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This recreation area is part of John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir
Campground and Cabins: https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/staunton-river#cabins_camping
$24 / night
5 Acres of private property.1 minute away from the boat ramp. A few Miles walk to Buffalo Springs park .At Kerr Lake V A.RV parking.Kyacking.Canoeing.Boating.Hikeing.Trail riding.GolfCart.4miles to Historic Clarksville VA . On the lake.
$22 - $53 / night
$30 / night
Traveler
Spent 4 nights here (during a heat wave, no less) and really enjoyed it. Campsites are large and not right on top of each other, and especially if you can book one of the campsites that are on the water, they really do have beautiful views (see pictures).
Pros:
Kid-friendly. We spent an afternoon at the splash pad, which is a great way to cool off in the summer and free once you're in the park. I never felt unsafe with my kids running around up to the bath-house or the loop, felt very secluded and safe.
Lake is scenic, we saw fireflies at dusk, it was a great setting for a camping trip.
Everything seems pretty well-maintained. Bathrooms are aging but were cleaned at least once a day, it was fine. There is firewood at every bathhouse you can take on the honor system and pay for via cashbox, which is nice. Campsites are clean and well-maintained.
Lots of lake recreation options (boat rental, fishing, etc.) in or near the park.
Cons:
Maybe it was just our campsite, which backed up to a large wooded area, but they were the most aggressive squirrels I've ever come across. If we went to the bathroom for five minutes and left food on the table, the squirrels would be there eating it when we came back. And would hover at the edge of the campsite or get into the car if the hatchback was open.
Camp store is....fine, pretty minimal in terms of provisions. But not a big deal because Clarksville is five minutes or so away and has plenty of stores.
Tents pads are all gravel. Didn't bother us but definitely would not want to tent camp here if you didn't have a good high-quality sleeping pad.
The biggest con was that there is no swimming area/beach in the park. You can try to wade in from the campsite but that generally requires scaling up/down some fairly treacherous rocks, and navigating driftwood and rocks in the water. We drove a few minutes away outside the park to find one, but would be really nice to have some kind of little swimming area inside the park, very strange to me they don't have one.
But all in all a lovely place for a camping trip, we all had a great time.
Guide
I came here with a large group and really liked it! We were all at crammed into the 4 large group sites so I admittedly can’t comment on the size of a regular site. However the bath houses were adequate. The staff was helpful. And the trails were nice. I wish I would have explored the park a little more as well as the surrounding area. But nice little get away.
GuideThis campground appeared to be very clean and well kept. I am disappointed that we were only there for a night traveling south. If I'm in the area will definitely come back.
Scout
He never responded to the reservation request or my email. Dont waste your time, find somewhere else.
Ranger
The campground needs some updating- there’s only one bathhouse with just 2 showers- if the campground would’ve been full, it would’ve been miserable. Also only one dumpster and it’s on the way out of the campground. BUT it’s a designated dark sky park & the stars were amazing. They also lend out telescopes. They also have nice walking trails & if you like to paddle, the river is nice & flat. There is little to no cell service.
GuideWe stopped at Medoc Mountain State Park for a night on our way North. It was only 10 miles away from I-95. It was a quiet campground (but we were camping the night after the 4th of July ). Lots of space in between campsites, bathrooms were clean.
Though the website said there was only 50 amp availability, we didn’t have to use our adapter and were able to connect using 30amp plug. There was also a 15 amp connection.
There is a shared water spigot for 4 sites right next to the site. We were able to fill up using our hose before fully backing up into the site. The water was much closer to site 3 than site 1,2,4.
Lots of hiking right from the campground and a fun playground nearby for the kiddos. We would definitely visit again, especially as a stopover to destinations farther from home.
ScoutNice well kept park and campgrounds. Most of the sites looked pretty level. Sites in B are small and mostly have deep drop offs beyond the railroad ties. Sites are a little more spread out in C but still pretty small. But plenty of oversite parking. Both campgrounds very wooded. Beware there are LOTS of squirrels and not too afraid of humans. If you have dogs like we do that hate squirrels they drove them nuts- squirrels running around in our campsite and up trees in our campsite. And while walking around. They also climbed on a small table right next to the rv door and shredded my paper towels! Lots of areas to walk. Campground C had only two clean bath houses with only two toilets and two showers. Which I imagine with the many no hookup sites could get pretty busy.
LegendThis is a pretty standard campground. Sites are extremely close together and campground is kind of tiny. One bathhouse for the whole campground. This park would probably appeal to equestrians, boaters, and RVers over tent campers. Unfortunately the promixity of other campers was stressful this weekend because of the screaming family right next to us. River views are nice. Probably won’t return.
GuideWe stayed in a tent, and enjoyed the quiet and the bird, but especially the skies. This is part of the International Dark Sky Association. We brought stargazing folding chairs (Nemo Stargaze Luxury Recliner, find on Amazon, et al) and binoculars. The campground will loan very easy-to-use telescopes, too! That was really cool. It was clean and quiet. The camp host was very nice as were the rangers and the Park Manager.
They have public star parties there, so check with the park on when they are.
Guide25 ft motorhome fit nicely into
Site, very wooded nice and peaceful, showers clean and within walking distance
LegendI camped at this campsite in the fall last year and the colors as I drove in from the main road were stunning. Very clean and well maintained campsite, with lake front sites. There were spots for tents and longer ones for large rigs. There were also Yurts to rent to stay as well. Clean bathroom facilities. I fishing from my kayak and had a very relaxing stay here.
Guide
Stayed here for a quick overnight during the NC RV Show. Easy setup and check in. They let us in a couple hours early which was great. Bathroom facilities were a little questionable at times. We had toilets that constantly weren’t flushed and one that even spilled all over the floor and my feet. Hot water but the toilets just left me a little meh.
The lake is great, roped off area for swimming with a great little sandy beach area next to a playground and toilets.
ScoutVery nice place to walk and lots of sight seeing close by and shor t walk or drive to the water
ScoutOne mile walk to Buffalo park a beautiful place with lots of history. I love it .Great day for a picnic .
GuideNice park. Huge lake. Peaceful fishing. Enjoyed the hikes. History is interesting.
GuideWe stayed in site 11 which was surrounded by lots of trees and gave us lots of privacy from our neighbors. Each site has its own covered trash bin to use. I also appreciated that there was a recycling bin near the bath house. Bathrooms were clean. Great hiking and biking trails! Service was spotty at the campsite but better over near the pavilions/playground.
Guide/wo areas to camp B is small and sedate with clean bath house. Camp host was the best Camp C is larger and some sites are close to the water. No camp store.
ScoutVery quiet with well spaced sites.
Well maintained hiking trails.
Big open park area for night sky viewing or daytime picnics.
Most the sites have deteriorating construction or in need of new gravel.
The bath house was very clean.
Trailer / RV sites aren't level for most sites. Some of the pull through sites don't accommodate large trailers due to tight turns.
The tent camp areas are very level.
TravelerAttitude is believing Dude
GuideWe loved staying at Medoc Mountain! The staff is superb!! Very well maintained. Restroom’s & shower’s are kept very clean. Their’s always firewood right next to the ladies restrooms. We enjoyed all of the hiking we did during our stay. We weren’t aware that there are quite a bit of Sasquatch sightings in this state park. I seriously thought I was seeing things when I witnessed Big Foot!!! Plenty of wild flowers and insects. The campsites are all good. Our favorite was site 32 it’s a pull through. At night you can see the constellations Amazing views right from your campsite. We loved our stay there in August so much we recently went back to visit and of course he needed to say hello to my favorite park ranger Miss Barbara as well as Allan in the office. Peaceful and very friendly environment.
ScoutWe had a great weekend getaway. The campsite was perfect and the hiking was great. Different levels of difficulty for hiking trails and and little fishing creek.
TravelerI stayed at Occoneechee state park and was pleasantly surprised by not only the staff but the whole park. I stayed at campsite B and was right by bathroom which I thought would be a problem but didn’t bother me and it was honestly nice in the middle of the night. You could see the water through the trees however if you’re up for the hike; follow the trail and the campsite located at the end of the loop and the trail will take you to the water for a beautiful view… if you go to the right and hike around you’ll find a wood chair that you can rest on if you would like. (the one that wasn’t burnt down by irresponsible campers) hiking on, if you cross the trees that are down and a little water there is a rock that sit and allows you to get a private and breathe taking view.
ScoutLabor Day weekend car camping at Medoc Mountain State Park campground! Had a great time camping and hiking. Spacious campsite with gravel parking space, gravel tent pad, picnic table, fire ring with grill and lantern pole. We were fortunate that we had shade at our site most of the day.
Hiking trails were in great shape - well maintained. We hiked a few of the trails and ended up with about seven miles total, but there were more we could have done.
Firewood was readily available, the bathrooms and showers were clean. We had a great time and plan to return when we are in the area.
LegendWe camped here again at Staunton River State Park, this time we stayed in site 21, which is an electric site near the bathrooms/showers and one of the best for viewing stars. There is little tree cover and a sort of field behind the campsite where you can set up your telescope and see the stars really well. We were also able to rent one of the telescopes they have at the Visitors center (for free!) and use it throughout the stay.
We came the weekend after the fourth of July which was hot but surprisingly not too crowded. We participated in some of the parks' programs this time around and it made it such a great experience, especially for the kids. They had smores around the fire on a Friday night, where they handed out smores ingredients around a big campfire near the visitors center and you could chat with other campers. It was so nice! Then they had a outdoor movie afterwards. The next day we went to a "feed the animals" program, where the kids got to meet and help feed all the animals in the visitors center and learn more about them. There were turtles, snakes, fish! The kids loved it! We did the Junior Ranger hike and the kids all got badges. Hopefully the pool will be open next summer because it was so hot and that would have been awesome! But there is another Virginia State Park nearby, Occoneechee, that has a splash pad that we went to. Such a fun time!
ScoutThis was our shakedown for our new camper. We found the site to be very neat and well cared for. The trails are very nice. There are lots of nice camping spots including some pull through sites. It was hot when we camped — but there is lots of late afternoon shade. It seems that higher numbers have more shade/are closer to wooded tracts. We will be back.
GuideWe stayed in site 4 which was fairly level if you park in the right spot. The bathrooms were clean and the hosts were friendly. No cell service, but if you go to the Visitor’s center during the day they have WiFi. The history of the location is interesting. We won’t spoil it for you.
Nice amount of little trails. The reason we gave it 3 stars, in the morning fighter jets were screaming overhead at treetop level. Really ruined the atmosphere and sense of being out in nature.
TravelerQuick overnight stay; pad was large & easy to back into with our Cricket trailer- sites are nicely spaced apart (privacy). Airplanes fly overhead pretty regularly; seemed to stop in the late evening & start up early. Be prepared to pack you trash out of the park. Overall a nice spot!
Camping near John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir, Virginia, offers a mix of beautiful lakeside views and outdoor activities. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or a fun family adventure, there are plenty of campgrounds to choose from.
Camping near John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir, Virginia, has something for everyone, from fishing and hiking to family-friendly activities and RV tips. Enjoy your outdoor adventure!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir is Occoneechee State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 21 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir?
TheDyrt.com has all 5 equestrian camping locations near John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir, with real photos and reviews from campers.
