Bull Run Regional Park

We have found municipal campgrounds in Northern Virginia are a bit spendy for being government sponsored.  Not as bad as South Carolina, but way more than Florida.  Fine.  Comes with the territory.  But Bull Run manages to goose you even more.  There are occupancy AND transaction fees that really add up if you're only there a few nights.  But the real kicker is a 2-night minimum stay.  Even mid-week.  In APRIL for gosh sakes!

While we were here, there was a fairly heavy day of rain.  Couple inches, I suppose, but nothing Biblical.  The mouths of the metal culverts in our loop were bent downward from campers driving over them, which obstructed the flow.  Result was lots of standing water at our campsite.

We're done with NOVA Parks campgrounds.  Better cost options exist with Fairfax County Parks.

Pros - Clean Bathrooms, Camp store open 8am - 8pm, Sites 62 - 92 (except #74 and 88) are all pretty  good.  Security was great, patrol throughout the night.  Quiet hours are enforced and campers are polite.  Lots of activities, and nice hiking trails. Fabulous historical attractions, great visitor center. 

Cons - Campground is in the flight path of Dulles Airport, so planes are flying over head at all hours of the day and sometimes late at night/morning.  There is a shooting range nearby. Some noise during range hours. (Not late at night!)  Because there had been so little rain, there was not great fishing in the park.  (I went to Silver Lake, that was great!)

Traffic! Lots of local traffic on the main roads. (to be fair, it IS a suburb of DC ). Stores are all approx. 20 mins away. (Head towards Haymarket)

I stayed here with my family this summer and the park itself is a perfect spot for nature near DC. My son loved the giant playground and full water park at the campground, they even had discounted entry to the water park for campers. We stayed in site 20 which is an easy pull through and had a direct trail to the water park and the full network of trails in the park.

Took my family of 7 to the Bull Run regional park for our first camping trip and the experience was great! Didn’t want to stray too far from the house in the event that it was a nightmare, thankfully this local spot offered a soft opening to our family over the two days we spent there and all was good. The site was clean and well kept, bathhouse was close to the tent site and in ok shape (wasn’t expecting anything spectacular so wasn’t disappointed. Playground and trails were nice, kids really enjoyed the chance to take in nature. This experience was good and would recommend a visit for anyone looking for a soft intro to camping for their family!

Came to stay for a volleyball tournament and got way more. Christmas lights and just a festive atmosphere. Campsite was easy to pull into and hookup to. Overall a great experience

This place is absolutely the most horrific noisy place is like sleeping on the side of the highway. Absolutely annoying sound 24/!7, this place should be free. Absolutely a rip off to call this park a campground. More like a parking lot on the internete.

We booked site 136 due to proximity of the playground (traveling with a 5 & 10 yr old). The site was great except the weird parking stops on every site but the pull throughs. It only allows you to back your camper in so far.

We were able to drive to a DC Metro station easily - 30 minutes. Our main goal was to explore DC but there is lots to do near the campground. Even some National Battle Sites nearby.

Sites are gravel pretty level and not to close. Bathhouses are ample and clean but can be a hike from some sites.

These big spots were great but it was pretty expensive for what it was. I think you were paying for the location.

We camped here in the winter of 2020 on News Years Eve. This was one of the few campsites open on New Years Eve. 

We enjoyed our time here. 

We walked on the trails, walked by the river, and the disc golf course. 

We enjoyed being able to buy firewood onsite.

Was excited to try first night out in a Kodiak Canvas Truck Bed Tent. Unfortunately, learned NOVA Parks regards anything in a truck bed whether a camper or tent is not welcome. I didn't realize NOVA Parks considers this campground as a resort and vehicle camping - ither than a class A or B - implies homeless and they don't want that image. They do also allow a travel trailer and tents can only be used on the ground not in a truck bed as designed. Beautiful park ... I live nearby in Arlington but was frustrated not able to use a nearby Park and Campground I pay taxes to support. I used another Campground in Fairfax County that was welcoming.

Great campsite has something for everyone. Clean well kept park and campsites. Courteous staff. Would definitely stay here again!

Spacious and private (for the East Coast).

We enjoy this regional park, the loops are all drive through, there were a couple sites that only had electric (no water and none have sewer).

Gun range nearby. But it’s not excessively loud.

Grounds are always clean, staff has always been courteous and helpful.

The gun range and outdoor music events nearby ruin an otherwise nice camp.

Lovely regional park with great facilities. Our last trip was in March and it was just too cold to be here. They do a great job just no sewer. Love their ox bow setup for the pull through sites though they can be tricky to setup in.

We are still here, checked in 3/28/22. Had trouble getting in to site because we were not directed to come down the road the correct direction to hook up. Then we had trouble situating so we could unhitch our fifth wheel without getting stuck in mud. It has rained a couple days and we cannot even use our fire pit, grill, or table because we would have to go thru standing water and mud. We are on the road. Cannot even open awnings because they would be over the road. There are many nice spots here but, 126 is awful.

The pull through spots were great. There was plenty of privacy. The spot was level and shaded. The bath house was clean.

We stayed here four nights with lots of exploring and activities. The campground is beautiful and well-maintained. There’s a disc golf course that is easy and fun to follow. Also, a water park with a charge of $4 if you are a registered camper. Lots of trails and areas to bike. We stayed at spot 133 and I felt we were off to ourselves some. The campsites along the wooded area are a little close together.
The bathrooms and showers were kept clean along with the laundry room. It’s a quick trip to Washington, DC if you are looking to explore there. We took an uber then the subway. All in all, a great spot to spend some time away in nature. :)

We have lived in northern Virginia for over 30 years and never been to this campground until this month! Very nice campground with friendly staff and friendly campground hosts. Sites are comfortably sized and provide privacy as well as allow socializing. Restrooms are extremely clean and the showers are well designed. Only real drawback is the shooting range but honestly it’s not that loud and becomes background noise you don’t notice pretty quickly. The weekend activities were a nice surprise, especially the pancake breakfast. We will definitely be back and anticipate that the campground will be our local go to for future trips.

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.

Nice quite park with plenty of space between camps.

Clean amenities. Pretty heavy rain that flooded some areas.

Location is everything. Wineries, breweries, historic parks and buildings nearby. Park itself is simple, wooded and charming. Hiking trails, a playground, and pool are great for our family of six. The bathhouses are clean. We visit 2-3x a year. Fall is STUNNING!

Camp ground is nice. Check in was a breeze. The only drawback is that it is not quite. There is a shooting range in the park. It is on a flight path for DCA. And, I66 is not that far away.

The sites are nicely spread out. My site had a slight slope, but was easily overcome using additional blocks on the low side to get the trailer level.

Yes, I would recommend this camp ground.

BR park is absolutely beautiful. So much to do and centered around many historical sites. It’s a gem

Our family stayed here in a cabin on a long weekend trip to DC. This campground was full of stuff to do and we didn't even get to do a lot of it. We stayed in a cabin for 2 nights and had a great time. The campground had a climbing wall on one afternoon. There are miles of trails and my gkids enjoyed the nature scavenger hunt. You even get a prize when you finish. This park has too many amenities to list. They had a campfire complete with s'mores followed by hayrides. Great family friendly campground. We will definitely be going back.

We stayed at Bull Run Regional Campground on our visit to Washington DC. It was fall and the colors were gorgeous. The sites are all pull-through off the roads through the campground. So your camper faces the woods and you feel like you're all alone. Bath houses are clean and well maintained. Our site was very level, but I could see that some others were not so much, so you might want to ask about that. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

I was excited to go to this campground based on reviews and it’s location. Unfortunately it was so noisy with the sounds of guns from 9am-to 8pm daily. The highway is close so we could hear cars while sleeping and planes flying over head constantly. I’d give it zero stars, but the park itself is very clean and the site was big.

The park is a beautiful one to visit and the sites are huge. It’s super close to breweries, winery’s, and historical battlegrounds. It’s dog and kid friendly with clean facilities. Unfortunately, gun fire from the shooting range can be heard 9 hours a day from any point in the camping area. The highway is close and airplanes can be heard so there is never a moment of quiet. We had a great time no matter what, but would have loved to know ahead of time. If you want to just get out of the city and be at a campsite within an hour this is your place, but if you want peace and quiet in nature look elsewhere.