The Port Potomac, VA, area is surrounded by natural beauty with lots of parks, national forests, and fabulous places to camp. Whether you and your family want to sleep in a tent under the stars or have a more upscale cabin experience, discover these five best camping spots near the Port Potomac area.

Pohick Bay Regional Park

Cabins at Pohick Bay Regional Park, Lorton, VA by Nova Parks is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0

With so much to do at Pohick Bay Regional Park, you’ll want to spend at least a few days camping at this gorgeous park in nearby Lorton. This park offers families 50 tent sites, 150 shaded RV sites with hookups, and several rustic cabins complete with electricity, air conditioning, heating, a refrigerator, and two rooms for the family to share. Whether you stay in a tent, RV, or cabin, you’ll have access to hot showers, clean restrooms with flushable toilets, and a camp store where you can pick up supplies like firewood, ice, snacks, and fun souvenirs to bring home.

During the day, you can recreate on the water by renting kayaks, canoes, or paddleboards while you cruise around Pohick Bay looking for wildlife and local and migrating birds. The family can stay entertained playing on the 18-hole disc golf course, riding horseback on the 3.3 miles of equestrian trails, or splashing in the seasonal Pirate’s Cove Waterpark.

Location: 6501 Pohick Bay Drive in Lorton.

Camp Center Contact: 703-339-6104.

Leesylvania State Park

Leesylvania State Park is a magnificent spot for camping and enjoying other family attractions in the Port Potomac area. This gorgeous state park is listed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks and was home to Native Americans for thousands of years. You’ll have plenty of recreational opportunities at the 556-acre Leesylvania State Park with access to the Potomac River where anglers can cast their line for largemouth bass, catfish, perch, and striped bass. You will need to have a Virginia or Maryland freshwater fishing license to fish at Leesylvania State Park.

Hikers will appreciate the five hiking trails that run through the park, including one segment that’s part of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. If you plan on camping here, you have access to four rustic tents-only primitive campsites accessible only by kayak or canoe. To make your camping trip easy, consider picking up to-go food from any of these ethnic restaurants in the Woodbridge area for your lunch and dinner.

Location: 2001 Daniel K. Ludwig Drive in Woodbridge.

Contact: 703-730-8205.

Aquia Pines Camp Resort

Pack your RV for a long weekend or extended trip to enjoy the amenities at Aquia Pines Camp Resort. You can pull your RV into various sites that range from open grassy areas to ones tucked into the woods. This camp resort offers 30 amp or 50 amp electric hookups, water, sewer, or partial hookups, depending on your needs. If staying in an RV isn’t quite your style, consider renting one of the on-site luxury or rustic cabins.

The luxury cabins have air conditioning, heaters, a tiled tub/shower combination, and a kitchenette with a refrigerator, microwave, and running water. If you’re looking for something more rustic, you can rent cabins that sleep up to four people. These quaint cabins have electricity, a heater, and running water outside the cabin. During the warmer months, you can swim in the pool and kids can play on the playground. Close to the office of Aquia Pines Camp Resort, you’ll find a store, laundry room, and a game room to keep the family entertained.

Location: 3071 Jefferson Davis Highway in Stafford.

Contact: 540-659-3447.

Oak Ridge Campground

You’ll find the 100-site Oak Ridge Campground located within the boundaries of the serene Prince William Forest Park. This large campground can accommodate tents and RVs, but without hookups. At each site, whether it’s with a tent or RV, you will get a picnic table, barbecue grill, and a lantern post. This campground has three loops, and each one has water spigots, restrooms with sinks and flushing toilets, and hot showers so you can freshen up after a busy day hiking and exploring Prince William Forest Park.

If you bring your RV, length limits range from 26 feet to 32 feet with a height limit of 12 feet. If you want to camp with a large group, you can reserve the nearby Turkey Run Ridge Group Campground, complete with an amphitheater that has semi-circular bench seating with a fire pit as the focal point.

Please note that staff is upgrading the infrastructure of Oak Ridge Campground and have closed the campground until June 2023.

Location: 6975 Oak Ridge Road in Triangle.

Contact: 703-221-7181.

Fort Belvoir Recreational Lodging and Travel Camp

If you are active duty, retired military, a reservist, in the National Guard, or an installation contractor, you and your family are eligible to stay at Fort Belvoir Recreational Lodging and Travel Camp. You can bring your own travel trailer here to stay on one of the 52 sites on the shores of the Potomac River. Or, you can rent a fully equipped travel trailer to enjoy your stay at this military campground. Families can also rent one of the on-site cabins complete with a full kitchen and Wi-Fi for a more upscale camping experience.

If you’d like to sleep under the stars, it’s a breeze pitching your tent at one of the 10 primitive campsites overlooking the river. These sites come with a picnic table and barbecue fire pit with access to the on-site showers and restrooms during the daylight hours. Enjoy hiking, fishing, and relaxing while you spend time at Fort Belvoir Recreational Lodging and Travel Camp.

Location: 10155 Johnston Road Building 778 in Fort Belvoir.

Contact: 703-805-3081.

Our team at Crème de la Crème of Port Potomac hopes you and your family enjoy getting outside to experience these places and go camping. Do you have a suggestion for another spot to set up a tent, pull in a camping trailer, or rent a cabin in our area? If so, let us know and we can share your recommendation with our local community.