Best Equestrian Camping near Thaxton, VA

The Red Oak sites were gravel and fairly level and the bathhouse was nice. There is an equestrian camping area (and stalls) for people with horses.  The cabins and lodges have 2, 3, and 6 bedrooms and look beautiful. There is even a canoe-in campground.  Activities that can be done include tubing on the river, canoeing and kayaking, fishing, hiking, biking, horseback riding trails, wagon ride, and lots of park events.

This is a wonderful spot for viewing the stars because of the lack of light pollution. James River State Park has been named an International Dark Sky Park.

General: There are four campgrounds in Douthat State Park - White Oak, Whispering Pines, Lakeside, and Beaver Dam (equestrian), each in a separate location. This review is for White Oak. White Oak has 31 sites and It was full when we were there on a Tuesday in mid-October. 

Site Quality: All sites (except 17 and possibly 18) appeared level and were very generous in size with long driveways. Many trees separate the sites. A picnic table, lantern hook, and fire ring complete the site. Sites 22-29 are tucked further away from the others and the bathhouse. 

Bathhouse: Clean and modern. Showers were available but I did not use them so I cannot comment on how well they worked. 

Activities/Amenities: A dishwashing sink, fish cleaning area, and many hiking trails throughout the park, including one (to Blue Suck Falls) that has access directly from the campground. We hiked this but the waterfall was just a trickle when we were there! 

We met friends here, so it was nice to have adjoining sites. Bear warnings were posted throughout the campground, but we didn’t see any!

This was by far one of the best camping trips ever!! I took my grandkids tent camping and we had a fantastic time. The hiking and lake is amazing. We spent a lot of time at the beach and it was so beautiful plus it has a water playground, a diving dock, trees close by so there is shade on the beach in the afternoon, and a snack shack. You can rent boats too. There are multiple camping areas which include one water side so you can have access to the water with your canoes and kayaks, one for big rigs, one for equestrian, and one for tents and smaller campers. This place is beautiful and quiet. We loved it here!! Make reservations because it books up quick. Also, they have many cabins and they are placed wonderfully on the mountain. We went to the Humpback Bridge and a cool train museum that were close the campground.

Douthat is really four separate campgrounds. Three of them (i.e. not Whispering Pines) are located near the lake. Each one had a campground host (volunteer) and wood for sale.

White Oak Campground is larger, wooded, and has a significant elevation change between different sites. Caution should be used with large rigs as the low-water bridge to White Oak has steep approach and departure angles.

Beaver Dam Campground is relatively flat and similarly wooded while also providing equestrian facilities.

Lakeside Campground is smaller but the front row sites provide great lake views. Unfortunately swimming is only allowed in the Beach area which is not directly connected to this campground.

Whispering Pines is a few miles away along the entry road and has a different character. It’s a very flat and wide-open campground perfect for big RVs with much larger sites.

The Lakeside Camp Store is nice and has a to-go counter for food. The facilities, overall, were well maintained and clean. Firewood is for sale for $6 per bundle.

Campground Review:

We stayed in Yurt#4 for 2 nights at Fairy Stone State Park, about a 4 hour drive from where we live. The Yurt overall was very clean and cozy. The outside of the Yurt looks like it needed a powerwashing, but that didn’t really affect us at all, just kind of unsightly. They have a nice large deck that is great for hanging out on while the kids were asleep. The inside of the Yurt has a full size bed with a twin sized trundle bed that rolls under the full. It also had some rocking chairs inside, a small table and chairs, and a couch. We ended up eating and hanging out inside the Yurt or on the deck most of the time. 

There are 4 Yurts to choose from. Two of them (Yurts#1 & 2) do not have a parking spot right in front of them, they are a short walk from a parking area, so I made sure to get one that did since we would be arriving after dark. The Yurt we stayed in was a little weird because the Fire Pit and Picnic table is behind and almost under the yurt, down a decently step slope and the yurt sits on stilts on the back side. The Yurt next to us#3 had the fire pit and table right up front next to the parking spot which would be better I think. I would try to get Yurt#3 next time! Overall Yurt camping is so fun! We have done it once before, and it is such a great mix between cabin and tent camping. You get the protection from the elements, a real bed to sleep in, and it’s quick to pack-up- but still a bit rustic since there’s no ac or electricity. 

There are hiking trails right across the street from the Yurt, which was awesome! The bathrooms and showers were fine and in close walking distance. They could probably use some updating but didn’t have any major issues with them. Overall the campground is pretty big and a bit of a maze getting around, we needed to use the park map a lot! Probably due to the park being so old there are a lot of old buildings not in use that are pretty cool. 

The park is big and there is lots to do! There is a beautiful lake for swimming Tons of hiking trails. They had a great playground for the kids nearby. They had a concert going on somewhere at the park so we had some beautiful orchestral music playing as we were winding down for bed one night. We saw lots of deer roaming around. Note that there is not great cell service in this area. 

The place to find the Fairy Stones are outside of the park, down the street a little bit beside a gas station. It was tricky knowing exactly what to look for, but once we found a few Fairy Stones, they were everywhere! So fun searching for them with the kids! 

It was such a fun trip, very peaceful, beautiful scenery everywhere!

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Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - we tested out the Banner& Oak Men’s Nebo Hat– Olive  

The quality of this hat is great. Nice and thick but breathable fabric, durable construction. We’ve put this hat through the ringer so far with sweaty hikes, long beach and lake days, and everyday wear and tear and it has performed spectacularly. The adjustable snapback makes fitting easy. Has a nice shape, looks great! Love this hat’s patch with well-designed graphics and the neutral olive color– goes with everything. Will definitely purchase again! Also appreciate the fact that the hats are made in the USA! It is my husband’s new go-to daily hat and I think it will last for a long time.