Notable Campgrounds
- Best for family campers: Whispering Pines Campground has 23 sites with electric and water hookups, space for up to 50-foot RVs, and a playground nearby.
- Best for horse lovers: Beaver Dam Campground has equestrian camping with covered stalls available for rent.
- Best for water activities: Lakeside Campground has 19 RV/tent sites with gravel pads and electric hookups.
Tips for Snagging a Campsite Reservation
- You can reserve a cabin or a campsite at one of the park’s four campgrounds online.
- Campsite reservations open 11 months in advance and must be made at least one day before arrival.
- Campsites can book up fast, especially on summer and holiday weekends. Book a minimum of six months in advance.
When to Go
Peak season at Douthat State Park is April through October, and this is the most popular time for hiking, camping, and water sports. Outdoor activities are enjoyable year-round, but summer visitors have the added bonus of a swimming beach (open from Memorial Day to Labor Day) and trout-stocked waters (twice weekly through the high season). Whispering Pines is the only campground open year-round, but cabins are also available for winter rentals.
Know Before You Go
- Douthat State Park is just over an hour’s drive north of Roanoke.
- Day-use parking fees and camping reservation fees are charged at Douthat. State fishing licenses and equestrian permits are also required.
- Facilities include a visitor center and gift shop, camp store, restaurant, restrooms, and picnic areas. Cell phone service is patchy throughout the park, but free wifi is available near the bathhouse.
- You can bring your own non-gasoline-powered boats to Douthat, and boats and watercraft are available to rent in season. Swimming is only permitted at the swimming beach.
- There are accessible campsites, restrooms, and picnic areas at Douthat State Park. The swimming area is also accessible.
Douthat State Park
Can’t decide between lake or mountain? Douthat—one of Virginia’s original state parks—has both.
The 50-acre Douthat Lake is the epicenter of its namesake state park, framed by the forested slopes of the Allegheny Mountains. Take to the water to cruise or kayak, rent a hydrobike or stand-up paddleboard, or fish for bass, trout, and crappie in the lake and streams. There’s plenty for landlubbers to explore, too, with more than 40 miles of wooded trails ready to hike, mountain bike, or horseback ride. Spending the night? Choose from four campgrounds dotted throughout the park, including equestrian camps with stables, rustic cabins, and plenty of RV/tent sites, some right by the lake.
The 50-acre Douthat Lake is the epicenter of its namesake state park, framed by the forested slopes of the Allegheny Mountains. Take to the water to cruise or kayak, rent a hydrobike or stand-up paddleboard, or fish for bass, trout, and crappie in the lake and streams. There’s plenty for landlubbers to explore, too, with more than 40 miles of wooded trails ready to hike, mountain bike, or horseback ride. Spending the night? Choose from four campgrounds dotted throughout the park, including equestrian camps with stables, rustic cabins, and plenty of RV/tent sites, some right by the lake.
Activities in the park
1 campground in Douthat State Park
When you crash at Douthat State Park, it doesn’t get much better than pitching your tent right by the lake. With the glistening waters just outside your tent flap, you can be sure to get in on all the action. Surrounded by some of the most impressive and awe-inspiring mountain scenery in the state, you can’t help but fall in love with this area. Y Read more...
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Notable Campgrounds
Notable Campgrounds
Tips for Snagging a Campsite Reservation
When to Go
Peak season at Douthat State Park is April through October, and this is the most popular time for hiking, camping, and water sports. Outdoor activities are enjoyable year-round, but summer visitors have the added bonus of a swimming beach (open from Memorial Day to Labor Day) and trout-stocked waters (twice weekly through the high season). Whispering Pines is the only campground open year-round, but cabins are also available for winter rentals.
Know Before You Go
Public campgrounds (book externally) —