Best Tent Camping near Randolph, VA

Tent Camping Reviews near Randolph, VA

263 Reviews of 2 Randolph Campgrounds

• 

  Stephanie J.

  Legend

  Jul. 14, 2018

  Bear Creek Lake State Park Campground

  Well maintained with lots of recreational activities

  Part of the VA State Park system, BCL is exceptionally well-maintained. Most of the site are RV accessible, but there are a few tent-only sites along the lake, which is where we stayed. These sites are absolutely beautiful--great lake views, and while the only swimming allowed is at the roped off beach area, there is a canoe launch and fishing opportunities right at the campsites.

  The tent pads are filled with shredded tires instead of gravel or dirt, which provides a little extra cushion, but can be uncomfortable on bare feet.

  All sites have fire rings, lantern hooks, and extra long picnic tables. Tent pads are of varying sizes--we stayed in site A12 and our 6 person tent fit easily, and we could have fit a second one-many of our camp neighbors had 10 person tents set up.

  The water view loop was not heavily trafficked, though the water does provide a hazard if you have small children as it is not roped off in any way. Our kids loved having the water right there and we loved watching them, it just requires extra vigilance. Loops B and C have more sites that are very shady but closer together, and there is more vehicle and bicycle traffic going past campsites.

  Bathrooms are clean, and have showers and electrical outlets to charge devices if needed.

  The park has lots of hiking, including trails that go directly from the camp sites to the swimming area, boat/canoe rentals, cabins, fishing, and a lakeside diner that sells concessions. Campsites allegedly have Wifi though we did not test this to see how reliable it is.

  Cumberland County is only at 455' elevation, so the heat and humidity in the summer is intense--we were very uncomfortable our first night because of this, so fall would probably be the best time to go as it is when central Virginia has the best weather.

  Read More
• k

  kristine

  Traveler

  Aug. 2, 2022

  Lake Gaston Americamps

  Clean, friendly

  Went tent camping here. Employees are friendly and they have a small shop on site. Bathrooms were clean but had to drive to them from the tent sites. Luckily they have a set of porta potties closer to the sites for easy use. The tent only sites are on the water so the view is pretty, but not private. The picnic tables and fire rings are at the bottom of hill so when it rained, water ran down the hill and it became very muddy where we eat. My kids were able to play in the water and we could fish right from our site which was the best part. Another plus is they pick up trash right from your site.

• 

  Myron C.

  Legend

  Jul. 31, 2020

  Staunton River State Park Campground

  State Park Campground with Trails for Hikers, Bikers, and Horses

  The campground at Staunton River State Park has lots of shade, water and electrical hookups, level sites, are not on top of each other, and… gravel sites. I understand the reason for gravel sites, but it is NOT good for tent campers, especially for campers that do not have freestanding tents. The first two attempts at driving tent stakes in resulted in bent stakes. Even though I said the sites are not on top of each other, they are still close enough that you do not get much privacy. The noise from other campers was fairly loud. Two units(e.g., camper+ tent) are allowed, but there is little room for anything, especially since campers are supposed to keep everything within the boundaries of the“timbers.” We got one of the largest sites, and it still was crowded. There was a fire ring with a grate, a picnic table, and two lantern poles, but again, everything was tight. Fitting two vehicles within the limits was nearly impossible. I know we weren’t supposed to set anything up outside the boundaries(please forgive us), but we set up our dining canopy and hammocks outside of the timbers. Despite the campsite limits, I still think this campground and the state park were great. There were many miles of trails for biking, hiking, and horseback riding. We rode our bikes along a couple of the trails, but we had to steer around horse poop(not always successfully). The trail itself was scenic at times when we rode by the river, and it was not too difficult. There are enough“bumps” for bikers to get their heartbeats jumping, but the trails are easy and moderate. Kayaking and fishing seemed to be two of the more popular activities. There is a boat ramp, and beside the boat ramp, there were several people fishing. Many kayakers came and went as we put our kayaks into the water. The one thing kayakers have to be aware of is the presence of speed boats. We got hit by passing boaters several times. Other activities at this campground/state park are disc golf, playing on the playground, tennis, and swimming. Unfortunately, the swimming area is closed for 2020 because of the pandemic. However, several people were swimming at the boat landing. When it is open, the swimming pool area is exceptional for a state park. There is a water slide and a really nice swimming complex. Staunton River State Park is also designated as an“International Dark Sky Park.” Unfortunately, we did not take advantage of that. After biking and kayaking all day and camp cooking during the evening, we were exhausted. There is no shortage of things to do, and I wish I could have stayed at least a couple more days. Overall, the park is a fairly nice place, but if you take a tent, make sure it is a freestanding tent.

  Read More
• 

  sandy B.

  Traveler

  Sep. 29, 2021

  North Bend Park

  Location Location Location

  Great inexpensive State park right on the Kerr Lake reservoir. Large gravel pads with fire ring, picnic table and on our site a beach where we could swim and launch our kayaks from. We are tent camping. Other sites for tents, and RV’s have electric. Easy online reservation.

• 

  Napunani

  Legend

  Jun. 24, 2022

  Paradise Lake Family Campground

  Low Water Pressure & WIFI Out of Order

  PRO 

  Good Sam Club discount saved $10.60 

  Reserved 138 days prior to arrival 

  Very friendly check-in staff 

  Entrances exit gates controlled with key card given to registered campers with return box at the gate 

  Shady site 

  Gravel site surrounded by grass with a concrete patio 

  Moveable wooden picnic table 

  Concrete pavers with metal wheel rim insert for the campsite fire ring 

  Clean toilet/shower building 

  Mostly quiet except for road noise and distant train whistles 

  2 laundry facilities;$3 wash and$2.75 dry 

  Lake and a pool! 

  Appomattox Court House National Historical Park 10 miles from Park

  CONS 

  Horribly low water pressure. Staff reported park has only well water not city provided water so only 35 psi.  We removed all our water filters to get slightly better pressure 

  Park WiFi out of order to be repaired in June according to staff 

  Site unlevel side-to-side 

  Pull-thru site too short to leave tow vehicle hitched 

  One of the laundry buildings locked the entire 2 days we were here 

  Most sites occupied by seasonal campers so many not at their sites during the week 

  No privacy from neighbor sites 

  Absolutely no TV reception 

  2 bars Verizon

  Read More
• 

  M. B.

  Guide

  Oct. 2, 2021

  Kimball Point Campground — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area

  Beautiful lake but tight tent sites

  Tent sites are a bit confusing as some share the same car access but split into two lower.

  Some of the lots are marked as tent OR RV which I guess they are but we would probably not boondock here again as it isn't flat but the RV sites look amazing.

  Bathrooms: 5/5 clean & air-conditioning in all of them.

  Sites: 3/5 just average/fine

  Pools: 0/5 no pool

  Beach: 3/5 private beach but not upkept. Loads of rock/Carolina clay/trash sea grass

  Waterfrontness: 5/5 weird water but pretty to look at

  Closeness to other sites: 1/5 you are up each other's buttcracks

  Dog rating: 4/5 no problem but also SO dog friendly we had to be very mindful of others not having their dogs on leash.

  Read More
• 

  Martin T.

  Traveler

  Jun. 20, 2024

  Occoneechee State Park Campground

  Very Nice Lakefront Camping

  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.

  Read More
• J

  Jennifer R.

  Scout

  May. 15, 2018

  County Line Campground — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area

  Nice Campground

  This campground has many waterfront sites with water and electric. Many of the sites go right down to the water with shallow, sandy areas great for folks of all ages. Some of those sites do tend to flood if the water level gets too high (just something to watch for). Many of the sites are quite sloped making leveling a bit challenging at times. Also, though water is available at each site, some require at least 100’ of hose to reach. The campground itself is very remote with very little cell phone signal and virtually no LTE or GPS (making communication and navigation a bit challenging if not prepared ahead). It is a very well maintained and clean campground. The bathhouse is clean and has hot showers with easily adjustable temperatures. Each campsite has a fire ring, a picnic table, and a post for hanging a lantern. The lake views are beautiful all throughout the campground.

  Read More
• 

  Wendy H.

  Traveler

  Jul. 6, 2017

  Rudds Creek Campground

  Pretty waterfront camp sites

  We were really happy with Rudds Creek. It was very clean. Our site was relatively level and had gravel. There was a fire ring and a large picnic table. The bathrooms were very clean and an easy walk from our campsite. The map showed bathrooms in our loop but there wasn't anything there. Had to walk to the showers but not too far. The showers were large and clean with great water pressure and hot water. You could only see glimpses of water through the trees of our site but there was a path down to the water. It was rocky but we could set up two chairs and watch the sunset over the lake. We plan to go back again soon.

  Read More