Best Tent Camping near Lancaster, VA

We tent camped here over Labor Day weekend as our first family camping trip, and we all had such a good time! Our boys (8, 6, & 4) had so much fun on the big playground and paddle boating. Ask for Bill! He’s awesome and treats everyone like they’re special :)

The tent sites are clean, closely grouped, and the lights from the bathroom shine on them all night (so bring a sleep mask). But for $10/night with full bathrooms, sink to wash dishes in, and laundry? Worth the lights! Will definitely stay here again.

Hello,

Wow is all I have to say about this camping trip. It was partially our own fault because we had to rush in and didn’t research local bug populations. But holy crap! We kayaked in a sunset which was gorgeous and their were six tent sites. 4 of which were close together and two new ones which were really nice. No one was there but us. You can boat or hike in. We did primitive tent camping and it was so beautiful with our own lake view and private site for the time being but the BUGS were from another planet. We had super mutant mosquitoes and horse flies. They were resisitant to citronella candles, essential oils, and bug spray with 40% deet. We only found relief in the water. They invaded our tent as well and spent an hour in the evenings killing them before bed but still woke up with welts. If we come back it will be in winter when there are NO BUGS!!!!!! (Hopefully)

We love this campground and have been all months of the summer, but this was the first time camping here after Labor Day and I think it might be my most favorite time of all!

Kiptopeake is a very popular park for good reason and therefore the campground and beaches are usually pretty crowded. We came here the last weekend of September and it was awesome! There was a much chiller vibe, the beaches were not crowded at all! We watched a beautiful sunset on the beach with maybe 6 other people there.

We chose to reserve a non-specific tent site and when we got there late on a Friday night had most of the site in loop D to pick from, so we got a great one! Site D-13 was close to the bathrooms and amenities. Nighttime was nice and quiet!

The slightly cooler and less humid weather made tent camping much better than mid-summer sweatfest, but the water is still warm enough to swim. Highly recommend coming here in the Fall!

Rv and tent camping. Kids activities. Adult fun. Campstore and bathrooms.

I went tent camping here and it was really really nice. Me and my family enjoyed ourselves. Staff was friendly and the bathrooms was very clean. We will be going back very soon.

Great little trails to the beach. The RV areas had zero privacy. The tent camping area had a lot more privacy but the bathrooms in that area were not as clean.

Clean facilities, close to beach and fishing pier. Only gripe is tent sites and interwoven with RV sites with little privacy.

My son and I went here at the end of August for our first tent camping trip and even with the heat it was still great it’s a beautiful spot and the camp host was super friendly

They have a few tent camping spots as well as cabins. Just call ahead. I just showed up and got a perfect camp spot with a view of the sunrise and access to the private beach.

Electric sites are very open and close together - thus my rating. Restrooms are fine, old but serviceable. Clean campground.

Tent sites are shaded and very inviting!

Enjoyed that they have ranger programs.

Nice park. 1st two rows of sites have almost ZERO tree cover. 1st row not very level sites. Not quite as spacious/spread out sites as other state parks, but it's on the bay! Tent sites are wooded, no rvs allowed.

Beautiful wild beach covered with crabs, access to kayaks and paddle boards and fishing within walking distance. rangers are very considerate and keep it family friendly. they have yurts for rent as well as tent sites, bathrooms are posh with hot water. convenient water spigots throughout park.

Beautiful area with views of the York River. Tons of cabins and house rentals along with RV and tent camping sights. It is located on a military base so access is limited to those with base access. The base is more of an industrial area with lots of traffic but some of the cabins sit back on the water so noise is not an issue.

I could not wait to get there! I was so excited to go fossil hunting! Camping was way too cramped for me as we tent camp and were stuck surrounded by RVs. The people next to us could be heard whispering! That being said, the fossil hunting was fun and my hubby found a few neat sharks teeth. The hiking was a blast and fishing was productive and fun! Next time though we will just day trip it as I never want to camp that closely to others again - ugh

We ended up staying here because everything else was booked and we needed a place to stay for the kiddos soccer tournament. The sites are close but not on top of each other. We have an RV but there are cabins and tent sites. There are paved and dirt roads/trails, a pond, shower areas and is right on the water. They also have a light game by the showers that the kids loved. We’ll be back!

This campground had beautiful beach access but the tent campsites are too close to other campers which I found awkward. Usually when I think of camping I think of some peaceful time in the woods but I felt like I was in a crowded restaurant. One thing I did appreciate was that the beach and campground were dog friendly and the bathrooms/showers were clean.

This is a great campground on the Eastern Shore of VA. As with most VA state parks, it's popular with RV's and campers, but it was great for tent camping as well. There are numerous trails and water/beach access points throughout the park. The sites are spacious, and even though it has a lot of sites, they are spread out throughout different loops so it doesn't feel crowded. As with most campgrounds near sea level, it is prone to flooding if there's a lot of rain. 

There's also a nice little store where you can purchase camping essentials and souvenirs.