5 sites · Tents204 acres · Nathalie, VAWe are just over an hour north of Durham, NC, two hours southwest of Richmond, VA, and 30 minutes east of Danville, VA. Our property is 204 acres of beautiful wilderness, in an international Dark Sky zone (you can see the milky way on a clear night), where you can usually hear nothing other than the calls of the animals.
The property is accessed via a half mile dirt and grass road that drops you off at the main camping area at the Old Tobacco Barn. From there you have access to a composting toilet and fire circle.
Roughly half the property was cleared and is open and overgrown with brush. The other half of the property is various types and stages of forest, from young to old.
We have 5 waterways that I have counted so far (it's a lot of land!), including 1.5 miles of Sandy Creek, which is more of a small river than a creek, beautiful swimmable natural springs, and a half acre pond (with beavers!). We have two kayaks that you can use on the pond, and you can bring tubes or kayaks and paddle down Sandy Creek all the way to Banister River a few miles downstream.
Camping is available throughout the property, although you will see several marked and prepped sites along the road or in the woods. This is rustic camping, meaning that you can drive up to some camping sites, but others are off the road and require a bit of trekking through brush, trails, or woods.
This area of the state is an international dark sky zone, and the views at night are glorious - the milky way is clearly visible, you can generally catch shooting stars with regularity on any clear night, and if you bring binoculars or a telescope, you have a clear view of most of the sky.
If you enjoy wild plants, foraging, bird watching, tracking, or generally getting out into a natural space, then you will enjoy the diversity of the wildlife and plant life on the property.
Animals that we have verified on the land include Deer (lots!), Racoons, Cayote, Turkey, Black Bear, Fox, and a large variety of birds and other critters that we haven't identified.
We have house sized boulders along Sandy Creek that you can climb on, and the creek itself is clean and swimmable. There is lots to explore throughout the property and, most of all, it's a wonderful place to rest and relax out in nature.
A few things to keep in mind:
* The road is a dirt road, meaning that it turns muddy after it rains. Please be mindful of this and park at the front and walk in if it is raining or has rained the day before you arrive. Also, if it looks like it will rain while you are on site, you may want to move your vehicle to the front of the property to make it easier to get out when you leave. Having said that, the road is good and any car can drive it without issue when it is dry.
* Smaller campers and trailers are welcome on the property as well, although we do not have a place to dump/empty your septic, so please take waste off site.
* We do not have showers or potable water on site, so you will need to pack water in with you. This is rustic camping.
* We do have a composting toilet - please drop a handful of wood shavings into the bucket when you are done. For folks who are comfortable doing so, please consider urinating outside rather than in the composting toilet. ;)
Pets
Toilets
Campfires
Cooking equipment
