Pohick Bay Campground

Pohick Bay Campground in Virginia offers a peaceful escape with beautiful views and a variety of outdoor activities like hiking and fishing. It's an ideal spot for families and nature lovers. Don’t forget to register dito sim to stay connected during your visit!

We loved staying at Pohick. We were here to visit DC and it was an excellent spot to stay. It was extremely hot as it was July but the sites had a lot of shade. Site 46 where we stayed was close to the bathrooms and nice and flat. The bathrooms were cleaner than any other campground we have stayed in and they have laundry and a nice stainless sink and counter for washing dishes if needed. About a 40 minute drive into DC and definitely worth it. Also, campers get a discount at the water park which was a very reasonable 5 dollars per person. The weekend tends to be a bit louder but during the week was very quiet.

We have been camping here for nearly 20 years. Each military tour brought us back to this area so Pohick became our second home. Our kids kayak now older but used to walk the trails as little kids. The waterpark is new and loud so we avoid but nice if you have young kids. Careful low bridge on Route 1 exit ramp little warning when taking ramp off I95. Go around to next exit. The check in at the cap store is crowded and narrow even with renovations but our 34 ft makes it okay. Bring bikes. Long bike trail along road. Farmers markets in Lorton and things to do in DC. Park at Huntington or Springfield metro. Short boat ride straight across from Ft Belvoir new family campground. Ice cream shop in season by water docks. Bathrooms clean always hot water three stalls each. Sink outside for dishes. Playground buts up against inner circle which are the only sewer sites. Others are electric water. Careful some near steep drop off. Stick to main road or inner circle or first circle if in big unit. Must go round circle to get to those spots which can be annoying. Two speed bumps. Camp store sells smores ingredients, limited candy, no eggs or bacon get those off Rte 1. Past entrance on Rte 1 is a Food Lion, McDonalds. Gas stations along Rte one are tight so fill up before exiting to campground. If you are desperate there is gas 7/11 at corner of Pohick and Rte 1 but its sketchy. Up the road off Rte 1 is Fort Belvoir Access w a drivers license however cant shop without military sponsored ID. Great bbq at Telegraph Rd and greek at Olympians family restaurant. Movie theater on Telegraph is nice. Springfield Mall close. Take Onville Rd which is a backroad by Pohick Church to shortcut to Rte 1. Pohick Rd past camping turn deadends into private neighborhood. Do not pass camp entrance. Hard to turn around if you do. Near End of Pohick is a small walk with overlook. See birds at point. Drive a car not RV. Park at lot on right before road split deadend. Gunston Hall on left can see from campground and water. Tours are nice.

This place is so noisy with these helicopters that fly 24/7. Another absolutely insane noisy campground run by nova. Absolutely a rip off because of the noise just like all nova parks seem to be.   Insane

We were traveling with our daughter and have had a long day. Pohick bay was on our list and Owen at the camping office did such a great job making sure that everything goes well for us. The bathrooms are clean and very well kept. We will definitely stay here again!

Workers are nice, campground is decent. After hours ranger was really helpful and sweet helping spot me backing in. The trails to the bay are fun. Whoever designed the comfort station in the front needs to refund the park. You have to be on the toilet to close the door, there isn't an inch of extra space in the stalls. The laundry machines are positioned as inefficiently as possible. The second comfort station smells badly of sewage and the grate in the showers is painful on my feet, and I'm a barefoot gravel walker. Try to get a spot with full hookups to avoid the bathrooms.Other than the bathrooms, it's okay.

My partner and I camped here in the middle of February '23. Great campground, clean comfort stations. Comfort station 1 is newer and more renovated that comfort station 2 but both were clean and well kept! it was very warm in the comfort station ( a plus in the winter) with hot water. There are a few trails here, a marina, waterpark & mini golf when in season.  great for families. The staff at the camp store were nice and very accommodating. This was our first trip so when we booked our site we had no idea how close the RV sites were. I mean, zero privacy, barely any  trees in between. So the camp store clerk allowed us to change our site to a more private one.  Site 11 seemed very private for anyone looking to book.

also, just to mention, all sites that back up to the playground have no buffer or trees. You will be exposed to the playground but that may be what you're looking for. 

All in all, a great stay!

We had spot 84 which was great for privacy and location to the laundry! The staff was nice. It was a bummer to have no water hook-up (we did know this before booking) but that would have made it perfect. WATCH OUT for poison oak - our electrical cord must have come in contact with it as we did not hike through the woods yet we both got poison oak on the inside of our arms (from holding the cord) and it has spread down both our arms. The laundry facility was clean and it’s $2 to wash and $2 to dry. Easy 45 minute drive to DC. Overall, would stay again if passing through.

Such a great campsite. So many things to do. There was a waterpark, mini golf, marina, lots of trails and playground. Our stay was awesome. The staff were so nice and helpful. Pretty Quiet at night.

Some bugs but not too bad. Didn’t have to use too much bug spray. Our site was spacious. Peaceful, water spigot across the road. Close to comfort station.

Great for families, groups, single, anyone. Noticed different size sites. Great stay definitely planning to stay again.

This review is specific to the non-electric tent sites.

From a services available view, their staff is visible and around to help.  Bathrooms, "Comfort Stations", could use some cleaning more frequently but I've seen a lot worse.  Big trash bin near the comfort stations, convenient.   Definitely a well stocked camp store, its obvious they cater to beginner and family camping.  You are NOT permitted to use deadfall at this park, must bring locally purchased USDA wood yourself or buy from camp store.

There are comfort stations and trash bins close to every non-electric camp site, an easy sub-200 yard walk for me, but that fact is also where my disappointment starts.  The non-electric camp sites in some cases, appear to share a single area, fire pits 10 feet apart from each other, one flat area, barely a full length truck can fit in the parking available at each site they are so close to the road.  If you whisper,  your neighbors will easily hear close.   A big part of camping for me is the peace and quiet of nature.  THIS IS NOT THAT CAMPSITE.  It is extremely compact and close to each other.  Snoring of your neighbor is definitely an issue no matter which site you choose, except for maybe 138 as was said in another review.

The gravel road into the campsites,  is a RESIDENTIAL road.  Yes, there are houses at the end of the road these campsites are ON.  Not off of, on.  Now mostly that wasn't a big deal, cars moving through during the day, early evening.  But that one guy that sat with his high beams on pointed directly into my tent late night for a solid minute or two before loudly accelerating through was a bit irritating. 

This was a weeknight trip, there was only one other camper in this small campground with me so all in all, not a terrible trip but definitely not worth the cost and will not be visiting here again.

Great camp sites each with a picnic table and fire pit. There are a ton of things to do at this park, boat ramps, water park, mini golf, disc golf, kayak rental, and hiking trails. The camp store is open from 8a-8p. My only complaint is that our site was a bit too close to the “main road” of the park. Also, comfort station 3 was out of service so we had to drive to the other stations when we needed to use the facilities. Other than that, very much recommended and we will be back.

I stayed for three night, lost of open camp sites as it is late in the season. Nice trails, good facilities and friendly staff

Very secure, recomemded

This campground has 5-star service, which is good to know before you pay the premium price for the sites which really are standard 4-star campsites. Our mode of camping: a campervan. Reason for staying: to be stationary for a few days.

[Internet. Verizon via iPhone 12: 9 mbps down and 1.4 mbps up with 49 ms ping.]

We had a few interactions with the rangers and staff that really impressed us.

(1) The first night there we went to take a shower at Comfort Station 1 and there was a snake in a shower that had snuck in. We showered at Comfort Station 2 on the other side of the campground. The next morning we reported to the camp store about the snake and that we hadn't gone back to check if it was still there. Not even 5 minutes later, two park rangers pull up to the bathroom to check out the bathroom. The snake had left. I was impressed with their response time.

(2) I had a package mailed to the campground and asked about it at the camp store. They said the ranger receives packages and that she'd call to check if any packages had arrived. I kid you not, maybe ten minutes later a ranger drives up to our campsite and delivers the package. 

(3) The Comfort Stations are so clean. They might have some of the cleanest bathrooms I've come across. Comfort Station 1 was within visual distance of our campsite. I swear that one person spent almost two hours cleaning that one building. This Comfort Station has an extra restroom that's handicap accessible too. The laundry room was so clean. As I do in all laundromats, I swipe the folding table with my finger to see if it needs dusting. This table did not need dusting. The women's restroom (and handicap bathroom) were so clean. The toilets, showers, sinks—everything. 

Other pros include: 

There's two laundry facilities. The washer and dryer each cost $2. (I highly recommend drying on medium since the dryer runs forever.) You can exchange for quarters at the camp store. The camp store sells firewood. Oh, the camp store itself is a perk. During our stay it was open 8am to 8pm. They sell ice cream! It was hot during our stay, so I bought some ice cream sandwiches.

My cons:

My first con is that the fresh water fill stations aren't marked on their campground map. They actually have two fill stations on either side of the camp store. Ask the camp store where they are.

My big con largely concerns "the nature" which I won't hold against the campground. Since it's summer, the spiders were out in full force.  Comfort Station 1 didn't show signs of any spiders who set up home (because they clean like crazy and they're amazing). However, outside is a whole different story. There was a fat, monstrous spider with a big web right above the dish washing station. It nearly gave me a heart attack (and I'm 36). I brought my bug spray over and doused the hell out of it and the underside of the roofing above the sink so I could wash dishes. That first night with the snake in the bathroom—there was also a sand dollar sized spider running across the floor. It clearly had ALSO snuck in. Our campsite had a fair amount of spiders running around on the ground. I highly recommend NOT wearing sandals during the warm season. At night during our first campfire while it was dark, a spider slunk down from a tree just above our picnic table. WHOLE LOTS OF NOPE ON THAT. We turned our outdoor side lights on to keep the spiders up in the damn trees. Thankfully this side was facing the woods so our lights weren't in anyone's eyes. I dread being one of "those" campers.

Really enjoyed this park especially since it is so close to Washington DC. The sites were fairly level and shaded with a fire ring and picnic table. Verizon cell coverage was good. The comfort house with showers and flush toilets was clean. My only minor complaint would be during the weekend there are a lot of children making noise at the water park. It wasn’t bad but if you want peace and quiet, keep that in mind.

I found it expensive for a tent site. No electric or water and was over $40. Out of area fee and a transaction fee (I even paid cash) If your traveling looking for a cheaper place to park for the night, this is not it.

Initially disappointed by the tiny spot we got, but we were able to move. Majority of the spots are extremely close to the next and doesn't allow much privacy. Very few trees in between. We chose another spot that was available, however, we found out the first night that there is a boat area and bright light all night right behind us and the light came through the tent. Another dissapointment. We camped in a tent and did 3 nights, 4 days. (4th of July weekend) We loved the family friendliness that allowed us to walk right down the street/trail to take our kids to the water park. They give you a discounted price if you are camping. They also have mini golf and disc golf near by as well. If we come again, we will definitely be more particular about our spot. They also had bathrooms and showers not to far from our spot that were actually clean.

We stayed on the big loop on site 48. Unfortunately there wasn’t anything on ReserveAmerica specifying the water situation, so when we arrived we found that we didn’t have water hook up. I’m attaching a photo of the color map I got at checkout which specifies which sites have water.

Bath house was cleaned regularly and was generally very clean (except footprints from people who came in while the floor was wet from mopping). Shower stalls and bathroom stalls were very small but water was hot. Laundry facility in the bath house, $2 per load, quarters. The camp store had most everything you could need and was open 8-8. Staff was all super friendly. They had numerous activities going on for kids.

Definitely be prepared for bugs and ticks.

Sites were shaded well but many didn’t have a lot of privacy from neighbors. Definitely a tad smaller than the photos online show. Our site was level.

The raccoons and squirrels have no fear and will chew through plastic containers to get your food.

When we want to go somewhere and not think about where, we go to Pohick.

Stay on the electric loop for better bathrooms.

Some sites are big and beautiful (56!) and others you'll barely have room for your tent. Stick to the outer loops and you should be fine.

My friends were first time campers, so I brought them here. It was perfect. Easily accessible bathrooms and showers, fire ring with a rack, and nice greenery. The plethora of activities made it simple to keep my friends entertained. You can rent kayaks, go mini golf, and there are a couple very easy hiking trails.

We stay here at least 6 trips a year. Nice layout, not all sites are level (half). Staff are always nice and go out of their way to help.

Stayed here for 2w while visiting friends in Alexandria. Took me 25-30m to get there so you are far away from bustle of city but not so far that going in to enjoy breakfast or the sights is a feat. Nice and quiet here during winter more so during week than weekends.

Great if you’re looking for a quick escape from DC and with a lot of activities—paddling, hiking, and a 5 minute drive from Meadowood for mountain biking. I camped at the non-electric area and it was nice to play some disc golf across the street before dark. The hiking is nice—15 minutes on the trail to get to the water—and a quick walk to the marina/boat rentals.

Campsites are well-equipped, but depending on which you will not have privacy and/or enough flat space for more than 1 tent. Most sites are right next to each other and no trees or other natural separation, and some saw did not have much space for tents. I had 141 which was good; 138 was the best that I saw; and if you want to get 2 for a bigger group try to get 112/113.

Great regional park with lots to do - trails, biking, boating.

Sites are spacious and decently level (depends on the site I’m sure).

Plenty of playgrounds and trails nearby to keep the family busy.

Amenities and such are what you’d expect - clean but not new.

We would definitely stay again.

We loved our site B56 which is a deep, private spot with lots of tent sites. The trees are pretty and the laurel adds to the privacy. We were there in November, so the leaves were off the trees, but it still felt private. There were a few parties in the campground which is strange given we are in the midst of a Pandemic. The noise carries here perhaps because there are valleys. There are a lot of shallow campsites close together. Make sure you check the length of the site. We originally had B46 which was directly across from the bathroom, right beside the road, and across from the playground. The wonderful staff allowed us to move. The camp store firewood was very dry and burned nicely. The staff patrol the park quite a bit but maybe not at night. There are several beautiful trails and kayaking nearby. There is also a water park which likely adds to the noise in the summer.

Nice camping spot close to DC with hiking nearby

We were here for just one night during September. Our first time camping in the area and since COVID. Check in process was relatively simple, just pull up and pop out of your car to check in, with mask of course. We got a quick run down, some wood and a brochure with maps and area info. We were at site 133, non electric non water. I feel like the spots at the end of each loop might have slightly more privacy, but our site was fine. It included a picnic table and probably the best fire pit with grill that I've had in a while. It rained the night before we came, and the night we were there so the ground was pretty wet. Bathrooms had a sign for taking care with COVID precautions, and to wear your mask. Bathrooms were ok, but floors were a mess from muddy feet. Not much to be done about that. There were showers, and a dishwashing sink, plus laundry available. It's nice to know we've got a close spot to escape to if we don't have time to go far. This is a pet friendly campground. There's a lot to do out at the whole park, and its worth exploring (we just didn't have time). I'm sure its so pretty out near the water.

The campground was strangely quiet for pandemic season, but I was thankful for the small numbers of campers. The check-in attendant was masked and helpful with directions and a storm report. Hiking trails  are well-marked. Best was the bay: a couple-minute drive from the campground (your camping fee covers the launch fee you'd have to pay for a day visit), with plenty of parking (weekdays anyway) and separate launch area for kayaks and SUPs (out of the way of the motorboats).

This is a nice family campground that is 30 minutes from DC. We like going there if we're in the mood to camp, but don't have time for a long drive.  It's a fairly small campground, but several big/deep sites. There are also sites in the middle that back up into a playground, which is ideal for kids. It's very shaded and well-maintained. There is a disc golf course and mini golf course within walking distance. You can also walk on a trail to the "bay" I'm not sure what that body of water is, but there isn't really a swimming area. There is a small shop that rents paddle boats and kayaks. Overall a nice and simple campground with lots of shade!

This is definitely a family campground.  So my activities for kids and places to run around. Pirate's Cove waterpark is definitely a highlight in summer

Boating in summer from kayaks to motorboats

Very nice staff and clean facilities. Water park is great.