Whether you're a tent camper, an RVer, or just passing through, Haymarket, VA has a lot to offer. There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. Find the best campgrounds near Haymarket, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.
$39 - $100 / night
"Lots of activities, and nice hiking trails. Fabulous historical attractions, great visitor center. "
"We have lived in northern Virginia for over 30 years and never been to this campground until this month! Very nice campground with friendly staff and friendly campground hosts."
$37 - $170 / night
"We have been camping here for nearly 20 years. Each military tour brought us back to this area so Pohick became our second home. Our kids kayak now older but used to walk the trails as little kids."
"Pohick Bay Campground in Virginia offers a peaceful escape with beautiful views and a variety of outdoor activities like hiking and fishing. It's an ideal spot for families and nature lovers."
$30 - $75 / night
"While the campground is very nice, with clean conveniently located bathrooms, the site itself is probably not suited for a large group of people."
"The bathroom was just a short walk away. There are no hookups in this campground. We did drive to the shower house and paid a fee to take a shower. "
$30 / night
"We picked up the camping registration outside the office at the entrance, no need to speak with anyone. Then we just drove down to our campsite in the family camping loop."
"There are some abandon camp loops around the open campground which makes for some cool walks with your dog. Very pretty area with lots of trails and overgrown roads to walk."
"Several rustic campsites with a large lake for the kids, and miles of off road trails for atvs, jeeps, and dirtbikes."
"The road is gravel and could use some work, I’d recommend 4x4 drive. We really enjoyed it and will go back. The reason for 4 stars instead of 5, water situation and the roads could use some work."
$12 / night
"Lodge close by if food, warmth, or better restroom desired."
$30 - $45 / night
"We recently stayed at Fort Valley Ranch Campground, near Luray, VA and I can only say good things about our experience and the FVR's management."
"Close to many cool things in the area too"
GuidePros - Clean Bathrooms, Camp store open 8am - 8pm, Sites 62 - 92 (except #74 and 88) are all pretty good. Security was great, patrol throughout the night. Quiet hours are enforced and campers are polite. Lots of activities, and nice hiking trails. Fabulous historical attractions, great visitor center.
Cons - Campground is in the flight path of Dulles Airport, so planes are flying over head at all hours of the day and sometimes late at night/morning. There is a shooting range nearby. Some noise during range hours. (Not late at night!) Because there had been so little rain, there was not great fishing in the park. (I went to Silver Lake, that was great!)
Traffic! Lots of local traffic on the main roads. (to be fair, it IS a suburb of DC ). Stores are all approx. 20 mins away. (Head towards Haymarket)
GuideWe picked up the camping registration outside the office at the entrance, no need to speak with anyone. Then we just drove down to our campsite in the family camping loop. We could hear and smell horses when we got to our campsite, but it didn't last forever.
The site was mostly clean, had a few pieces of small trash scattered around when we arrived. The sites were decently spaced out from one another, it didn't feel like we were right on top of the people across and next to us. Our site was close to the restroom, it had a little path leading to the restroom, and it looked like there was little trail paths all around leading to the restrooms from the different parts of the loop. The path leading to the restroom from our site was gravel and easy to walk on. The restrooms were clean, but the floor was wet almost the entire time we were there (likely due to the showers).
If you need to buy wood it is $5 for 8 pieces and you call a number given to you in your registration packet. The ranger will then drive by and drop off the wood at your campsite. The inner ring of this loop has electricity, and the electric box was just on the far side of the picnic table in the corner.
GuideLooked forward to camping at Graves Mountain and enjoy the festivities. The campsite is very very small. They say dispersed, but it is a small field as you can not access the others fields. Horse trailers, rvs, tents, and overland trailers all park right next that to each other. We set up away from everyone to properly distance ourselves due to their covid protocols. They told us to move next to others but there was no space. We got our money back and moved to another site. I would avoid this campsite. If you want to visit it for the apple or Fall festival just camp somewhere else and drive to it. No amenities. No cell service.
TravelerBOTTOM LINE: 3.5 Stars. We had a fine time camping here, but probably would not stay again unless some friends were going and wanted to stay. Not bad, but not great and not my personal preference for camping. Any recommendation to stay would be dependent on what you're looking for--it might be for you, but just wasn't for us.
Acknowledging that reviews are totally subjective, here is a brief summary of some of the pros and cons (in our humble opinion):[
PROS/CONS
Pros:
Cons:
Again, we recognize a lot is subjective; but it just wasn't for us. We'd camp here again if others wanted to, but wouldn't choose to come back.
I'm happy to elaborate on any particular bullets.
HELPFUL TIPS:
GuideSaw a snake, alligator snapping turtle, and rabbits, before we even reached the gates. Moderate privacy and space, especially considering how close it is to DC. There are some abandon camp loops around the open campground which makes for some cool walks with your dog. Very pretty area with lots of trails and overgrown roads to walk. Equestrian trails go deep into the woods if you want a longer trail. Bathrooms don’t look like much from the outside, but the inside is very nice. Clean, hot water, and good water pressure. The have a new dump station, but the hose has an anti-freeze up in the air with a pull cord valve. This means every time you pull to turn the water on, you get a shower. It was hot, so it was OK. Hahaha. They sell firewood, but they were huge pieces and getting them to start burning was tough. LOTS and LOTS of ticks. I got one, but my wife and dog got about a dozen each. Just bring tweezers. Each site had picnic table, fire ring, and pretty level parking spot.
RangerWe stayed at a "group" site D167, which allows up to 15 people and 4 cars. While the campground is very nice, with clean conveniently located bathrooms, the site itself is probably not suited for a large group of people. First of all, it's located in the middle of a large patch of grass right next to other family campsites, so no privacy at all. If you travel with friends you might want to stay up a little longer and have a good laugh around the fire, but this site isn't really designed this way. The quiet hours are after 10PM and it's enforced. Second, the space is really limited, especially if your group members have larger tents. Also, there's no overflow parking, except at the entrance to the campground.
The showers are nice and clean, but they are coin operated.
The rangers are very strict. We had some food related items left on the table (salt/pepper shakers) and they were confiscated while we were hiking. I'm not saying it's wrong, but be aware, because these rules are not enforced at the same level in different places. We ended up with a $80 fine.
Also, since this is a national park, you cannot bring the firewood from outside, have to buy it in the park.
Other than that, we enjoyed our stay. The campground location allow an easy access to many trails within Shenandoah National Park, as well as close by, such as our favorite Old Rag Mountain. It's also technically a part of the NP, so keep your entrance receipt to show at the Old Rag's parking lot.
Make sure you taste blackberry ice cream at the general store at the entrance. It's a local specialty and it's delicious!!!
ScoutWe camped several nights in our 23ft. travel trailer. Our site A85 was just long enough to fit our trailer and truck. We were able to use our generator at this site. The bathroom was just a short walk away. There are no hookups in this campground. We did drive to the shower house and paid a fee to take a shower. They were clean and even though the campground was nearly full we never had to wait in line. We also did our laundry one evening. The machines were all working and it was quite reasonably priced. Big Meadows campground is so conveniently located to the Visitor's center and many local trails. The horse stables were just down the road. The lodge/restaurant was near the campground and we enjoyed a special dinner out one evening on the deck overlooking the beautiful Luray Valley.
RangerWe chose this campground based on proximity to work. This campground was priced fairly, however, it does come with its downfalls.
PROS
Let me start with the positive, we were 1 of 3 campers in this loop during our week-long stay. This made it peaceful and quiet.
CONS
It's close to a Naval base, and therefore you constantly hear airplanes, and helicopters at all times.
Other than the daily bathroom cleaning, this campground lacks maintenance on sites and walkways. They are both overgrown.
Playground, fishing, archery all seem blocked off at this time.
Trails seem open but are across and through hunting areas. They are also muddy from the rain. There is even standing water around our site which brings us to...the MOSQUITOS! We tried fans, tiki torches, and many deet free or light deet products before having to buy 100% deet so we could be outside. These things are awful!
TravelerStayed in July of 2016. Our site had the AT running right behind it. The was plenty of access to trails, and pretty central to the park. The campground is near showers, laundry, campstore, and visitor center. Only down fall is proximity to neighbors.
Virginia offers a variety of options for horse camping enthusiasts, combining beautiful landscapes with facilities tailored for equestrian activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Haymarket, VA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Haymarket, VA is Bull Run Regional Park with a 4-star rating from 42 reviews.
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