Douthat State Park

Our time in this incredible park brought out the kid in all of us. Growing up, I had a huge fascination with creeks. Take me to a creek, and I could spend hours playing in the clear flowing water as it meandered over smooth rocks that sparkled in the warm rays of sunshine. And that is just what we did at Douthat State Park.

This was a truly magical camping trip. I had heard wonderful things about this park and we were anxious to try it out. Tucked away in the Allegheny Mountains, Douthat is the second largest of the Virginia State Parks. And it is beautiful. The view from the lake beach, which is set back in a cove with a mountainous backdrop, is simply breathtaking. The swimming area offers clear water and a diving platform. However, while we were there the black flies were persistent in preventing us from any relaxing shore time.

But to us, that was okay. Because we gladly spent most of our time in the amazing creek that ran through our campground. The kids enjoyed crawdad hunting with new friends, building a rock chute with Dad, and exploring up and down the ankle to knee-deep creek. Douthat has four campgrounds, and while Whispering Pines is the furthest from everything else in the park, it was by far our favorite. At the time of our visit, Lakeside did not offer electric or water hookups, but that campground does now. Those sites are a bit smaller and less private but boast a great view of the lake.

When we weren’t hanging out in the creek, we were hanging out in hammocks at the campsite. We did take one four-mile hike with a nice overlook, but this trip was more about time together surrounded by peaceful nature. We soaked up fresh air, warm sunshine, beautiful scenery, and cool creek water. A time of refreshment on all accounts.

Fast Facts (and Opinions)

Location: Douthat State Park, Millboro, VA

Equipment: Pop-Up

Date: August 2019

Weather: Sunny, warm but pleasant, a little bit of rain

Kid-Friendly: Yes (ours were ages 7 and 5)

Dog-Friendly: Yes (but we did not have one at this time)

Site: WP 13

Water/Electric
Back-in
Level
Gravel
Private
Partial shade - camper was in the sun part of the time, but great trees around site with good shade
Many nice hammock spots
Semi-close to bathhouse
Short walk from campsite to creek

Bathhouse:

Newer and very clean
Nice large showers
Great outdoor dishwashing station

Cell Service: No (Verizon)

Park Highlights:

Lake with beach, designated swimming area with lifeguarded diving platform
Whispering Pines campground creek, playground, fitness park with quarter-mile jogging trail
Beautiful mountains

Area Highlights:

There's a Kroger not too far from the park

Park Hikes:

Park Office to Beard's Gap Trail to Mountain Side Trail Scenic Overlook - 4 miles
- Out and back, some up hill
- Mainly shaded
- Overlook with nice view
Hikes to the two water falls were on our list (although a bit longer than our kids could probably have handled at that age - around 8 miles), but we were informed that water wasn't flowing much during our visit

Area Hikes:

I'm sure there are many hikes to explore in this area, but none that we hiked this trip

Other Campsites:

Next time we have our sights set on site 10 right on the creek
Good Options - White Oak #21 and #31
Lakeside did not have hookups during our visit, but it does now - nice lake views

Things to Do Next Time (Because There’s Just Never Enough Time!):

Hike to waterfalls
Rent paddle boards or kayaks