My Camping Vacation at Pohick Bay Regional Park in Lorton, Virginia

This review is my experience of:
Pohick Bay Regional Park
6501 Pohick Bay Drive
Lorton, Virginia
Map link
Website
Phone: (703) 339-6104
Our cost for a cabin was $52.50 per night.

Our daughter is in her first year of graduate school in Washington, D.C. It's quite a change from the mountains of East Tennessee so no one was surprised when she phoned home with a slight case of homesickness.

We had already planned to book a room in D. C. to visit her. Camping is one of her favorite activities. After her phone call we decided to forgo the planned motel room in favor of a surprise camping trip.

Finding a campground was easier said than done. There aren't many in the D.C. area and even fewer that had what we wanted. I was delighted to find Pohick Bay Regional Park in Virginia. It's about 20 miles from the city. You can hike along the shores of the bay, take a guided canoe or kayak tour or enjoy the water park.

The park offers spots for tents and RVs. You can reserve a site with hookups or without. Cabins, which caught my eye, are also available. These have electricity, heat and air conditioning. Early October weather can change quickly. I knew that with a cabin we would be set no matter what.

The cabin description sold me on the Pohick Bay Regional Park. All that was left was to make a reservation and pack up the car. You have to reserve by phone instead of online. Your credit card is billed immediately.

Other cabin amenities include a front room with a futon, table and chairs plus a small microwave and refrigerator. The description included a fire pit, front porch swing, charcoal grill and a picnic table. Indoor sleeping platforms included bunk beds and a double bed platform.

Before I finished reading I knew that we had to stay at the Pohick Bay Regional Park. Reservations must be done by phone. You can't do it online. Your credit card will be billed immediately.

Rates change with the time of year and travel time. The charges are a so confusing that the first clerk we spoke with at the Pohick Bay Regional Park mistakenly overcharged us.

We didn't catch the error but the clerk's supervisor did. A few minutes after I booked the room he called to apologize. The fix was already on our credit card. He didn't have to call us or fix it that quickly but he did and we appreciated it.

Check in was much like a hotel but in different surroundings. It only took a minute to pick up a key, pay $6 for a bundle of wood and be directed to where we needed to go.

We couldn't have asked for better at Pohick Bay Regional Park. Our cabin was at the end of a quiet, wooded cul-de-sac. It was just as described. Everything worked perfectly. The comfort station was only a few yards down the path. Best of all, our daughter said that it was just the break we needed.

Unfortunately, our stay was cut short. My husband is a pastor and as sometimes happens he received a sad phone. We needed to check out immediately. The staff was very helpful and did not charge us for the nights we couldn't use.

A few days later a staffperson from Pohick Bay Regional Park phoned us. In our haste to pack we'd left a couple of photos behind. I'd gotten the prints made so my daughter could frame them and place in her form.

Even though the prints weren't irreplaceable the staff person offered to mail them to us. The staff person had even written "Photos. Do not bend." several times on the envelope. The prints arrived in perfect condition.

We're planning to spend another week in Washington, D.C. in the spring. When we do, we plan to stay at Pohick Bay Regional Park in Virginia.

Sources:
Personal experience
Virginia Regional Parks