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Best Tent Camping near Petersburg, VA

333 Reviews

The Petersburg area of Virginia offers several tent camping options within easy driving distance, including Cloverdale Farms and Daybreak Glamp Camp, both of which welcome tent campers. The Big Woods Wildlife Management Area provides primitive tent camping opportunities for those seeking a more natural experience, while Carter's Cove Campground offers basic tent sites with some amenities. Most of these camping areas are situated on gently rolling terrain with a mix of wooded and open areas typical of central Virginia.

Tent campgrounds near Petersburg vary in amenities and access types. Cloverdale Farms provides drinking water, picnic tables, and allows campfires with firewood available on site. Facilities include toilets, showers, and trash disposal. Daybreak Glamp Camp offers similar amenities plus electric hookups for tent campers who need power. Both locations feature drive-in and walk-in tent sites. At Big Woods WMA, campers should prepare for no facilities, as the area lacks drinking water, toilets, and trash service. Fire restrictions apply at certain locations, particularly Big Woods WMA where fires are not permitted.

The tent camping experience around Petersburg offers peaceful rural settings with varying levels of seclusion. A review mentioned, "The sounds of nature and farm animals surround you round the clock" at Cloverdale Farms, noting its "gently rolling hills, with a little creek amidst a couple acres of cleared, open, secluded woodland perfect for pitching a tent." Sites like Daybreak Glamp Camp maintain high ratings from tent campers, with one camper describing it as "quite peaceful" with nightly campfires. The area provides tent campers with opportunities for stargazing in open fields and access to nearby waterways. Campers at Cloverdale can access the James River just five minutes away for fishing and swimming, while other locations offer similar proximity to natural attractions.

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Best Tent Sites Near Petersburg, Virginia (5)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Petersburg, VA

10 Photos of 5 Petersburg Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Petersburg, VA

333 Reviews of 5 Petersburg Campgrounds

  • Stephanie J.The Dyrt PRO User
    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!

  • Katie M.
    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!

  • RL
    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.

  • Janet R.The Dyrt PRO User
    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

  • Napunani
    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

  • RL
    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.

  • B
    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.

  • Trina C.
    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.

  • Katie M.
    Dec. 9, 2019

    Chippokes State Park Campground

    Summer camping at Chippokes

    Love this park. Lots of biting flies and mosquitoes during the summer! The left loop sites are a good size but not much shade or privacy. I would definitely stay in the right loop area next time for tent camping. Newer bathrooms and showers. Pretty basic camping setup with fire ring and picnic table. 

    We love the pool in the summer! Free pool passes when you camp there. It has never been too crowded for us. The plantation area is pretty cool with a farming equipment museum and  farm animals. Great playgrounds for the kids. Love the hiking trails here and hunting for fossils at the beach. 

    Overall, not a bad experience, just bring your bug spray and sunscreen!

Guide to Petersburg

Petersburg offers varied camping opportunities across several counties, with sites located primarily in rural settings surrounded by pine forest and hardwood stands. Many campgrounds sit at elevations between 100-300 feet above sea level, creating moderate terrain suitable for tent camping. The region experiences hot, humid summers with average July temperatures around 89°F, while spring and fall provide milder conditions with less humidity.

What to do

Fishing access: At Cloverdale Farms, campers are just minutes from quality fishing spots. One visitor noted, "Located 5 minutes from the James River, guests can hop over to the boat landing for fishing, swimming and boating or check out Blanton and Pleasants, a community staple."

Stargazing opportunities: The minimal light pollution at many tent campsites near Petersburg, Virginia creates excellent stargazing conditions. A Cloverdale Farms guest mentioned, "Fields in the back lend a great view for star gazing and looking up at the Milky Way."

Hiking nearby: Several state parks and a state forest within a 15-20 minute drive offer hiking trails with varying difficulty levels. As one Cloverdale visitor commented, "If you're a hiker, there's a state forest and state park just a short 15 minute drive west."

What campers like

Peace and seclusion: Daybreak Glamp Camp provides a quiet setting for tent camping near Petersburg. A camper who stayed for 4 nights reported, "It was quite peaceful and the weather for the most part was great. I had camp fires every night."

Farm animal interactions: Some Petersburg area campgrounds feature small hobby farms where campers can engage with animals. A reviewer at Cloverdale shared, "The icing on the cake was waking up and spending some time with their horses and goats and this really sweet orange cat."

Clean facilities: Campers frequently mention the well-maintained bathrooms and showers at certain sites. One Daybreak visitor appreciated that "The bathroom was kept clean and there's a shower also."

What you should know

Seasonal considerations: The Petersburg area experiences hot, humid summers with temperatures regularly exceeding 90°F from June through August. Spring and fall offer more moderate temperatures.

Wildlife awareness: Campers should store food properly as the area has raccoons, opossums, and occasionally black bears in more remote locations.

Campfire regulations: Fire restrictions vary by site and season. At Carter's Cove Campground, a camper noted fire pits are for "day use only," which differs from many other local campgrounds where evening fires are permitted.

Tips for camping with families

Beginner-friendly options: Daybreak Glamp Camp offers supportive staff who help novice campers. One reviewer shared, "The owner and his family were super sweet and helpful. They definitely set you up for success!! He even let us borrow some gear when our tent got rained out and showed us a few tricks."

Educational farm experiences: Some campgrounds double as working farms and welcome family participation. A Cloverdale visitor mentioned, "Guests are more than welcome to help in the garden, pick flowers, and enjoy fresh produce and eggs while they're here."

Morning noise factors: At farm-based tent campsites near Petersburg, Virginia, expect early morning animal sounds. A camper at Cloverdale warned, "Fyi the rooster is an early (and persistent!) riser!"

Tips from RVers

Electric hookup availability: Most smaller campgrounds in the Petersburg area have limited electrical hookups. Confirm availability when booking.

Site leveling: Petersburg area campgrounds typically have gently rolling terrain.

Frequently Asked Questions

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