Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Marion, VA

Campground review: Hungry Mother State Park in Marion, VA. This park has something for everyone. Hiking, biking, kayaking, fishing, swimming. There are interesting campfire get togethers too. Two campgrounds, one up the hill, the other on the main road. Secluded cabins and yurts. We stayed in the smaller campground at the top of the hill. There is electric at each site and plenty of room for more then one tent, hammocks and small campers. A nice showerhouse with dish sink on the end. You will get your exercise walking the rolling loop still campground and hill. There is a yurt in this campground with a nice deck. Some visitors saw a bear near the backside of the lake, but I didn’t see any large wildlife. The cabins are located on the backside of the lake with some nice porches to sit and enjoy the evening breeze. The beach is popular, there are kayaking programs and paddle boats. You could easily stay a week here. Two things to do while your here is ONE: check out DIP DOGS a very popular and busy restaurant and TWO: the “Back of the Dragon” an AWESOME DRIVING TOUR across the mountains from Marion to Tazewell, VA.

Product Review: As a Dyrt Ranger I have the opportunity to check out some awesome outdoor products. Outdoor Element stuff is like survivalist gear that can be carried with you all the time. Bracelets that can be used to make fire, use as fishing line and as rope. This bracelet has a fish hook “embedded” in it and a flint and striker for sparks. Cool thing they do is give you a piece of the 550 cord used for the bracelet to take apart and experiment with. Watch my video for more information. I wear the bracelet all the time now so it’s a little stinky , ;p not sure about washing it, but I am going to the site to find out.

Campground sites are a bit close together but it is well maintained and has friendly staff.  Wifi works well.  Nice dog park.

We stayed here for vacation last year. There’s a nice dog park, and the facilities are clean. My only negative was that they had us camp up on the top of the hill and it was difficult to navigate back down, with some very sharp turns for our fifth wheel. They seemed to have some nice amenities, and the staff was very friendly.

Nice, clean campground with friendly staff. Outdoor pool, mini golf, bowling alley and more to keep everyone busy. We stayed on Labor Day weekend so it was crowded and of course it was a bit noisy but would definitely recommend anyone to stay here and we would definitely go back. They also have two dog parks in the campground which is nice for your furry family! 😊

I typically steer clear of KOA's because most of the sites are super close together. This KOA is different! There is a row towards the front that are pretty close together, but I think they use those for one-nighters. We were in a tent and loved our spot. The staff was UNBELIEVABLY awesome and nice. They have a pool, a pond, a playground, a dog park, and a great camp store. The bathrooms and laundry room are exceptionally clean. If you order ice or firewood, they bring it to your site. They also have food you can order and they will bring it to your site. I am sure there are many things I am forgetting, but this is a must stay and we will be back.

Beautiful lake surrounded by gorgeous mountains, hiking, fishing and boating, amazing staff, very clean shower houses and laundry facility! Very family oriented and pet friendly!

Our site and bathhouse was clean. I just wish we had camped closer to the river. However it was rice to have a fire and just sit under the stars. Also they have a pole there to hold your pets while setting up. I think we will go back.

This is a park well worth a visit! Lots of hiking opportunities. Great views! The ponies are extra cute. Please respect the distance advice and don't feed them. We witnessed a lady attempting to pet the stallion of the herd, not respecting his signs to make her back off. Eventually HE will get into trouble for being protective of his herd, because of some disrespectful visitors. That is just dangerous and sad. As a general information: my photos of the ponies were all taken with a telephoto lens.

Fancy Gap CC is a great small campground with a rustic hotel, cabins, tent camping, and RV/Trailer hook ups. I've stayed here before tent camping, which was nice. This time I was caught in traffic and they had a cabin available, better than pitching a tent in the dark and rain. The cabins are sturdy, very clean, pet friendly, and complete with a refrigerator/microwave and coffee maker. The bath house is relatively new and kept very clean. The whole campground is tidy. You can tell tell the owners love the place. If Fancy Gap is relatively close to your travel plans, I highly suggest you visit for yourself.

I was looking for a campground in the latter half of April and so many of the NF and NP campgrounds were not yet open. My plans had been up in the air, so I hadn’t made reservations anywhere. Jumped on The Dyrt and located this KOA just off the Blue Ridge Parkway that was ideally located for my exploration of the area AND I was able to make a late reservation on a weekday night. The campground was much busier when I departed on a Friday morning. 

Like many KOAs, this has a combination of tent sites and well-equipped RV sites, ranging from back-in to pull-through as well as cabins. I’ve stayed at a few, but not many KOAs and this one had some amenities that I think are worth calling out. In addition to a pet play area, there are a few sites(51, 43& 45) with pet backyards, fenced in areas for your pet to roam and play. For the tent sites there are a couple (T84& T86) with a shared covered kitchen area plus sail-style awnings. There’s also a separate kitchen pavilion for the all campers near site 83. I didn’t explore the seasonal sites, but they are available and somewhat separate from the short-term campers. 

There’s a small camp store, laundry room, clean bathrooms with showers. Firewood can be delivered to your site. They’ll lead you to your site and help you get situated if necessary. I was in site 10, a back-up site with a slight incline. It was quiet apart from the creaking trees during a windstorm😊. 

In peak season, there’s a pool, a small pond (catch& release unless you want to pay), ping pong, rock mining, etc. They have great wifi (they sent a text to campers to let them know they were working to get the cable restored, but in the meantime people could use the wifi to stream movies if needed). I didn’t have a need to use it as I was able to get what I needed on my phone(Verizon). 

If you’re traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway, you may want to make this an overnight stop or use it as a base to explore in different directions. I went online and discovered that Mt Airy(of Andy Griffith fame), was nearby, so I wandered into NC to explore that. I also drove along the Parkway and enjoyed Mabry’s Mill(a lot of activities were closed due to COVID, but I expect they’ll start returning to former levels as restrictions ease). On an early trip, I recall learning about making moonshine as well as the functions of the scenic mill.

Great experience! I was car camping with my cat and found a great flat area to park at site #9. Hiking was very close by and the wild ponies were so cool! Camp hosts offered ice and firewood. Bathrooms were clean and had showers. We had a wonderful time.

Really cool campground located right on the New River, located at Foster Falls. The river sounds amazing at night. You have to walk everything into the campground from the parking area, but it's not a long walk so you can still bring all of your "car camping" luxuries. There are no RV sites and there are no bathhouses, only pit toilets which can be a little funky, but it is what it is. Just a short walk from the campground, you can explore the area which includes stables, a wildlife center, visitor center with local artisan goods (we got some local teas, stevia, and handmade jewelry/ornaments as gifts), an abandoned hotel/grounds (you can check them out from the outside), an old train car, and much more. Pet-friendly. 

Sites 2, 6, and 9 would be my personal picks for next time. If you have a large group, G17 is HUGE. You can also use this campground for day-use, picnicking, etc.

Shot Tower State Park isn't far from here either, so definitely check that out while you're in the area. Millrace Campground is located within the New River State Park. We went in October and the colors were really starting to change.

Build by the Civilan Conservation Corps In the 1903s- Hungry Mother is state park planning its historical peak! The amenities cannot be missed - beach with bath house and snack bar, interpretive center with children’s activities, on-site restaurant with wonderful lake view, $8 kayak rentals, well-kept paddle boats, and wonderful hiking. We loved the kayaks - if you only have 1 hour, power right out of the boat slip (past the beach) up and around the far part of the lake. Utter solitude among the hills! 💗

For hiking, we especially enjoyed Lake Trail - easy but quiet and lovley vegetation. We stayed in one of the old CCC cabins (pups and cats allowed!), and while simple and rustic - it was perfectly maintained and clean. we hope to go back during fireplace season! The loss of one star is as due to the number of white supremacist bumper stickers, t-shirts, and tattoos in the day use parking lot and on the beach. We ended up not sticking around due to concerns about our safety - clearly a genderqueer same sex couple was not welcome news among the locals.

Camp Burson is a nice campground with large sites. The other campground, Creekside, is nice and secluded but no sewer hookups and road in is narrow for large rigs. The town of Marion has what you need and nearby towns, like Saltville, with its museum, are fun to explore.

I was traveling in this area and was really excited to have found that there is a town called Austinville where Stephen F Austin, a founder of Texas, originated. While driving out to the monument in his honor I found this site and loved what I saw!

Highway access to this area is easy for all types of traveler. there are several stores in the area with just about anything you could need or want only moments away from camp and if you are there in late summer when I was, the sun rises are amazing!!!!

So what is the catch?? Well they don't accept tents!!! NOOOOOO!! I didn't find a single thing about that online when I checked their site following finding out this knowledge, however I did like this site enough to still give them a positive review because they were so nice, their facility was ample and their proximity itself.

In fact, they were so nice they gave me a tour of the campground even though I couldn't stay and gave me some great info about places around me which led me to another campground that served me perfect, a tent campground nearby.

This site has a very nice restroom with multiple sinks, a large laundry room perfect for a camper who is on the road for a while like myself. I noticed there was a very nice pool which is heated, allowing it to be open much longer than many campgrounds in the area. There is a large pet area and also playground and several hiking areas in the direct area which all looked nice.

Nearby are numerous state parks as a part of the New River Trail including the Shot Tower Historical Site which is a very short distance away. In addition, people often come here to watch the birds and deer, which are very relaxing.

Should I return with an RV I also inquired about the rates which are reasonable at $35 for standard hook ups and they do have weekly rates also. I did notice what appeared to be a few long term campers but their areas still looked kept and maintained.

TIPS:

• Call in advance if you will be arriving late in the evening. The management lives on property and will make arrangements to meet you.
• Take advantage of the historic Wrythesville walking tour, you can get information about this in the office and it is WELL WORTH IT!!

This KOA is located in the heart of Virginia's Blue Ridge close to Galax, home of the annual Fiddlers Convention. The site has several lots with private dog runs where your pooch can have space to stretch their legs while you enjoy the beauty of the facilities.

The pool is well maintained and is adjacent to a spring fed mining sluse where for a small fee you can pan for gold and other precious gems.The only down side is the steep access road to the back in campsites.

Our site is beautiful! But, we don't know the number. Miles from the State Park. Hungry Momma ain't too thrilled. People are hooked into our electric, because they blew their breakers. People walk their dogs through our site, because we pick up after our dogs.

Our first time at Hungry mother State Park. We stayed at Camp Burson (part of Hungry Mother) which is located about 1 mile south of the main park. A number of sites are here which have full hookups. About 1/2 of the sites are reservable and 1/2 get assigned when you arrive. The main park at Hungry Mother has a large swimming area with a diving dock (swim platform) in the water and concession stand. The boathouse has kayaks and paddle boats to rent. Admission to the main park is free to anyone staying at Burson.

The town of Marion has a great drive-in movie theater - Park Place drive-in. They also have mini-golf and ice cream there. Certainly worth a stop! The town has all the usual places. Unfortunately with the Covid virus we did not frequent them.

Hungry Mother State Park, Royal Oak Campground, Marion VA...site 3. https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/hungry-mother

Campground Overview: Located outside of Marion VA

Hungry Mother State Park is somewhat split up and fragmented on either side of a local highway and the first campground is distanced from the other two. So a little different than most parks but not necessarily a negative.

The Visitor’s Center is on the left after the first campground (Camp Burson) and across the roadway from the reservoir and beach area. The remaining two campground loops are past the beach area...one to the right along a feeder stream (Creekside Campground) and opposite that is the third loop (Royal Oak Campground) on the side of a hill with wooden platforms for tents.

I was hoping to paddle this meandering reservoir but it was being drained for bridge work...so it was six feet or so lower than normal. Even the migrating geese weren’t too happy about it, as they waddled around on the mud.

During the peak of the summer season, it appears that it would be very popular with s nice swimming beach, paddlecraft rentals, cabin rentals, conference center, ample covered picnic pavilions and both paved and dirt trails.

I stayed on site 3 in Royal Oak Campground, pitching the tent on a 20’x20’ leveled wooden platform. Several pros and cons to elevated platforms.

Pros: It’s level and large enough for any tent I’ve ever seen. Water drains pretty decent between wood decking, so no pooling. D-ring lashing points were attached to the decking to assist in securing tent or rainfly.

Cons: When the cold wind blows, it’s hard to retain heat in the tent...360 cold. While there are D-ring lashing points, they don’t accommodate every tent of rainfly. Previous knucklehead campers drill Tapcon screws or nails in the wood decking and rails to secure their tent...then leave them there so everyone else snags or rips their tent on them.

It rained for 12 hours straight with cold, high winds...so it was a bit chilly, but still enjoyable.

What I enjoyed: deer wandering through the grounds, the Molly’s Knob Trail and Vista Summit,

The ugly: the lake (reservoir) was drained. Heaters weren’t on in the shower rooms...37 degree showering gets tricky.

The campground, paths, and bathrooms were very clean. Beautiful views at Rock Falls. If we didn't have our dogs with us we would have done hikes longer than 4 miles.