Machicomoco State Park

Camping at a new park is one of my favorite ways to celebrate Independence Day. And Machicomoco State Park on the York River served up serious Fourth of July fun. But it was hot. To beat the heat, we participated in a kayak tour and cooled off with a splash of river water. And probably most importantly, we found ice cream. Check out our Tidewater Ice Cream Tour here. Due to a lack of mature trees at this time, the campsite was just not the place to be in the heat of the day.

We stayed busy, though. During our visit, we joined in on ranger-led activities, visited nearby York River State Park, rode the ferry, hiked, painted, fished, and kayaked. This park is still relatively new and offers a fantastic bathhouse in the campground made up of a mix of electric/water sites, tent sites, and yurts, nice docks for fishing, an accessible car-top boat launch, a paved 5K loop, fun programs, and amazing sunsets.

It may have been a hot weekend, but this is one cool park!

Tip: Check out my Virginia State Parks blog, A Tidewater road trip: Machicomoco, York River and Chippokes.

Fast Facts (and Opinions)

Location: Machicomoco State Park, Hayes, VA

Equipment: Travel Trailer

Date: Independence Day 2024

Weather: Sunny, hot, heavy rain one evening

Kid-Friendly: Yes (ours were ages 11 and 10)

Dog-Friendly: Yes

Site: 2

• Paved pull-through

• No shade

• Private and spacious

• Short walk to bathhouse in center of loop

• Nice gravel tent and picnic pad

• Grassy overflow parking area across the street where kids kicked soccer ball

Bathhouse:

• Great new bathhouse

• 4 super nice showers

• Individual bathrooms with sinks (2 are accessible and include showers)

• 2 dishwashing stations

• Storm shelter

Cell Service: Yes (Verizon)

Park Highlights:

Click here to watch highlight reel.

• Kayaking (registration and fees are required for ranger-guided tours)

• Cartop boat launch with EZ accessible kayak launch 

• Open-air longhouse-style pavilion and interpretive area with information about Virginia Indians

• Approx. 3 miles of hiking trails and 3 miles of paved bike trail

• Fishing at boat slips

• Timberneck House (being restored and occasionally offers "open house" tours)

• Ranger-led programs, like Paint the Park

Area Highlights:

• York River State Park

• Chippokes State Park

• 3 ice cream shops we visited

Park Hikes:

• We traversed every trail, but I didn't take notes

• Most of the hiking trails are shaded and all are rated easy 

• Paved 3.1-mile bike loop is not shaded - makes a nice, flat sunset run (learn about this 5K loop and another state park 5K trail in this reel)

Area Hikes

• 2-mile loop hike to Fossil Beach at York River State Park (details in this reel)

Other Campsites:

• We liked 3 (paved pull-through with some shade) and 18 (gravel back-in with some shade)

• Walk-in tent sites with shade

• 3 yurts without shade

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

• Bring bikes

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