Belle Isle State Park, Lancaster, Virginia

If you cornered me and twisted my arm to get me to name our favorite place to camp, I’d say it’s Belle Isle State Park in Lancaster, Virginia on the Northern Neck. (Not to be confused with Belle Isle Park in Richmond).

Blaze in front of our camper at Belle Isle State Park in Lancaster, Virginia.

Reason number 1: Though it’s less than two hours from our home in Newport News, and camping there really feels like we’re getting away.

Reason number 2: A circular argument, but because we’ve been camping here every year for a long time, we have made lots of memories there.

According to the ranger I spoke to, the park was created in 1997, funded from the 1992 General Obligation Bond Referendum authorized by the Virginia General Assembly and approved by voters. You can read more about that here: https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/history.

The park is large — more than 600 acres – much of it is still farmed. The park leases the land and you’ll see acres of corn or cover crops.

The campground is small, with just one loop and 30 sites — some reservable. The sites are separated by trees – you don’t see your neighbors unless you’re really trying.

The bathhouse is clean and modern. And by “modern,” I mean it’s one of the newer styles of bathhouses in Virginia State Parks. These have separate bathrooms for men and women, and five large unisex showers (one handicap accessible) at the back.

Campground Tour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOmVKr5ZbyE

Campground Details

Campground Name: Belle Isle State Park Location: Lancaster, VA Campground type: Virginia State Parks Number of sites: 30 Hookups: 30 and 50 amp electric; water. Connectivity: On T-Mobile, cell service was poor in the campground, but we got two 5G bars at the visitor’s center. Bathrooms: There is one bathhouse for the campground. Bathrooms are clean and well-maintained. Four single stall unisex showers are at the back of the bathhouse. Campground amenities: Gift shop, camp store, laundry, firewood for sale, dump station Reservations: Visit https://reservevaparks.com to make a reservation. Virginia State Parks take reservations 11 months in advance. Our Rating: 5 out of 5

Recommended Nearby

Vic enjoying a wine flight on the deck at Goodluck Cellars in Kilmarnock, Virginia

Good Luck Cellars, Kilmarnock. Every time we camp at Belle Isle, we spend a couple of hours at Good Luck Cellars in Kilmarnock, about 25 minutes away from the park. They have a cozy tasting room and an expansive wrap-around deck with views of the vines. All of their wines are from estate-grown grapes, and all are good. We usually come home with a few bottles – enough to get us to next year’s visit.