up on RV parks because most are wide open fields with large trailers and/or motor homes parked close together and prefer more private camp spots in out teardrop. But upon our arrival we were happily surprised. Amricamps has mostly full hook up sites (about 2/3 pull through sites and a 1/3 back in) and a small tent area with a handful of sites. While the sites were close together in typical RV park style, they were not scrapping together like we’ve seen at some places and there were many well established trees to provide lots of share instead of being in an open field. All the sites were level, most were gravel, but some were concrete pads. All style sites include a picnic table and fire ring. Hook ups also included cable with about 70 channels. 

Check-in was easy and the staff was very helpful. Check-in is at noon, but our road trip got us there about 11:20 and the staff had no problem letting us in early. Thanks! A host guides you to your site and assist you in positioning if needed. The campground is gated and you are provided a gate code. We stayed on site D-08 on this visit. The site was level, gravel, and had good shade. 

We used the bathhouse in the main building as it was closest to our site. It was very clean and air-conditioned, which was nice on this warm summer stay. There is a second bathhouse on the property but we did not visit it. 

Firewood and a good-sized camp store was available at the office. The resort has many amenities to include a heated pool, fitness center, playground, dog park, laundry, a rally room with a large deck and gas grill, dump station, and propane filling station. 

We found good cell phone service with Verizon throughout the property. The campground did have wi-fi and it worked good at our site. 

Pro Tip: There is a FREE breakfast every morning in the rally room. The morning we were there they were making waffles, and had bagels, pastries, fruit, and a variety of drinks to include coffee. They also had an ice cream social in the rally room the first night we were there, so watch the bulletin board for cool events like that. Additionally, right across the street (a short walk depending on where your site is in the park) there is a brewery that also serves food. 

While we were hesitant to stay at a RV park, we found this place to a pleasant surprise. Very quiet and clean for its size. We’ll definitely keep this one on the list when passing through Richmond.