Best Equestrian Camping near Smithfield, VA

I have spent my childhood here and I am excited to share it with my kids. We hike here when visiting grandparents. Chesapeake Public Park’s does a great job with events and education at NWRP! Equestrian trails available, which is always a plus.

We come every year because it's on our top list of yearly visits. The beach and staff there are nice. Crabbing and fishing there's very popular. Very pet friendly and they also made a beach side for pets to swim at. Wild animals usually pass by often later in the evening, horses, deer, rabbits etc; sites are nice and big. Some sunny some shady. Park usually fills up when I'm there

Very nice, as all Virginia State Parks are, but crowded, noisy, and lit up like an amusement park. Not a place to “get back to nature” but a place to camp, meet new people, and a place to stay for the great activities the park has to offer and visit Cape Charles.

Virginia has some wonderful state parks and this is one of my favorites. Its got a nice beach, boat launch and a couple miles of hiking trails. The lovely town of Cape Charles  with an even better public beach and restaurants is close by. I use the park as a base for exploring the barrier island on the ocean side by kayak.

Only campground in the Virginia State Park system that offers sewer hook-up's. As for the campsites, I was not really impressed so only gave it 4 stars. If you like open field camping and absolutely no shade, this is the place for you! Other than the lack of tree's, I think this is a great campground, a great location, and a ton of things to do...

Blackwater Birds and Bees offers many treasures. Without giving too much away, setting up camp, I noticed a sweet bouquet of freshly picked wildflowers and a small tasting jar of honey from their apiary on the picnic table! There is a pond on the property, with several canoes and kayaks to graciously borrow. I took to the Blackwater River that runs along the property, which I highly recommend for a peaceful and scenic paddle. The goats and chickens are all smiles behind the blueberry patch and a fresh bog. See if you can spy the carnivorous plants! If you venture past the southern Virginia peanut plantations you’re heading in the right direction, to a beautiful property with amazing camping!

Have you ever wanted to go to a beach where the water is calm, clear, warm and shallow? With hardly any people there? Kiptopeake is the beach for you! Located on the bay there aren't huge waves to worry about or big beach crowds. Kiptopeake is my favorite Virginia State Park campground, hands down. 

Camping:

If you are a primitive tent camper like us, you'll want to get the site-specific sites. They are more secluded, bigger, and walkable to the beach. The sites in the site-specific loop are conveniently located to the bathrooms which have nice hot showers! Each site has a pretty standard picnic table and fire ring with enough room for two tents. Our site didn't have tons of room for two cars though, we had to squeeze in to our space awkwardly. We've been here in pretty much all months of the spring, summer and fall and have never had a problem with mosquitoes or biting flies.

To Do:

The beach at Kiptopeake is so beautiful! Most of the time we post up and spend all day there. I highly recommend watching the sunset from the beach. Check out the concrete fleet on a kayak. There's some great hiking, butterfly garden, bird watching. Virginia State Parks has some great programs for the kids as well! The town of Cape Charles nearby is very charming and worth a visit for cute shops and restaurants. 

Highly recommend this park! It is a really special place you'll want to keep coming back to!

We've stayed here pretty often as it's only a few hours from home and near everything in Williamsburg, Virginia. The park is against the James river and theres easy access to the riverside. There's also a large pool during the season with a camp store, snacks. The staff are always great, the sites are level and not too close together, with plenty of shade. The bathrooms and showers are kept clean and the showers are huge! There's plenty to do on the grounds, hiking, biking, touring the plantation, geocaching, and yes, even Pokemon Go! About 5 miles away is the ferry to Williamsburg...its free and usually a highlight of the trip for the kids! You can follow history or ride plenty of roller coasters at Busch Gardens.

We camped at Kiptopeke State Park in a Super C Dynamax DX3. We enjoyed this park a lot because we had a great site. The majority of the sites in the Kiptopeke State park are on the open space. All sites are spacious, clean and green, but there is nowhere to hide from the sun. There are very few shaded ones and we were lucky to get one of those. Kiptopeke State park has two unguarded beaches on the Chesapeake Bay. Kiptopekes northern swim beach is nearly half a mile long. The south beach, which is even longer is open to swimming, fishing, boating and dogs are allowed on leash. And its absolutely beautiful! We have a video about this park in our YouTube channel- Summertime RV Rovers- RV Campgrounds in Maryland and Virginia: Kiptopeke State Park and Outstanding Dreams Alpaca Farm. Please check for yourself.

Chippokes State Park is located on the grounds of an old historic plantation, actually one if the original plantations in the area dating back to the 1600’s. The land grant was huge, and as a state park now it provides a rich opportunity to learn about the James River, the natural and indigenous history of the region, the settlement history and role of this plantation in Virginia History, and more. Visiting here provides hiking opportunities to learn about fossils along the river shore, the temperate forest in the woods, and history around the old plantation. Taking the ferry across the river from Jamestown to get here was part of the adventure too. There is a nature center and visitor center that provides lots of info and programs near the river , a network of easy park roads for biking, and the plantation itself, set back further away from the river, provides a wealth of learning, including about the history of crops and trade in this area, and about the lives of the slaves who worked the plantation. The grounds right around the plantation are, in fact, a memorial to the hundreds of souls who lived and worked the land here. It was an amazing learning experience to come to the park, and the options to stay over in the park include standard campsites in a wooded campground, or cabins. The campground has all the usual state park amenities, and was very quiet when we were there in November—so late fall is a great time to come, as the fall weather was amazing

This was our first time staying in a yurt at Kiptopeake State Park. We love staying in the yurts at Virginia State Parks because they are always an affordable, easy way to camping without having to set up a tent or spend the extra money for a cabin. The ones at here are $75/night. This one was awesome! It is hidden down a long walkway from the parking area and is very secluded. The one we stayed in, Yurt 4, only has neighbors on one side. It comes with two picnic tables, a water spigot, fire pit, grill, a big deck around the yurt with rocking chairs, and a refreshing breeze coming off the bay. Unfortunately, the way the yurt is situated, none of that breeze gets inside the yurt and it was very hot inside. Especially if staying here in the summer, I would suggest bringing some fans or a portable a/c for a more comfortable nights sleep. The bathrooms are farther away than I would like with little kids. You have to walk through to the tent campground loop to get to them. Even with a couple negative things about it, I think this is the way to stay here at Kiptopeake and I am already planning our next yurt trip here for next year!

Love this park so much! The beach is amazing. This time we discovered the dog-friendly beach, which was less crowded than the main one. I always like to go out and watch the sunset over the bay, it is magical!

This place is amazing, almost surreal. Knobby tree stumps wind up from the river, surrounded by fossilized shells falling from eroding sand banks. The camp ground is a short walk away.

Spent a night here in mid-June; many of the sites were nicely shaded and, because of that, some-what private. Oh, but beware of the squirrels- they have no fear and may run off with any food stuffs left out on a picnic table!

Personally, I spent my Birthday week 09-13 October there. I had a wonderful experience for my first time car camping. I would've preferred not having noisy camp neighbors but I guess it was to be expected. So happy that I invested in a tent that survived a rainy night with flying colors. It was a training run to get myself accustomed to the many insects that frayed my nerves. I would return though and the next time should be a lot easier on this old woman and her old husband. 😁

Chippokes is a gem! Quaint park with a variety of activities. You can tour the mansion on the property along with some other historical sites, or just take a stroll along the shoreline of the gorgeous, sprawling James River. My son, furbaby, and I camped in their RV/tent site with easy access to their bathrooms which were spotless (and maintained multiple times a day) and warm! We bought firewood (there is a drop where you can just deposit money and grab a bundle) next to the bathrooms along with a locked ice bin so you can buy ice from the campground host. Everything we saw was well-maintained. We navigated our way to a mile-hike to the river so we could fish off a kayak dock. I was surprised when we arrived that they don’t rent kayaks (though it appears they have the capability to, perhaps they only do it for special occasions or times of year). All the staff we encountered were super friendly and helpful. You can even buy ice cream at the visitors center! This was a big plus for my son. We’ll definitely be returning!

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.

Large campsites. Well maintained. Got last available site & never felt crowded. Pool fee included with campsite.

We spent 3 nights at this park. It's a wonderful place. Great showers & restrooms. Large swimming pool but it was closed. Water & Electric. No sewer but a nice dump place. The host was extremely nice & helpful.

This hidden gem is just a short distance from Williamsburg but yet so remote! The still working farm and homes are a treasure of how life and farms ran back in the day and how they can survive into the future.

Great Campground! We took 6 teenagers camping and they had a blast! Especially the pool!

Simple place

Great park with SO much to do. The hike down to the river isn’t bad, my 2 year old did it. The River bank is known for a great place to find shark teeth and fossils. Though, there was also a decent amount of trash. There are several play grounds, tours of the mansions, swimming pool, and a tractor museum. So much fun!

New to this site! Had a great time staying here, very peaceful and quiet, stayed in a cabin for one full week, plenty of exploring to do with the dogs. Toured the mansion and also Bacon’s Castle which is not far away, and road on the Ferry visiting Williamsburg. Definitely a great place to camp and get away for awhile!

Biggest pool I ever was in, great location for site seeing in the areaexcellent place for seniors

Hunt for sharks teeth on the beach. Pool is very clean.

Definitely recommend following the river inland and kayaking through the marshland

Love Chippokes! Feels country-esque but also like you're on a plantation! Beautiful trails. Great (paved) campground! Feels like you're a million miles away from it all.