DC cg's

[munchkin]

Anyone camped at a Northern VA regional park? Pohick Bay to be specific? Any ideas? Looking to visit DC and like the proximity or any btter ideas? Looked at Cherry Hill cg, but it's so expensive and so close together that I'm not impressed. Thanks!

[dthurk]

We've stayed at Pohick Bay several times, always liked it.  Check out this link: http://www.arveeclub.com/showthread.php?t=57480&highlight=pohick+bay.

Three things of note, park rangers do enforce quiet hours,  many sites in the park are level (ask for one) and they now have full hookup sites.

[munchkin]

Thnaks!
How long to DC via the rail from there? Any idea? Also, they're adding a water park at the pool at Pohick.With kids, that's a major selling point.

[cruiserpop]

try Lake Fairfax park, Northern virginia regional Park Authority. about 15 miles west of DC. reasonable, full hookup to dry camping. Staying at the CG getys you 1/2 off admission to The Water Mine waterpark. Reston Animal Park is adjacent to the property (private, pay petting zoo), and ther is bus transport to Metro (west falls church staton). If you want to drive to dc, it's two miles up to Rt. 7 to Tyson's Corner and all the major road intersections in |NVA. Tyson's has THE mall(s), call them Rodeo Drive East.

hope this helps,

b. heap

[dthurk]

Travel time to center DC is about 45 minutes to an hour from Pohick Bay.  Rush hour would take longer.  There's a Metro station with parking (Springfield Station?, IIRC) nearby.  We discoverd a driving route there that avoids I95, making it a much quicker drive.  Again IIRC, you would get on a blue train, but don't stay on that all the way around.  Somewhere in the area of the Pentagon, transfer to a yellow? train that will be a quicker ride to downtown.  Unless, of course, you don't want to go downtown.  

I'm giving out this information on memory, the concept is accurate but the details (train colors, etc.) may be off.  A check of the Metro map would make it all clear and accurate.  If I get a chance, I'll check myself and update accurate information.

[banjorules]

If you prefer more of the camping type experience and less of an RV Resort approach, here's a little gem we've toured through.  We're plannng on camping there this year.

Little Bennet Regional Park

[ColemanCampingFamily]

Anyone camped at a Northern VA regional park? Pohick Bay to be specific? Any ideas? Looking to visit DC and like the proximity or any btter ideas? Looked at Cherry Hill cg, but it's so expensive and so close together that I'm not impressed. Thanks!

Camped here last June (first weekend, I believe) and other than the bugs carrying us away (we couldn't even enjoy sitting outside), it was nice, quiet, and a good value. We took the metro into DC and actually stayed on the same train all the way in to the Smithsonian area, if memory serves me correctly. The metro station is pretty close to the CG and they have pre-printed directions when you sign in. Bathrooms were relatively clean, and the site we were on was level, not to mention they are shaded and there was plenty of "woods" on both sides of us so that we weren't on top of neighbors and vice versa. I would go again if/when we visit DC again. We spent all of our time in DC so didn't really get to see the park in daylight except when we left.

[Big_fry]

We have stayed at Pohick Bay while being tourists in DC.  Campground is wooded and reasonably priced.  The bathrooms near our site were dated but acceptable.  Easy access from I-95, but you feel away from the hustle and bustle.  Access to the train at Franconia Springfield for going into DC is easy.

Have fun.

Big Fry

1999 Palomino Filly