Best Tent Camping near Mechanicsville, VA

Tent Camping Reviews near Mechanicsville, VA

419 Reviews of 8 Mechanicsville Campgrounds

• 

  Stephanie J.

  Legend

  Oct. 31, 2018

  Powhatan State Park Campground

  Peaceful and well-maintained campsites, just a short drive from the city

  Powhatan State Park is a relatively new addition to the VA State Parks system; the park itself has only been open since 2003. The primitive, canoe-in campground opened with the park, and the loop with electric and water hookups opened in 2016.

  **Canoe-In Campground: **

  When we stayed, we stayed in the canoe-in campground, although we hiked in the approximate 1/4 mile from the parking lot, rather than coming in by boat. This is a quiet, beautiful loop, with 8 sites, each with a picnic table and fire ring. There are composting toilets here and no potable water, so you will need to bring enough water for your trip or purification methods. Proper food storage is also essential back here; while this section of Virginia does not have the bear activity you’d find in the mountains, there are still raccoons and other wildlife who should not have access to human food. There are no bear boxes, so treat food storage as you would in the backcountry. 

  -Sites 7 and 8 are closes to the toilets, and back up to the woods leading towards the Turkey Trail; hikers are visible from site 8 and audible from site 7.  

  -Sites 4 and 5 back up to a very wooded area, and are further back from the gravel loop. Site 4 is closest to the boat ramp and is visible; site 5 is probably the most private in the loop. 

  -Sites 1,2, and 6 are in the center loop, but have more space between them than inner-loop sites usually have. Sites 1 and 2 are right against the River Trail however, so will have hikers walking directly past during the day. 

  The canoe-in loop sits against the James River; there is a rack to stow your canoe/kayak overnight, and a pay by honor-system pile of firewood. Due to the thick foliage there is no actual river-view during the warmer months, but it’s easily accessbile. When we stayed in early spring there were a lot of vines that served as “natural playground” for our kids; they used them as swings, monkey bars, and enjoyed getting their feet wet at the base of the canoe ramp, so much that they declined hiking or driving to the park’s man-made playground. This loop makes a great “trial run” site for anyone considering a future backcountry trip; the walk to the parking lot is short enough to make multiple trips if you need to, and you still have access to the park amenities if you don’t mind a walk/drive to get there.

  River Bend Loop

  The River Bend Loop has 29 sites with water and electric hook-ups, though very little privacy between sites. The surrounding trees give all but the first three sites decent shade and a wooded atmosphere, and this is a great loop for RVs or tent campers who enjoy being close to other sites. If you are looking for a feeling of isolation however, you would be better off minimizing your gear and walking to the primitive sites, or going to a different park altogether. The bathrooms here have electricity, flush toilets, and showers with hot water. Sites 1-14 are available for advance reservation, and sites 15-29 are first-come first-served. Site 25 offers the most privacy for tent campers, and it’s very large, but if the campground is at full occupancy all sites are going to have a crowded feel.

  There are several hiking trails at this park ranging from very easy to moderate, and a couple of them are horse-friendly; our kids enjoy seeing horses on the trail with them, but be mindful if you have kids/dogs who may be afraid of the horses. The park also has a playground, picnic shelters, and ranger activities on the weekends, and there are three yurts available to book.

  This is a very open, well-maintained park, and the camping options should appeal to a wide spectrum of campers, and my only reason for giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the lack of privacy in the drive-up campsites. It feels a lot like a hidden gem; the hookup campground fills up during warmer weather, but all of our visits here have been very quiet and peaceful. If you are looking for camping options near Richmond, I highly recommend this park!

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• 

  Katie M.

  Legend

  Oct. 2, 2020

  Powhatan State Park Campground

  Peaceful and quiet!

  We stayed here in March and it was very cold for tent camping, I think it got into the 20's at night! There were no other campers staying there while we were there in the canoe-in campground so it was very peaceful and quiet. This campground is primitive so there is no electricity or water. The sites include a picnic table and fire ring. Our tent pad was pretty level and pretty big! You could probably fit two small tents on there. There is a short .2 mile hike from a parking lot so we packed light and backpacked in. We stayed in site 4, which is towards the back of the loop. Not much privacy in the winter because there are no leaves on the trees. This campground has a pit toilet at the front of the campground and fire wood available for purchase near the canoe launch. 

  We loved this park! The trails are fun and love all the beautiful views. We saw some incredible sunsets over the James River. There are all sorts of fun, gnarly trees for the kids to play on at the campsite! They had so much fun!

  There are some great breweries nearby and only a short drive from Richmond and Charlottesville!

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• 

  RL

  Legend

  Nov. 17, 2020

  Pocahontas State Park Campground

  Lovely November Trip 🔥

  Camped on a Friday night, had site 106. It was a really nice site: set back a bit from the road, fairly wooded, not a long walk to the bathhouse water/electric hook-ups, and a long back-in driveway. Nice fire ring with grill (that had been cleaned), lantern/trash pole, picnic table. Pea gravel tent pad. Honor pay wood.

  After a neighboring camper left we noticed they were disinfecting the campsites very well. Picnic tables, electric/water areas, fire pit areas, poles, etc. were all getting sprayed down between campers.

  Walked around the trails on Saturday. The trail around Beaver Lake was a really nice 2.5 mile loop. Gorgeous in November. Like most weekends, a bit busy on a Saturday. Everything’s open right now, and masks are required in common areas, bath houses, etc.

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• 

  Janet R.

  Legend

  May. 25, 2025

  Kings Creek

  Kings Creek Tent sites at Cheatham Annex

  There may be a bit of confusion about camping opportunities at Cheatham Annex Bass. It used to be that there was only one campground for the whole base, with a combo of RV sites and tent sites. The options have expanded and changed: a brand new RV park was built several miles away on the northside of the base, and it has its own brand new Rec Center and bath facilities etc. The Kings Creek Campground is on the south side where the old RV park used to be, but is now for tent camping only. There are still the remnant water and electric hookups available, and each site has plenty of grass for setting up tents, or you can set up on the cement pad. Each site has a picnic table, only some have fire rings. Sites 11 through 18 are in a loop around a nice kids playground, with trees surrounding the sites and glimmers of Kings Creek in the background. Sites 1-10 in the adjacent loop are right on the water where Kings Creek enters the York River, and the sites circle round a nice picnic area. Sites 6-7 are currently not being rented out as it has been discovered that the gravesite of a Revolutionary War soldier is located right there. Both tent loops have close access to a nice clean bathhouse, and there is good proximity to the base golf course and a really nice outdoor swimming pool. A great fishing pier nearby extends out into the York River. The MWR office rents kayaks and other equipment and has a coffee shop if you want hot breakfast

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• 

  Napunani

  Legend

  Jun. 24, 2022

  Chickahominy Riverfront Park

  Needs Some Overdue TLC

  PROS 

  Perfect campground to explore the Historical Triangle 

  Campground along Virginia Capital Bike Trail, which was an excellent riding trail 

  Site#335 level side-to-side 

  Sandy gravel site 

  Moveable plastic wood picnic table 

  Metal fire pit with cooking grate 

  Shady site 

  Wood and ice for sale at Guest Services 

  Slight river view from Site#335 

  Toilet/shower building clean 

  Pool 

  CONS 

  Overused James City County Park…definitely needs some TLC applied 

  Check-in clerk very curt and extremely non-customer service oriented 

  Never saw a camp host site or the actual camp host 

  Weirdly laid out full hook up campground. Some sites are 20 ft long 

  Sites are extremely close to each other 

  Had to park tow vehicle next to trailer due to short length of site 335

  Tight roadway thru full hook up campground 

  Dirt roadways = dusty 

  Empty campsites were heavily littered

  No privacy from neighbor sites 

  Extremely low water pressure even when campground is not fully occupied 

  No gate or controlled access to campground so lots of gawking drive thrus 

  Lots of speed bumps throughout park 

  Site#335 fire ring filled with ash upon arrival 

  Toilet/shower building lit up like a Christmas tree all night long

  Street lights throughout campground 

  Road noise from VA5 

  No WiFi 

  1 bar Verizon

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• 

  Crystal C.

  Legend

  Oct. 31, 2018

  Small Country Campground

  Designed With Family In Mind

  This is by no means the biggest campground or the most modern but something which can be said for this campground is it feels like it was designed with family fun in mind. From the bouncing blob to the oversized chess set, from the lakeside beach to the swimming pool, it seems as though plenty of thought has been placed on how to keep a family entertained when in this area of Virginia.

  The sites themselves are not just average tent and RV sites. Instead they have various types of cabins which you can rent in addition to these. The tent sites are grouped in the same area and while there are only a handful of them, they are well shaded, nicely spaced and pretty even. The rolling hills of the area do not seem to effect the layout of these spaces.

  My site was equipped with a picnic table however I did not have a fire ring or lantern post. They do have some upgraded sites for tents which include these or even have electricity. I enjoyed the location and when I was visiting there were not many people staying in this area.

  I do wish I hadn't been traveling alone because it would have been a bit more fun with all the activities had I have had a travel companion. This is one of those places where it pays to have a buddy!!

  TIPS:

  • If you will be staying on a weekend call in advance to book because of limited tent sites.

  • During summertime this place is like one of those dream summer camps with lake toys including blobs and inflatable obstacles. Try to visit during this time of year to fully take advantage.

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• 

  RL

  Legend

  Aug. 1, 2020

  Chippokes State Park Campground

  Beautiful Plantation

  Awesome things to see here! It’s been a working farm since 1619 with beautiful gardens and livestock. The mansion and outbuildings are pretty cool as well.

  Restrooms were not very clean. Each time I went to the ladies room, the door was propped wide open, and when I went to brush my teeth in the morning the counters were covered in moths and bugs and gnats. Yuck. The showers were ok.

  Ice is $3 and you can grab that from the camp host if it’s after 4pm which is when the store closes. It’s cash only, exactly change. Wood is $6 and there’s a metal box - pay on your honor.

  The beaches were very nice. You’re on the Cobham Bay vs. right on the river and in the dead of the summer, the water is sooo unpleasantly warm. You can wade out at the very least 100 yards and still be less than knee-deep, water still hot. The access to the little beaches are short but moderately steep, especially with lots of beach gear or strollers. It also seems to get washed out so watch your steps.

  The little visitor center near the water access has cold drinks, souvenirs, ice cream, etc. They obv. accept credit cards. You can bring your dog into this area. There’s also a little wildlife info center and restrooms in the same buildings. There are also areas for day use and a good sized parking lot near the water access.

  Straight across the river is Jamestown and Williamsburg, which is cool. I think I was told it’s about four miles across. That being said... those are your closest grocery stores and you have to take the Jamestown Ferry to get there. There is a Dollar General near the park, for odds and ends. Just make sure to stop in advance for what you need because you won’t find much in Surry.

  Stopped at the Surry Seafood Co. for lunch and it was ok. Food and service was mediocre, but there was a nice water view from the deck. Was looking forward to stopping for some shrimp to cook that night from Colonial Seafood market but after walking in, I walked right back out. It was so unclean and didn’t smell fresh at all.

  We took a beautiful drive around the plantation. The cabins look great and we’ll definitely try those out next time. There were corn fields and soybeans for miles. Such a great park due to its history.

  Campsites themselves were pretty nice; not too close together. Our site had the tent pad down away from the picnic table and fire ring which was kind of nice. It was really shady, too. Room for hammocks.

  Each site has a picnic table, fire pit, tent pad, lantern pole. Verizon service was great.

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• B

  Brenda L.

  Ranger

  Mar. 31, 2021

  Thousand Trails Williamsburg

  Extenuating circumstances

  We arrived on opening day (March 19, 2021) for the season. They had unfortunately been a victim of the rain and the main road to the campground had washed out. Alternative routes were set up to enter and exit. I understand from reading other reviews that they can routinely have problems when it rains . We were placed in a small site in front of the check in location. We were pre assigned a site and not given a choice. The mud and puddles were so bad we couldn’t locate the sewer connection. But the next day they came over and found it for us and leveled out some gravel piles that had been dumped on the site. The site was level and gravel. A picnic table and fire ring was available. The roads are a bit narrow and there are lots of trees. Plenty of nice area to walk our dog. We didn’t use or even go in the bathhouses so can’t comment on those. All in all it was okay... as long as it doesn’t rain. It appeared there were some full time cabin residents and camper residents as well. Location was great and we loved going into Colonial Williamsburg from here.

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• 

  Trina C.

  Guide

  Jun. 24, 2018

  Chickahominy Riverfront Park

  County Park

  This park boasts over 120 sites, some wIth river/creek views. sites are Basic: tent; Electric only: tent/pop up; Water/Electric: 20,30 amp; Water/Electric: 20-50 amp; very limited 50 amp full hookups. 2 bath houses. Group sites. No cabins. Fishing pier, pool, biking/hiking/walking trails, play ground, boat launch and small boat rentals. Reserve 12 months out, full payment required. 90 day maximum stay.