Holliday Lake State Park
Kayaking, hiking, fishing, sand castle building, and lake swimming - plus a side of history learning thrown in for good measure - equals a great way to spend a four-day weekend! And even though it was a holiday weekend, this park (with a fitting name) never once felt too crowded.
We definitely weren’t the only ones enjoying Holliday Lake State Park on this beautiful weekend, and the campground was booked solid, yet it never reached that “amusement park on a weekend” kind of vibe you’d expect at a lake on Labor Day.
Similar to nearby Twin Lakes State Park, this park is what I like to call quaint and cozy. You can walk to many of your destinations within the park, which I love. But the campground offers sites that may be a bit closer to neighbors than other parks and a smidge tighter for those with larger rigs. Now, the newer of the two campgrounds boasts larger sites with a much more spacious and private layout. However, with only a handful of sites, I’d be willing to bet those fill up quickly. So keep that in mind! Here are a few other things to keep in mind...
Tips:
If you plan to hike - Bring. The. Bug. Spray. We keep bug spray in our camper but forgot to apply it before our hike on Lakeshore Trail around the lake. My husband and son suffered the worst and were eaten alive by chiggers. (I'll spare you the details and the photos!) And those boogers’ bites stay with you for a while. Time to restock our Benadryl creams in the camper first aid kit. Unless you and your family are like me, and bugs just don’t bite you, remember bug repellent on hikes at this park. (Remember to log your hikes in Trail Quest!)
If you bring kayaks, there is a great place to launch them on a sandy beach right next to the fenced-in swimming beach area. This is so nice and convenient for combining fun beach time with taking turns on the kayaks. (Remember to log your paddling adventures in Wandering Waters Paddle Quest!)
There is no cell service at this park. But there is free Wi-Fi at the Contact Station (at the entrance next to Redbud Campground) and at the Park Office (near the lake).
The sites in Redbud are paved. The parking portion of it, at least. The area with the picnic table, fire pit, and tent spot is the usual gravel pad. So you may want to prepare with proper leveling equipment. This may not apply to all, but our plastic leveling blocks kept sliding on the asphalt. So my handy and always prepared husband happened to have the old original rubber-backed carpeted floor mats stashed in our Yukon. So he cut one in half and laid them under the blocks. Worked like a charm.
Beware of copperheads. We were warned by park rangers, park police, and the camp host that two copperheads were found in the firewood box near our site, and were told that they are prevalent in that area. We never saw any, but greatly appreciated the staff making us aware of this! We also appreciated the offers of help leveling our camper by the camp host when we arrived.
I'll also point out that this was our maiden voyage in our new-to-us camper, a 2017 Crossroads Sunset Trail Super Lite M-264 BH. And we could not be happier with this travel trailer! We are enjoying several features that we were not accustomed to, such as a slideout (which creates a mind-blowing amount of floor space), a power awning, outdoor lighting, speakers, and kitchen, and a TV (which we only plan to use on occasional "movie nights" and maybe when it's storming). We feel like our camping game jumped several levels, unintentionally... but we aren't complaining! You can read about our almost comical journey of campers here.
Campground
Lake and Hiking
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
Fast Facts (and Opinions)
Location: Holliday Lake State Park - Appomattox, VA
Equipment: Travel Trailer
Date: Labor Day Weekend 2023
Weather: Sunny, warm during the day and cool at night and early morning
Kid-Friendly: Yes (ours were ages 11 and 9)
Dog-Friendly: Yes (we have one large and one small)
Site: Redbud 1
Water/Electric
Paved/Gravel Pad
Picnic table, tent pad, and fire ring
Right at the entrance of this campground next to the firewood box and contact station
Site did not have room for both our camper and large SUV - there is extra parking right across the street from site
There is no cell service at this park - but site 1 is conveniently located next to the Contact Station and the free Wi-Fi can be accessed at this site - the only downside is that the park benches and picnic table not too far away next to the Contact Station might be frequently occupied with people making phone calls, etc.
No shade - was nice to have the canopy over the picnic table
Good amount of trees on backside of site - one good hammock spot
Nice amount of grassy area on one side of camper - was able to set up cornhole here
Very close to neighbors on the other side of camper - thankfully we had awesome neighbors so this wasn't a problem! - but the site is pretty narrow with no space to set out the outdoor rug - plus we now have a slideout on our camper so more strategic placement is needed when considering the hookups
Bathhouse:
Bathhouse in Redbud is the older style with two showers inside each of the women's and men's sides of the bathhouse
Our site was exactly the same distance from this bathhouse and the newer one in the other campground, so we walked to the newer one with 4 external shower rooms and larger bathrooms - this bathhouse is very nice and also has an outside dishwashing sink and counter
Cell Service: No (Verizon)
Park Highlights:
Click here to watch highlight reel.
Holliday Lake
Beautiful lake with beach and unguarded swimming area, including things to play on in and out of the water
Boat rentals and concessions (seasonal), and sandy beach boat launch for those who bring their own
Fishing (we didn't catch anything)
Great picnic areas and pavilions available
Lake is not too small and not too big - can explore the whole thing by kayak if you want
Area Highlights:
Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park
On April 9, 1865, the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia in the McLean House in the village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia signaled the end of the nation's largest war.
Open 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
15-minute drive from Holliday Lake
Buildings/museums to explore
Trails to hike
Dogs are not allowed inside buildings but they can be on the grounds
Park Hikes:
Lakeshore Trail - 7.5-mile loop (moderate difficulty)
Began from our campsite which was a half mile from the trailhead (if you park at trailhead the hike is 6.5 miles total)
We hiked it clockwise
Bring bug spray - some portions of trail are a bit overgrown
Some elevation changes, but not too strenuous (581 ft total ascent)
A few creek crossings - signs warn of danger when water levels are high
Part of the trail is along the lake with nice views - part of it is through forest - a highlight is crossing over the dam
Entirely shaded
Took us 2 hrs and 55 mins to complete (with a few short water breaks)
Campsite to Laurel Ridge Trail to Lakeshore Trail to Northridge Trail to Dogwood Loop to Campsite - 1.5-mile trail run
Lots of spider webs in the face!
Good little workout (187 ft total ascent)
Did this early in the morning and had a nice view of the sunrise over the lake with steam rising from the water
Area Hikes:
Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park
Many great trails with historical markers here - we just did one short one
Tibbs Trail to Stage Road Trail - 1.8 mile loop from McLean House to parking lot
Fairly flat with portions in the woods and portions in the sun
Carter Taylor Trail (Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest) - 10.2 mile trail for hiking/biking/equestrian
We didn't check out this trail but saw it on the trail map as well as drove by the trailhead - great option for mountain biking as there aren't any bike trails within the park
Other Campsites:
Laurel Ridge Campground
7 sites plus a group site
Larger and more private
We would stay at any of these sites
Redbud Campground
These are our recommendations if you have a 26-footer or larger - but if you are tent camping, really any of the sites are great
29, 22, 17, 18 (pull-thru site)
Bunkhouse
There is a 3-room bunkhouse with 7 bunk beds across from Redbud Campground
No kitchen (indoor cooking prohibited) and no bathroom
Includes screened-in picnic shelter
Things to Do Next Visit (Because There's Just Never Enough Time!):
Hike more trails at Appomattox Courthouse
Check out Historic Downtown Appomattox
Bike Carter Taylor Trail in the State Forest
Try out the concessions at the lake
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