Camping near Randolph, Virginia centers around the extensive John H. Kerr Reservoir, also known locally as Buggs Island Lake. This 50,000-acre lake system features over 800 miles of shoreline with water levels typically varying 10-15 feet between winter and summer seasons. Winter temperatures generally range from 30-50°F while summer can reach 85-95°F with high humidity, making spring and fall the preferred seasons for many campers.
What to do
Stargazing opportunities: Staunton River State Park offers exceptional dark sky viewing as an International Dark Sky Park. "If you love stargazing this is the park for you. It is an International Dark Sky Park. The park offers rentals of telescopes too," shares Bridget H., who visits with her grandchildren. The park provides free telescope rentals from the visitor center for night sky exploration.
Paddling and water access: Occoneechee State Park provides multiple boat launch areas with direct lake access for kayaking. "On our last day, we paddled around Bugg's Lake. Used the boat launch near the office - nice place to put in. The whole trip we saw lots of birds, squirrels, deer, and raccoons," notes camper RL.
Hiking with wildlife viewing: Twin Lakes State Park offers family-friendly trails with abundant wildlife. "The hiking trails are also do horses and parts have been beaten down and there was a lot of horse poop in the trail. Still worth the hike to see the peaceful water though," comments Chaz M. about the multi-use trails at Staunton River State Park.
Fishing opportunities: Kerr Lake provides excellent fishing conditions year-round. "Love that we can swim from site (bring water shoes as the bottom is NOT sand). Lots of trees, birds, and good fishing in the area," explains Marcy S. about Rudds Creek. Sites 64-99 along the waterside are recommended for boat access and fishing directly from your campsite.
What campers like
Waterfront camping options: Rudds Creek Campground offers sites with direct water access. "This is a great campground. Sites are laid out really well and are spaced to provide you with 'your own personal space'. There is a nice day use area across the road with a nice swimming area," says Glenn F., who has enjoyed the campground for over 40 years.
Clean facilities: North Bend Park maintains excellent shower and restroom facilities. "Brand new bath house and it's kept extremely clean. One the best things about the bath house, it has the usual mens & ladies room, but also has six private uni-sex bath rooms with toilet, sink & shower in each," notes Cliff M. who visits 5-6 times annually.
Family-friendly beaches: North Bend Park provides designated swimming areas at each camping loop. "There are designated swimming beaches at each of the loops, but swimming is permitted from most of the campsites, most have a sandy shore line," according to Cliff M., highlighting the flexible swimming options.
Site privacy levels: Hibernia Campground offers spacious sites with good separation. "Hibernia is the lesser know campground on Kerr Lake since it is located more off the popular travel route. Whether you have water frontage or woods, the sites are large and private," describes Pamela H., emphasizing the peaceful atmosphere compared to busier locations.
What you should know
Seasonal water levels: Lake levels can fluctuate significantly throughout the year. "We stayed in September so the fact that there is no AC or electricity in the yurt was not an issue because the weather was moderate," explains Katie M. about her stay at Occoneechee State Park, noting how seasonal timing affects comfort.
Site surface variations: Many campgrounds have gravel tent pads rather than grass or dirt. "Sites are laid out really well and are spaced to provide you with 'your own personal space'... The exception to this is people putting old rugs or carpet around the shore where they park their boats," notes Glenn F. about Rudds Creek.
Campsite leveling challenges: Some sites require creative leveling solutions. "The site descriptions on the website could be updated to better reflect the site. Site 65, as well as others in the immediate area, are listed as 'level' but that is far from reality," warns Glenn F. about Hibernia Campground.
Distance to supplies: Most campgrounds are relatively remote. "Not much grocery stores close so definitely bring all you can. Firewood sold at front but closed on weekdays. Found a gas station that sold it about 3 miles away," advises Jeanna Marie C. about preparing for a stay at Hibernia.
Tips for camping with families
Swimming access considerations: Twin Lakes State Park Campground offers structured swimming with lifeguards. "The swimming lake is a good size. There is a concession stand, a beach with lifeguard, and a rental station for paddle boats," notes Lisa M., highlighting the family-friendly swimming setup.
Educational programs: Staunton River offers ranger-led activities for children. "Park rangers had great kids programs including animal feeding frenzy where we learned about snakes and turtles and we invoked in feeding. Also lots of any pelts to learn about," shares Katie about the educational opportunities.
Playground facilities: Many campgrounds include play areas for children. "We spent most of our free time at the splash pad. The kids loved that!" shares Katie M. about Occoneechee State Park, which features both traditional playgrounds and water play areas.
Child-friendly biking: Several parks offer safe biking environments. "The gkids brought their bikes and loved riding around the park. It was rather empty since it was still technically winter," mentions Bridget H. about Staunton River State Park, noting the open spaces for cycling.
Tips from RVers
Water connection lengths: Hibernia Campground sometimes requires longer-than-standard water hoses. "Note: Site 77 required 75 feet of hose to reach water nozzle. Website said 35' so glad we were prepared," warns camper S K., highlighting the importance of bringing extra hose length.
Site selection for size constraints: North Bend accommodates various RV sizes across different loops. "We only stayed a night because we were just passing through but we really liked our site #59. There was plenty of room for our 31ft airstream and had a neat large second level part to our site with a picnic table and fire pit," shares Christina K.
Electric service details: Sites with electrical service are limited at some campgrounds. "There are only a few sites with hookups. Most sites are tent and dry camping," points out Pamela H. about options at Hibernia, emphasizing the need to reserve powered sites well in advance.
Dump station access: Not all campgrounds offer full hookups. "Not allowing to Dump/Fillup. We kindly asked if we could fill up water and dump our RV (as you can do in a lot of campgrounds for a small fee), they refused to do so," reports Christoph about Longwood Campground, indicating inconsistent dump station policies.
