Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Dillwyn, VA

Enjoyed our stay at this campground! Office is open until 8pm which is rare. Sites are clean and flat. Pull thru and back in slots available. There is a lovely creek running through portions of the campground. Showers and bathrooms were relatively clean. Didn't use the pool. Dog park and playground were nice features. Overall, good value for the sites and amenities.

Pros outweighed the cons.

Good: Staff was amazing! Trash pickup daily. Level sites. Nice little general store. 9-hole disc golf course. Dog park and playground centrally located. Quiet. Close to shopping, restaurants, etc.

Bad (if they can be called “bad”): We were excited about cable and wi-fi as a new perk. Could not get cable to work and wi-fi was spotty at our site. Had great signal in other parts of the campground though, and cell reception was strong. Roads were narrow to navigate and some sites quite short in length.

Located within minutes of I81. We stopped for 2 nights to see the Shenandoah National Park on our way to NC. Called last minute and got a site. Very nice customer service. Grounds were very well kept. Our site 112 had water, 50amp and cable. Dump station on premises. Nice dog park for our fur babies and doggie duty stations with bags in several locations throughout the park. Also had a cute playground for kiddos. Didn't use the pool so can't comment. A little highway noise but when windows and door were closed couldn't hear a thing. We'd stay here again. They honor Good Sam discount. Paid $38 with discount.

This was our first visit to this campground and it was farther than we usually travel for a long weekend but we’ll worth it. It’s small with about 40 RV sites in addition to tent sites (4) and cabins (8). The camp hosts were very nice. Fire wood is delivered when you purchase it. Trash is picked up from your site. The layout is weird but most sites are pull through. We were in B24 with friends and family staying in B25 and B26. These were back in sites and very spacious. While not necessarily secluded, they felt more private. The bath house was central to the sites and were unisex individual bathrooms. Not modern but clean. The ere is a pool and an area near the office with lots of childrens activities; playground, shuffleboard, basketball, gem mine, horseshoes, jump pad, and a fishing lake with large fish. The pool is near the offices as well. The office has a small store area with some souvenirs and necessities. There is a large dog park. Get dessert at Woodruffs just down the road, check out Natty Bs for lunch and some general store items and fresh baked goods on the way to Natural Bridge which is dog friendly! Dogs allowed in visitor center and the Natural Bridge itself. There’s a new brewery just across the street. Lynchburg is about 25 min drive and has a Community Market that is part farm market and part local crafts market. Free parking in that area on weekends. Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway north for some awesome overlooks as you climb the mountain and approach rt 60. Skip JJs Meat Shack in Buena Vista if you go through there.

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.

We really like the location of this campground as we wanted to explore the VA wine country, Monticello, Skyline Drive and other sites in the area. Overall, we liked the park which had nice campsites, was very clean and well-kept, and we liked our campsite which was level and had full hook-up. 

Our campsite was a back-in which was in a quiet corner of the campground. The site was long enough for our 45’ motorhome and tow car. The site was perfectly level, gravel, and had nice grass on the patio which our dog enjoyed. All the utilities were well-placed, so you didn’t need additional hoses. The cable hook-up provided us with plenty of television channels and the wifi worked well (albeit we just used it to check email and did not stream anything). Some campsites are pull-thrus (if you don’t wat to unhitch or back up) but it seemed this section was busier with transient campers coming and going and the sites seemed a little tighter. Some back-in sites have a wooded area behind them and more shade than our relatively open site. There are tent sites situated under trees for shade and to add a little privacy. Tent areas have a picnic table and fire pit along with a wooden bench and high table you could use for food prep. The campground does not allow hammocks so make sure you have a tent and were not planning on sleeping in your hammock. 

As you would expect with a KOA, there are lots of amenities and many that are geared towards kids (although we didn’t see too many during our stay). There are two really nice playground with slides, swings, climbing walls, game room, swimming pool, bouncy pillow, etc. There is a small little basketball area with one hoop and a paved surface which is adequate for shooting hoops but not playing a full-court game. The dog park was surprisingly big and we were impressed at the size which was big enough to throw a ball for our lab. Other nice amenities were the fishing pond and a½ mile nature trail in the campground.

The sites were very generous in size - not cramped at all! Sites were partially shaded and backed up to woods. Lots of beautiful hiking/biking/equestrian trails to explore. Bathrooms were very clean and nice. Bundles of firewood sold $7 each. Nice fire ring at each site. Pet friendly. Will definitely return!!

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.

After visiting the park many times, we finally camped there in July 2019.  Most of the sites were huge and level, and we were able to choose a mostly-shaded site with water and electric near the bathhouse.

Everyone we met (rangers, people in the visitor's center, etc.) was very helpful and friendly.  

We hoped to go tubing, but since the river was running high and fast, they weren't renting tubes, and we asked too late about renting a canoe or kayak.  (They do drop offs and pick ups at certain times and reservations are recommended.)

Cell service is extremely limited, but there's wi-fi available at the visitors center and we used that to check in with our pet sitter.

It was SO HOT when we were there and we really wished there was a designated "beach" area on the river (or in a perfect world, a pool).  Swimming is not advised due to rocks and drop-offs, but people were in the river, anyhow.

We'll definitely go again!

More pictures and information about our experience is on my blog:

http://www.art-rageous.net/artrageousblog/?p=4374

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.

The campground is small and well-kept. It has an incredibly chill and laid-back vibe.

You are a quick walk to the brewery and café, where you can grab breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is nice and dark at the campground, so great for star watching. 

There are several small walking paths throughout the property. 

It is very pet friendly. 

It is very quick drive to lots of hiking, including the Appalachian Trail. 

You are also a stone’s throw away from a ton of other really great breweries and wineries. I highly recommend visiting Blue Mountain Brewery and Bold Rock cidery during tour stay for some great food and beverage.

Cell service and wi-fi are spotty at best, but what do you expect? You are in the middle of the mountains. 

Each full hook up site has a picnic table and fire ring. Fire wood available for purchase.

*Warning, if you stay at a full hook up site and are parked in an odd number spot, you will need an extra long sewer hose to reach the connection. For example, we have a small travel trailer and we needed a 30 foot hose. The sewer connection for the odd number sites is on the opposite side of the RV than the electricity and water. The good news is that in a pinch, and your sewer hose does not fit, they do have a dump station on site.

While my initial feeling was one of a run down campground, it's obvious the new owners are working to make it better. The bathhouse is nice as is the pool. The store was sparse but adequate. The lawns were kept up and looking good. There is a very nice playground and a pet exercise area. You can fish in the lake though we didn't catch anything. Wifi is free and open so no password and therefore, not secure. Trash picked up each day. Our site 33 was full hookup and a very nice, mostly level, spacious, and had a covered picnic table on a deck. Not all sites have full hookup. It was separated from the site on one side and close to the site on the back side. My only complaint is about the people who walked past our site along the lake side (about 10 ft. between our sitting area and the lake and even less from our picnic table) when 2 other sides of the lake were wide open with no camping near the lake. Not the campgrounds fault.

The sites along the lower area near the lake were shaded mostly, some more than others, while the sites up the hill at the top and near the front entrance (pull through sites) were not shaded much. There are cabins for rent as well up on the top of the hill.  Overall, a nice campground with potential and the new owners are doing a good job.

We spent one night with our dogs at the walk-in campground at James Lake. It is a wonderful piece of nature. The campsites are far away from each other. Everything was very clean and taken care of. Our tents were very close to the lake so the dogs had fun and enjoyed swimming. Hiking trails are near by as well. It's quit a walk to the campsites but they provide wheelbarrows to bring your stuff in. We would definitely recommend this campground.

Clean campground. Very relaxing surrounded by trees. The sites had great space. Dog friendly.

Stayed here several times. Clean showers as BX restrooms. Friendly staff. Holiday activities. Good area close to hiking trails and historical sites. Dog friendly. Only negative was the closeness of the sites.

It's still wonderful, been coming for 50 years. So beautiful and peaceful, sites are awesome, they have 2 stocked lakes, swimming lake, great hiking, particularly for young or new hikers. Bring your own kayak or canoe, bring your dog!

I love this campground, it’s 5 to 10 minutes from BV, right on the river, primitive with bathrooms, which is fine with me, I sleep in my forerunner with my two dogs, plenty of land and trails, it’s perfect for what I need👍

Quiet, beautiful and Dog Friendly! There are beautiful trails for hiking and a ton of fishing spots! It had been over 25 years since my last trip and it hasn’t lost it’s charm one bit. It’s the perfect relaxing getaway! Phone service is in and out but we didn’t mind, it was nice to escape the world for a while.

The James River WMA is primarily used by hunters and fishermen throughout the year. However, one of the benefits of this place is that it is also open to dispersed campers! You simply need to purchase either a daily or annual access pass from the DWR website and then report which days you will be staying at the WMA--it's currently $23 for the annual pass.

After turning onto Midway Mills Lane from the northern end (route 626), there is a gravel access road about .5 miles down the road that is well-maintained. It almost immediately opens up into an open field where large rigs of any size can fit. There is another site further down the road, but it is smaller and primarily used for truck campers and tents.

This is where we stay any time I need to work in-office down in Lynchburg, VA. It is 20 minutes from the closest grocery store (Food Lion), liquor store, gas station, and propane supplier (Foster Fuels).

I had great T-Mobile service, but no ATT service--even with a powerful LTE antenna. I do not have Verizon so I cannot comment on their service.

This isn't a campsite for the best "scenery" or anything (though it is pretty in the morning), but it is quiet (you might sometimes hear dogs or gunshots from hunters who are near the water-fowl impoundment at the very end of the road by the river), secluded, and convenient. If you need a place in central Virginia to camp for (almost) free, this is it.

We had a great time camping here. The playground and pool were great for the kids. My dog also enjoyed having a space to roam in the park. My only complaint is the grass was not cut which was a bit uncomfortable. Spaces are very close together, but we still enjoyed our time.