Powhatan State Park Campground

Powhatan State Park is a relatively new addition to the VA State Parks system; the park itself has only been open since 2003\. The primitive, canoe-in campground opened with the park, and the loop with electric and water hookups opened in 2016.

**Canoe-In Campground: **

When we stayed, we stayed in the canoe-in campground, although we hiked in the approximate 1/4 mile from the parking lot, rather than coming in by boat. This is a quiet, beautiful loop, with 8 sites, each with a picnic table and fire ring. There are composting toilets here and no potable water, so you will need to bring enough water for your trip or purification methods. Proper food storage is also essential back here; while this section of Virginia does not have the bear activity you’d find in the mountains, there are still raccoons and other wildlife who should not have access to human food. There are no bear boxes, so treat food storage as you would in the backcountry. 

-Sites 7 and 8 are closes to the toilets, and back up to the woods leading towards the Turkey Trail; hikers are visible from site 8 and audible from site 7\.  

-Sites 4 and 5 back up to a very wooded area, and are further back from the gravel loop. Site 4 is closest to the boat ramp and is visible; site 5 is probably the most private in the loop. 

-Sites 1,2, and 6 are in the center loop, but have more space between them than inner-loop sites usually have. Sites 1 and 2 are right against the River Trail however, so will have hikers walking directly past during the day. 

The canoe-in loop sits against the James River; there is a rack to stow your canoe/kayak overnight, and a pay by honor-system pile of firewood. Due to the thick foliage there is no actual river-view during the warmer months, but it’s easily accessbile. When we stayed in early spring there were a lot of vines that served as “natural playground” for our kids; they used them as swings, monkey bars, and enjoyed getting their feet wet at the base of the canoe ramp, so much that they declined hiking or driving to the park’s man-made playground. This loop makes a great “trial run” site for anyone considering a future backcountry trip; the walk to the parking lot is short enough to make multiple trips if you need to, and you still have access to the park amenities if you don’t mind a walk/drive to get there.

**River Bend Loop**

The River Bend Loop has 29 sites with water and electric hook-ups, though very little privacy between sites. The surrounding trees give all but the first three sites decent shade and a wooded atmosphere, and this is a great loop for RVs or tent campers who enjoy being close to other sites. If you are looking for a feeling of isolation however, you would be better off minimizing your gear and walking to the primitive sites, or going to a different park altogether. The bathrooms here have electricity, flush toilets, and showers with hot water. Sites 1-14 are available for advance reservation, and sites 15-29 are first-come first-served. Site 25 offers the most privacy for tent campers, and it’s very large, but if the campground is at full occupancy all sites are going to have a crowded feel.

There are several hiking trails at this park ranging from very easy to moderate, and a couple of them are horse-friendly; our kids enjoy seeing horses on the trail with them, but be mindful if you have kids/dogs who may be afraid of the horses. The park also has a playground, picnic shelters, and ranger activities on the weekends, and there are three yurts available to book.

This is a very open, well-maintained park, and the camping options should appeal to a wide spectrum of campers, and my only reason for giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the lack of privacy in the drive-up campsites. It feels a lot like a hidden gem; the hookup campground fills up during warmer weather, but all of our visits here have been very quiet and peaceful. If you are looking for camping options near Richmond, I highly recommend this park!

Peaceful and well-maintained campsites, just a short drive from the city

Staff were wonderful, huge place that is well kept, trails are trimmed back daily. Bathrooms are individual with a shower in each one. Lots of geocaching on grounds, fishing, hiking, boat launch, canoe racks, playground, a store with a nature center, and a Junior Ranger program for the kids.

Gorgeous facilities, everything is new!

Campsites are secluded and quiet. There are tons of hiking and biking trails as well as a river (the James) for boating/kayaking or tubing). The park contains a playground but very limited paved biking trails. The small amount of roads have hills and they will kick your butt, especially if you’re pulling a kiddo in a bike trailer. Super nice staff!

Our site didn’t have a breeze but had nice shade. Walking distance to showers/bathroom.

Ughhh the hills!!!

I was recently at Powhatan with a large group of Scouts. We spread across 3-4 tent/RV sites that we used as a basecamp while we hiked during the day. It was gorgeous! The trails were well-marked and a good place for a shakedown. We crossed some water sources and hiked along the James River. We even passed a nice playground and picnic area where we stopped for lunch. Everything was really nice, one of the nicest and cleanest parks I’ve been to recently. The campgrounds were well-maintained with lots of facilities. I especially liked how spacious the sites were. I didn’t feel like we were on top of our neighbors. I definitely want to come back here again!

A favorite! Many trails, playgrounds, picnicking, camping and more!

Sites are spaced well and still very close to everything.  Very bike friendly and lots of trails.  Large playground and a good boat launch for tubes and kayaks.  

Clean well maintained 

I was never bored when im Powhatan I always had something todo and had fun doing it,the staff are super nice and helpful there walking trails are phenomenal but you can get turned around like I did and have to walk back to my camp walking by the road. I was going to give it a four star because the A couple of standard electric sites mainly sites 4-7 are all in the sun for all day. With any problem I have though with things like that I always make them for me as best I can. Super amazing park.

Having fun in the blazing sun 

What a beautiful park! Over 1500 acres with 40 sites, this trip was the start of the camping season for me- the opening weekend for camping in State Parks in VA(COVID-19). The park and grounds are extremely well-maintained. I was very happy to see such a clean bathhouse, especially during the current pandemic. Each staff member I encountered was extremely helpful and polite. The park has lots of trails, miles of open meadows, and James River access. Great park for bicycling. The sites in the River Bend Campground(main campground) are private and wooded, especially this time of year when the trees are so full. The map makes it look like they’re really close together so I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived to my site, which was the las time available for booking(#16). There are 29 tent/RV sites and three yurts. The sites are gravel and include a picnic table, lantern/trash pole, and a fire pit with grill gate. Theres also a group site for 24 or so, bit that’s not open at the moment due to state restrictions. There’s overflow parking for the campground, dumpsters, and a dump station. Some are pull-through for RVSs and many have water/electric. Wood is for sale at the park but no ice or refreshments. Pet-friendly. There are also laundry facilities at the main bathhouse, nice hot/cold showers. Many picnic areas and a playground. There’s also a canoe-in site with 8 primitive sites: no water, electricity, or facilities(there’s a pit toilet). Depending on the time of the year they might be in the flood zone if the river is high, which it was during this trip. Some of those sites can also be booked for hiking into- it’s only a 0.2 walk from the parking lot. Tabb Monument State Park is nearby if you’re working your way through the parks as I am (no overnight facilities there). You’re also about 10-15 minutes from the town of Powhatan so if you need groceries or gas, you’re not far from Sheetz, Food Lion, etc. Loved this park so much and will definitely be returning!!!

Huge park, great sites!

The campground was nearly empty on a Sunday night and my simple request to drive around the campground before choosing a site was denied. I ended up blindly choosing a site from the map, and it wasn’t awful but it wouldn’t have been my first choice. Considering the empty campground, it just didn't make sense that I couldn't select a site. 

The River Trail was a nice walk. I did the Turkey, River, and Gold Dust Trails loop which is an easy 2.5 miles with some river views and meadow + wooded paths. I walked around the primitive hike-in/canoe-in campground which is nice and tucked away.

Nice Trails

There are several hike/boat-in sites that are in a separate area away from from the rest of the sites. We stayed in site 7 - best one! We were relatively secluded: could see/hear other campers but not much and didn’t bother us at all. There are some great trails and the park is very well maintained. Definitely going back! 

Perfect Weekend Getaway

We stayed here in March and it was very cold for tent camping, I think it got into the 20's at night! There were no other campers staying there while we were there in the canoe-in campground so it was very peaceful and quiet. This campground is primitive so there is no electricity or water. The sites include a picnic table and fire ring. Our tent pad was pretty level and pretty big! You could probably fit two small tents on there. There is a short .2 mile hike from a parking lot so we packed light and backpacked in. We stayed in site 4, which is towards the back of the loop. Not much privacy in the winter because there are no leaves on the trees. This campground has a pit toilet at the front of the campground and fire wood available for purchase near the canoe launch. 

We loved this park! The trails are fun and love all the beautiful views. We saw some incredible sunsets over the James River. There are all sorts of fun, gnarly trees for the kids to play on at the campsite! They had so much fun!

There are some great breweries nearby and only a short drive from Richmond and Charlottesville!