Best Tent Camping near Rappahannock Academy, VA

Hello,

Wow is all I have to say about this camping trip. It was partially our own fault because we had to rush in and didn’t research local bug populations. But holy crap! We kayaked in a sunset which was gorgeous and their were six tent sites. 4 of which were close together and two new ones which were really nice. No one was there but us. You can boat or hike in. We did primitive tent camping and it was so beautiful with our own lake view and private site for the time being but the BUGS were from another planet. We had super mutant mosquitoes and horse flies. They were resisitant to citronella candles, essential oils, and bug spray with 40% deet. We only found relief in the water. They invaded our tent as well and spent an hour in the evenings killing them before bed but still woke up with welts. If we come back it will be in winter when there are NO BUGS!!!!!! (Hopefully)

We absolutely loved it! We stayed in the tent camping area. The bathrooms were the cleanest we’ve experienced at any tent camping site. It’s relatively close to the Shenandoah NP. Would recommend this place. Definitely returning.

I went tent camping here and it was really really nice. Me and my family enjoyed ourselves. Staff was friendly and the bathrooms was very clean. We will be going back very soon.

My son and I went here at the end of August for our first tent camping trip and even with the heat it was still great it’s a beautiful spot and the camp host was super friendly

They have a few tent camping spots as well as cabins. Just call ahead. I just showed up and got a perfect camp spot with a view of the sunrise and access to the private beach.

We've spent a number of nights tent camping at Christopher Run. The people who manage the site are very nice. The campground and bathrooms are kept clean. The bathrooms are even air-conditioned. Christopher Run has a boat launch as well.

I found it expensive for a tent site. No electric or water and was over $40. Out of area fee and a transaction fee (I even paid cash) If your traveling looking for a cheaper place to park for the night, this is not it.

We tent camped there with 2 other families memorial day weekend. It rained the entire time but we still had a blast.

The best review I can give us of the bathrooms. They're with staying again alone. Locking doors, individual stalls. Hot dog. Best camping showers I've ever had.

Only draw back is that there's only one playground that's awkwardly located.

Jake from the Dyrt here!  Casa Vargas offers secluded RV & Tent sites near the famous Skyline Drive that offers great views of the Shenandoah Mountains.  Make this your homebase for a weekend to explore the area, and make sure to post some pictures and leave a review on the Dyrt!

Reservations are made through the National parks service "recreation.gov" website. Arrived for tent camping for 1 nights, park ranger met me at the entrance to ensure i could find my site. My stay was quiet and the bathrooms were clean and well stocked with HOT water in the private showers. This is a great base camp for getting out to hike the various trails in Prince William Forrest. Firewood is gather your own from fallen limbs in the park.

We stayed here a few times just to get out for a bit. It’s quiet, but not too dark, as the lights from DC interfere with the night sky here. The camping loop is small and is shared by tent and RV. The trails are maintained well. I’ve never left this park without at least one tick. No camp store. Firewood is available. Supplies can be gotten nearby. Tent sites can accommodate maybe up to a six person tent comfortably. Bathrooms are clean and showers are warm. Water is readily available.

I could not wait to get there! I was so excited to go fossil hunting! Camping was way too cramped for me as we tent camp and were stuck surrounded by RVs. The people next to us could be heard whispering! That being said, the fossil hunting was fun and my hubby found a few neat sharks teeth. The hiking was a blast and fishing was productive and fun! Next time though we will just day trip it as I never want to camp that closely to others again - ugh

Initially disappointed by the tiny spot we got, but we were able to move. Majority of the spots are extremely close to the next and doesn't allow much privacy. Very few trees in between. We chose another spot that was available, however, we found out the first night that there is a boat area and bright light all night right behind us and the light came through the tent. Another dissapointment. We camped in a tent and did 3 nights, 4 days. (4th of July weekend) We loved the family friendliness that allowed us to walk right down the street/trail to take our kids to the water park. They give you a discounted price if you are camping. They also have mini golf and disc golf near by as well. If we come again, we will definitely be more particular about our spot. They also had bathrooms and showers not to far from our spot that were actually clean.

We tent camped in site #1 on Oct 7th, 2023. The online booking was easy enough through TheDyrt.com. Finding the place isn't trivial.

The campsite/farm is known as Labyrinths, Trails and Solitude...or ImaniWorks: Human Rights& Sustainable Living...Google struggled to find both of them. The address is 19362 Constitution Hwy, Orange, VA 22960

Head out of Orange, Virginia on the 20 East (Constitution Hwy), just as you pass the Orange County Airport on the left you'll pass Porter Road on the right. The next house after Porter Road, is the turn in to the Farm/Campsite (on the right side of the road).

It's quite beautiful and our hosts were great. Nice campsite. Lot's of birds singing.

I wish we could have stayed longer, the hiking and free firewood would have been great to take advantage of, but we were just overnighting.

The best thing that is offered here is there is a pool! There are many amenities in addition. There are boat rentals, fishing, beach, docks, picnic areas, cabins, tent camping, rv camping, trail hiking, etc. The visitor center is large with a small gift shop/camp store. The group sites are very nice. The whole park is very well maintained and large. The cabins are clean and accommodating. The view from most cabins along the water are so nice. There are random exercise machines placed along trials to enhance workouts. My only gripe is the camp site pads. They're made of very loose gravel which I find bothersome as the little rocks get into our shoes and the tent stakes slid out easily.

We just got back from spending the weekend here. We chose to spend our weekend tent camping and could not have been happier with our decision. My daughter LOVED being able to walk all trails. We were a bit disappointed the boardwalk was closed (but we still loved walking the rest of the trails). There were lots of families here and everyone was happy to be there. Both beaches were very walkable on the trails from campsite C. We felt like we had all out own space, but when you walked around it was great to have the feeling of a small community of people who were all there for the same reason...to enjoy being outside!

While we only camped here for one night, we enjoyed the park from check in to checkout!

Since we tent camp our site was dry and had no amenities but there were full hook up sites available. Our site was nestled in with the full hook up sites so it was as far away from the bathrooms as possible, not a big deal just something to note.

Since we visited in March, the trees did not have much foliage so the sites were more exposed than I tend to prefer and lots of the campers around left their outside RV lights on all night.

Being in campground A, we were only a short walk to the trail leading to fossil beach which was beautiful!

I LOVE this park. The tent sites are awesome and mine have always been pretty private feeling despite being somewhat near others. Bathhouses are always SO clean and heated in the winter. So appreciate the recycling bins. I love the sharks’ teeth display in the shop and when I was there they were working on putting bones together of a whale that was found! At the time of my visit a couple of weeks ago there was a bit of algae in the water that could cause irritation to stomach and skin, so just be mindful of this. I did hike down to fossil beach but definitely avoided the water. If you’re anything like me, traveling for peace and quiet and solitude, I highly recommend Sunday and Monday nights if you have flexibility with jobs etc. It was SUPER quiet during my stay. Absolutely wonderful. Oh - and check for ticks and bring your bug spray. Gotta love humid Virginia summers! I had site A22 and it was away from a bit compared to other sites.

Stopped off at this campground after finding it while passing though just before Labor Day weekend. While it was the last weekend for the pool before its closure and while they were in the process of working on some of the plumbing at the campground, it was a well put together campground which was very impressive.

Located somewhat remotely from the larger community and near several places of interest along the road, this camp was a great stop for a tent camper like myself. They offer a basic tent site for $26 with nice bath houses. For full connections the price does rise slightly offering both both 20/30 amp and 50 amp connections for RVs.

The roads around the camp are gravel and a little bumpy but the sites themselves were pretty level and grassy for tents which was pretty nice. Sites are located far enough off the road that road noise is minimal.

I did also notice they have cabin rentals available and a pretty nice little store with lots of options for those who didn't bring everything with them.

For being a state park, Lake Anna is one of the best I've been to. Although we only tent camped, I noticed a lot of things about the campground that would welcome RVs as well. There were large back-in sites as well as pull-through sites. There was also a dump station. Campers can choose sites with or without electricity. This campground is ADA accessible with the lantern hangers having lower hooks for those in wheelchairs, and at least one of the cabins has a wheelchair ramp. The bath house was clean, and I especially liked the privacy of individual shower rooms. Since it is a state park, it lacks some amenities that privately owned campgrounds have, but camping in a state park is about enjoying the natural features of the park, There are opportunities for motor boating, kayaking, swimming, hiking, fishing, etc. The only downside I found was that the grass really needed mowing. Even though there had been a few rainy days, the grass at our campsite was knee high and higher.