Horse camping is the perfect way to enjoy Wakefield. If you're an equestrian lover who prefers nature-based adventure, yet still wants comfort, this is the perfect opportunity for you. Equestrian camping is the best way to experience nature. At The Dyrt, you can find top-rated spots for horse camping, as reviewed by campers.
Just 20 miles from Richmond, Pocahontas offers boating, picnicking, camping, camping cabins, 90-plus miles of trails, and nature and history programs. The Aquatic Center, which has a toddler pool, fountain wet deck, three-foot and five-foot-deep leisure pools, an activity pool and two tubular water slides, affords seasonal water-based activities for all. Three lakes offer plenty of fishing. Boat rentals are available seasonally by the 225-acre Swift Creek Lake. The Civilian Conservation Corps Museum, dedicated to Depression-era workers who helped build the state park system, is one of a handful in the nation. Two dining halls may be rented for meetings, weddings and special events. Rustic group facilities with primitive overnight cabins (bunkhouses) are available seasonally for larger groups. The park's 2,000-seat amphitheater hosts the Pocahontas Premieres series of concerts and family-friendly entertainment. Pocahontas State Park's location and 90 miles of trails make it particularly popular among bicyclists.
$35 - $40 / night
Just across the James River from historic Jamestown in beautiful Surry County, Chippokes Plantation is one of the oldest continually farmed plantations in the country. A working farm since 1619, the park offers modern recreational activities and a glimpse of life in a bygone era. Visitors tour the historic area with its antebellum mansion and outbuildings, stroll through formal gardens, and view antique equipment at the Chippokes Farm and Forestry Museum.
A campground and four overnight cabins allow visitors to stay on the historic grounds. The park has an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a visitor center with a gift shop. It also provides opportunities to bike, hike, ride horseback and picnic. Chippokes Plantation also offers wedding packages and meeting facilities.
Cabins, yurts and camping. For information on the availability of overnight accommodations, particular park amenities or to make a reservation, you can reserve online or call 800-933-PARK. Rental rates for cabins and camping vary by season, dwelling and park. First, determine the appropriate season, which can vary by park, then the relevant rate. You also may want to learn about the cancelation and transfer policies. A fee is charged per pet per night for cabin stays.
Located in Gates County 10 miles south of North Carolina's northeastern border with Virginia, Merchants Millpond State Park centers on a 760-acre millpond more than 190 years old. Hiking the surrounding trails or paddling the placid, shallow waters of the pond offer a great way to explore this wetland environment. Old-growth cypress trees adorned with Spanish moss create an "enchanted forest," particularly at Lassiter Swamp. Visitors have even spotted the American alligator here, at the northernmost point of its range.
$15 - $110 / night
Traveler
Truly enjoyed this CG. Staff are very friendly and helpful CG is clean. Bathroom rooms are dated (compared to the ones at Twin Lakes State Park near Farmville, VA). The dump station is two-sided - helps on busy mornings when campers are leaving. Spent time touring the civil war sites around Petersburg. Lots of breweries in Richmond - a much needed place as a cold beer was very needed during the extreme heat occurring during my stay.
TravelerOur site was nice and level. Covered by shade the majority of the day. Playground was decent and pretty centrally located on the campground. Firewood for sale by QR code was convenient. The trails were nice and it was a nice walk to the aquatic recreation park. Access to the aquatic park is free for campers. The bathrooms were clean but the one close to my site the outside was falling apart. Don’t know how the camp store is because it is only open Thursday to Sunday and has almost different hours every day. Overall great campground we will be going back
Legend
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
LegendThis state park is amazing, it is close to the Richmond metro but allows an easy and wonderful retreat to nature. I was there in early June, and it wasnt crowded, though I can imagine it might be later in the summer. There are numerous camping options here, ranging from tent camping to RV’s to camper cabins to yurts, to regular full service glamping cabins, all in different sections. There is also an area set aside that could be rented for a group retreat or group summer camp, with groups of cabins around meeting space and dining hall area. The full service cabins are new and very upscale; the camper cabins are older but well maintained. The yurts are lovely too. I car camped in a standard site, all the campsites are wooded, shady, fairly private and well spaced. The park is huge and has lots of recreation, from miles of hiking and riding trails, biking and more. Very family friendly, with playgrounds, an incredible waterpark and pool, and nature programs at the visitor center. There is also a summer series of concerts etc in the park. Highly recommended!
RangerVery basic campground, nothing particularly exciting to do but has everything you need!
Ranger
We went for Valentine's Day weekend. Only a couple of other people were there, and we hardly saw them. We used site 11. I still think it's the best one, it's the largest, right next to the main trail head, & bath house trail right ahead of the site. The bath house was real nice. They had heaters running and they were so toasty, also very clean. Trails were nice too, we used our ebikes on the bike trail.
TravelerPersonally, 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. 😁
ScoutStayed on Friday and Sat nights at family campground. Bathrooms ok but in need of maintenance. Park clean and well maintained. Biggest issue is the noise. Neighbors played music and were loud until well after midnight. Other neighbor had dog barking all night. Not a great campground for people with young kids like we have. We will be looking for campgrounds with onsite hosts in the future.
ScoutStayed just one night on our way to Maine. Nice, well-kept park and very friendly staff! Will definitely come back when we can stay longer. Stayed in a pull-through site with lots of space and privacy.
TravelerSuch a clean and well maintained State Park. Sites relatively level, surrounded by beautiful trees and well spaced out. Great hikes and gift shop at office.
LegendIn the middle of nowhere, but it was peaceful and everyone was friendly. The trail system was magical. We hiked early in the am and it was such a therapeutic hike through the forest and swamp. Stayed in our Tepui tent and had a great time.
Traveler
The website tells a much different story than the camp itself. Mostly long term here and they don’t do a great job of making sure the sites aren’t full of junk. Can tell it used to be pretty nice but seems very run down now. A storm hit right after I got here and now I’m sitting in about 8 inches of water! Good for a night if you just need a stop over, but can’t say I’d like to be here any longer than that.
ScoutReally quiet and spacious campground with two bath houses. A lot of trails to explore.
GuideStayed a few nights leading up to Memorial day. Our site was a good size, and tent pad was nice. Lovely shaded site, and large picnic table. Did not have to use our popup shade. Downside were the large gravel throughout the site - tough for small dogs and crawlers. Nice 0.7 walk from the campsite to the visitor center to rent canoes! Just a short drive to some other trails. Enjoyed the Cyprus Point trail which you access at the boat ramp section of the park. If you canoe long enough, you'll come across two alligators who live in the pond.
TravelerThe campsites are great with ample room for privacy, and easily accessible to the restrooms and trails around the pond. The visitor center is fantastic and offers canoe rentals as well as a spot to unload your own canoe or kayak.
I would recommend visiting in the cooler months of spring or fall. In April, the site was probably only 25% occupied and it’s still cool enough not to be bothered by mosquitoes.
Taking a canoe or kayak out to explore the pond and swamps is a must and total unique experience. Turtles, birds, cypress trees, and alligators.
GuideWe tented here and really liked the campground. We stayed in the family campground since we had a vehicle. There are float-in and hike in spots we did not investigate. Our site was clean and separated well. The bathhouse was nice and warm and clean. The rangers were very nice. This has a much better swamp experience than the Great Dismal Swamp.
GuideIt was Veteran’s Day a 3 day weekend…and boy was it full, even with the late season tropical storm blowing through later in the day! I guess it was busy because it is free on Veteran’s Day! Water and electric at each rv site, but water and 50 amp only in sites 66-129. (Dual dump station on the way out.) Host sites are #41 & 99 and can answer questions for you. Cabins and yurts also available for rent. Hike or mountain bike down to the lake for some fishing or scenic exercise. Camp store has ice, snacks, ice cream, camping games, and first aid supplies. Friendly store staff too! Separate laundry facility at the camp store.
ScoutGreat campground. Very quiet and each tent site is very far from one another. You could have music or a generator going and not disturb your neighbor
TravelerThis park has great ranger staff at the gate and roads were well marked. The grounds were very well kept. Our site was fairly level easy to get into and pull through. The facilities for the bathroom were also very clean. I would definitely go back.
GuideWe stayed here for one night on our way to Acadia National park. The park was lovely, sites were pull throughs for our 20 foot pull behind. Although we did not get to explore much we enjoyed our time here. We would definitely come back to explore it further.
GuideBig place, easy to find some solitude midweek. Crowded on weekends. Park is nice and clean
LegendThe campsites were private, well maintained, and shady. The facilities were also well maintained. Flush toilets and free hot showers were abundant.
With only 120 sites, the traffic and noise was acceptable. There was cell coverage for our Verizon phones. There was a nice playground for the grandkids, a small campground store, dry firewood, and friendly campground hosts.
The day use area is incredible and less than a mile walk through the woods on a hike/bike/crawl/stroller gravel surface. The day area includes awesome MTB trails, hiking trails, kayaking/fishing spots and a water park.
No doubt we will return to this Virginia State Park in the future!
LegendWe spent three nights here (May 17-19, 2022). This is an awesome State Park CG with wide, level pull through and back-in sites.
There is a small gift shop at the main entrance. The camp store was closed during our stay. We did not make use of the laundry, bathrooms or showers.
Activities include: hiking/walking, mtn biking (three levels of difficulty– wish I brought my mtn bike), boating, fishing, swimming, equestrian, etc. The trails are excellent. The forest and lakes are absolutely amazing. There is so much to see and do.
This is the kind of park that you hate to leave. We would most definitely stay here again (and again). How fun!
RangerJust 20 miles from Richmond Va. Pocahontas offers boating, picnicking, camping, camping cabins, yurts, plus 90 miles of trails, along with nature and history programs. The Aquatic Center, which offers a toddler pool, fountain wet deck, three foot and five foot deep leisure pools, along with activity pool and two tubular water slides. affords seasonal water based activities for all. Three lakes offer plenty of fishing. Boat rentals available seasonally by the 225 acre swift creek Lake. The Civilian Conservation Corps Museum, dedicated to Depression era workers who helped build the state park system, is one of a handful in the nation. Two Dinning halls may be rented for meetings, weddings and special events. Rustic group facilities with primitive overnight cabins (bunkhouses) are available seasonally for larger groups. The park also offers buddy camp sites for 2 sometimes 3 campers in a party.
The park's 2,000 seat amphitheater hosts the Pocahontas Premiers series of concerts and family-friendly entertainment.
Pocahontas State Park's Location and 90 miles of trails make it particularly popular among bicyclists.
The canoe trips around the swift creek lake will leave lasting memories of the fun times in nature as you will see and abundance of it.
Pocahontas has 129 camping sites some of which are site specific while others are reservable, on a first come basis. Most all the sites are somewhat level and lengthy, but if you have a lengthy setup, it's recommended to reserve a lengthy site. The reserve America website will post site overall lengths and be helpful in reserving the proper sites.
This is a rather big and very enjoyable state park with much to do, while being fairly close in to town for lots of other exploring. Should You decide to give it a closer look. I hope You will find it greatly enjoyable as I do.
Due to covid please check ahead to be sure activities you may be interested in are not canceled.
The park does have some slight rolling hills in sections while there are fairly flat hikes as well. Best Wishes and Enjoy!
Legend
Great little site right on the river! Short walk to other great river put-in sites for kayaking and swimming. The campground has loaner kayaks 🛶
Cute little bathhouse with flushing toilets. Slightly tricky getting to the site in the dark - just follow the host’s directions really well. We had a great time and bought some homemade wine from the farm store. They also left us drinking water on the picnic table at the site. Beautiful wildflowers all around the property! Want to return in the spring.
GuideThis state park has it all! Nice roomy campsites. Clean bathrooms and showers. Laundry in the park. Many trails to hike or bike. Beautiful area. It is near Richmond, VA where we were visiting family so it worked well. There are also cabins available in the park.
LegendWe rented the buddy site this summer, which was actually three very close together sites that have been grouped together to become a buddy site. Typically group sites have large spaces and lots of room to gather around a fire but with it being three sites, the picnic tables, firepits, and tent pads were all spread out. It wasn’t really what I expected for a group site but we made it work.
Bring fans for summertime camping! Not all sites have good shade.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Wakefield, VA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Wakefield, VA is Pocahontas State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 78 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Wakefield, VA?
TheDyrt.com has all 4 equestrian camping locations near Wakefield, VA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
