Forum Discussion

Mcamper's avatar
Mcamper
Explorer
Jan 08, 2014

Chesapeake Bay Campground suggestions

I am thinking about a trip to the Chesapeake Bay area of Virginia later on in the spring. I have never been to that area, much less camped there. I can search and see what campgrounds are in the area, but I would like some suggestions from those of you who have camped there before.

Some campgrounds are on the Peninsula, and some are on the west side of the Bay. I really do not know what location would be better, but I do know I will not have to deal with the Bay bridge tunnel if I stay on the west side of the Bay.

Any comments and suggestions are welcome!
  • We stayed at New point a couple times a few years back. They have changed ownership since then but it was ok when we were there.
  • Well, if I understad your post correctly (as the others so far seemed to have missed the point), the west of the bay as you are calling is what we locals call The Penninsula (Hampton, Yorktown, Williamsburg), Middle Penninsula (Gloucester, Mathews, Urbana), and the Northern Neck (Whitestone, Westmorland)... as such, there is not a lot of bayside camping, but Westmoreland State Park up on the Northern Neck is, and on the middle Penninsula you'll find Bethpage Resort & Grey's Point (same owner) both are on the bay near Urbanna.

    On the EAST side of the bay (we call that The Eastern Shore) there is Kiptopeke State Park (mostly just an open field with full hook-ups), Cherrystone is an RV Park a bit further north.

    On the South side of the bay you'll find Va Beach & Norfolk... nothing in Norfolk really, but a few campgrounds in Va Beach, only one on the bay though, that would be First Landing State Park...

    Hope that helps a little...
  • We have stayed at 3 on Chesapeake Bay. Kiptopeke State Park is in Virginia at the end of the DelMarVa Pinninsula.Full hookups and cable.Short walk to the beach.The next 2 are in Maryland. Elk Neck SP is in the northeast corner of the bay.Has a few different sections.One loop has full hookups.Very nice.They have a beach but it's a little on the rocky side.The last one is Jane's Island SP.Has electric hookups.Bath houses need some work.The only beach they have is reachable by boat or canoe.They do have a canoe launch in the park. We took our dog out to the beach in our canoe.Since you can only reach it by boat,it's never crowded.
  • The side of the bay you choose would depend on what you're interested in doing. If you're looking for busy and a lot to do than it would be better to stay on the Virginia Beach side of the bay. If you're looking for quiet and laid back then that's the other side of the bay bridge tunnel on the Eastern Shore. Both areas have there pluses. For camping we've stayed at First Landing State Park which is on the Chesapeake Bay and you can see the bay bridge tunnel from the beach. Electric/Water only and some sites have a view of the water but it depends on if they are available when you get there. These sites are picked when you arrive more choices of site during the week than on a weekend. On the other side of the bridge we always stay at Kiptopeke State Park another pick when you get there but they have electric/water/sewer and cable. They are not on the water but are within walking distance with lots of beautiful trails to explore whether by foot or bike. There are also a lot of private campgrounds on the eastern shore to choose from.

About Campground 101

Recommendations, reviews, and the inside scoop from fellow travelers.14,716 PostsLatest Activity: Oct 15, 2013