Waking up to a peaceful lake just outside your tent or RV makes a camping trip feel even more memorable.
Virginia makes that easy, with campgrounds beside huge reservoirs, quiet mountain lakes, sandy swimming beaches, wooded shorelines, and coves perfect for paddling.
Wherever you set up camp, you can fill your days with fishing, hiking, and swimming, while many spots add conveniences like full hookups, hot showers, and picnic spots.
With these options waiting around the state, keep reading to find the best places for lakeside camping, including a few hidden gems worth checking out.
1. Washington County Park & Campground
Washington County Park & Campground sits along South Holston Lake in Abingdon, combining wooded surroundings with a peaceful waterfront setting.
The campground has 140 campsites, including 132 full-hookup sites and 10 tent sites, plus a pool, playground, picnic tables, boat ramp, and canoe access.
That means you can spend your days swimming, paddling, fishing, or boating on the 7,580-acre reservoir, which is especially known for smallmouth bass.
When you want to explore beyond the water, drive into the historic town for the 34-mile Virginia Creeper Trail, Barter Theatre, local restaurants, and shops.
2. Bolar Mountain Recreation Area
Next is Bolar Mountain Recreation Area, where campsites line the forested shores of 2,530-acre Lake Moomaw in George Washington and Jefferson National Forests.
You can choose from more than 125 campsites across four loops, including tent and RV sites with picnic tables, fire rings, drinking water, and some electric hookups.
Once you’re settled in, you can hit the volleyball court, swim at the sandy beach, launch a kayak, paddle quiet coves, or fish for rainbow trout, bass, and crappie.
If you’d rather explore on foot, take on some of the area’s 11 miles of hiking trails, with routes leading to Islands Overlook Spur and Grouse Point Overlook.
3. Lakeside Campground at Douthat State Park
Another scenic mountain option is Lakeside Campground at Douthat State Park, which puts your tent or RV steps from the park’s 50-acre lake in Millboro.
Choose from 19 gravel-pad sites with water, 30/50-amp electric hookups, picnic tables, grills, and lantern posts, with showers and a dump station nearby.
For some outdoor fun, spend a few hours fishing for trout and largemouth bass or head to the beach for a refreshing swim if you’re visiting during summer.
Bring your hiking shoes because there are more than 40 miles of trails, including the 6-mile Blue Suck Falls Trail, which climbs past waterfalls and rocky overlooks.
4. Lake Fairfax Park Campground
If you prefer camping closer to the city, Lake Fairfax Park Campground offers an outdoor getaway in Reston, about a 35-minute drive from Washington, D.C.
The 476-acre park surrounds 20-acre Lake Fairfax, where you can fish, explore wooded trails, enjoy a picnic or cookout by the water, or check out the skatepark.
You can also cool off at the Water Mine Family Swimmin’ Hole, which has a lazy river, sprays, and slides, and is open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.
When it’s time to settle in, choose from spacious tent and RV sites, with electric hookups available, plus showers, restrooms, a fresh-water fill station, and a dump station.
5. Christopher Run Campground
For a more traditional lakeside camping experience, Christopher Run Campground is a family-run spot on the shores of 13,000-acre Lake Anna in Mineral.
Its 200-plus campsites include tent sites, full-hookup RV sites, cabins, updated bathhouses, hot showers, laundry facilities, picnic tables, and a camp store nearby.
Days here revolve around the water, with 6 boat ramps, swimming beaches, fishing piers, boat rentals, and chances to catch largemouth bass, crappie, and catfish.
Back on land, you can play mini golf, basketball, or volleyball, then drive 15 minutes to Lake Anna State Park for more shoreline adventures.
6. Acorn Loop at Bear Creek Lake State Park
Surrounded by Virginia’s Cumberland State Forest, Acorn Loop at Bear Creek Lake State Park offers a peaceful place to stay beside 40-acre Bear Creek Lake.
This wooded area has just 17 sites, including 10 primitive tent sites along the water and seven sites with water and electric hookups for pop-ups and small RVs.
During your stay, rent a canoe, kayak, paddleboard, or rowboat when available, or fish for largemouth bass, crappie, bream, bluegill, and channel catfish.
For a bigger adventure, follow the 15.7-mile Cumberland Multi-Use Trail through the surrounding forest, then return for dinner and a quiet night under tall hardwood trees.
7. Goose Point Park
If Bear Creek Lake has you hooked on wooded waterfront camping, Goose Point Park goes bigger with campsites overlooking 2,900-acre Philpott Lake in Bassett.
Run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the park offers a swimming beach, boat ramp, dock, and fishing pier for swimming, boating, paddling, and fishing.
It also features 63 campsites, with 53 offering water and electric hookups, plus hot showers, flush toilets, a playground, and a dump station for added convenience.
With so much of the outdoors right around you, it’s easy to spend a few days relaxing, exploring, and simply enjoying the camping experience.
8. Campground C at Occoneechee State Park
Keep the waterfront theme going at Campground C in Occoneechee State Park, located beside the massive 48,000-acre Buggs Island Lake in Clarksville.
You’ll find 34 campsites here for RVs up to 30 feet long, including some with water views and a mix of hookup and non-hookup sites, hot showers, and flush toilets.
With the lake so close, bring your fishing gear to catch striped bass, largemouth bass, crappie, and catfish, or launch a boat from the park to explore the shoreline.
You can also hike and bike more than 22 miles of trails, visit the Occoneechee Plantation site, or head into Clarksville for local restaurants and cafes.
9. Lake Gaston Americamps (Bracey)
Last but not least, Lake Gaston Americamps in Bracey offers a family-owned Good Sam Park right along Lake Gaston, which stretches across more than 20,000 acres.
It has 120 campsites for tents and RVs, with water and 30/50-amp electric hookups at every site, plus some full-hookup sites, waterfront spots, and eight rental cabins.
When you’re ready for some fun, go fishing for bass, crappie, and catfish, cool off in the swimming pool, or play mini golf, basketball, volleyball, and horseshoes.
For a break from the outdoors, the game room has pool tables and plenty of arcade games, making it easy to stay entertained once you’re back at the campground.
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