Pohick Bay Regional Park

The campground was great... on the weekdays. We enjoyed beautiful trails, easy access to DC and a peaceful wooded setting.

But things turned terrible on Saturday night. Now, we have kids, not very quiet ones so we aren’t usually bothered by noise. But this was BAD. At 10 O’clock there were still 30-40 kids running all through the campground, in and out of every ones sites, screaming! For hours they did this and parents would yell from one site or another to a various kid “Billy, don’t fall over the edge!” “Hey Sammy, where are your shoes?” I thought it must just be right next to us so I got up to check. Nope! It was the whole campground that went crazy!

If you come in the off season or a weekday it is quite lovely!

Wanted to stay close to DC for the cherry blossoms, plus my youngest daughter wanted to do a walking tour of GWU, so chose this based on proximity. The park is extremely convenient to DC (20 min in COVID-traffic, would be an hour+ in regular DC rush hour) yet you largely get the feel you're out in the middle of the woods (aside from the occasional overhead plane taking off from nearby DCA). There are a mix of FHU and 50/30A electric only sites.

Let's start with the pros:
- As mentioned, convenient to DC, yet doesn't feel like you're close. There's a Food Lion 5-7 minutes away.
- Sites are wooded with some of them having 60+ feet separation from neighbors
- Plenty of things to do for elementary school age kids (A nice playground, trails, and activities such as an Easter egg hunt this upcoming weekend).
- Disc golf course on site
- Nice facilities, including a clean bathhouse and laundromat.

Cons:
- Site quality is really hit & miss. While I mentioned above some sites have a lot of space between neighbors, there are some which are right on top of each other (especially the pull-thrus, which parallel the road). In 75% of the sites you'll need all of your levelers to get close to level. Site 91 required every block be used under the front stabilizers to get the front end high enough to get level. The outer rings have by far the most unlevel sites.
- Related to above, stay far away from the pull-thrus. They're nowhere near level (both front-back and side-side), parallel the road, and are back to back.
- Park feels partly storage space, partly campground. Site 91 backed up to the boat storage.

Bandwidth Strength/Speed:
Verizon (iPhone 11): -112dBm (2 bars), 6mbps down, 0.3mbps up
AT&T (Pepwave router with X-POL external antenna): -75dBm (4-5 bars), 7mbps down, 5mbps up

We stayed for single overnights on our way to and from our destination. The campground was excellent, although a bit pricey, but we expected as much given it's proximity to DC. We booked a pull-through site with electric only but we plan to return for a longer stay in a full-hookup site. A lot of the sites are big and tucked into the woods for a very secluded vibe. Very pretty campground!

My only disappointment is the extra cost of $2 per-person to run the disc golf course on top of the camping fee. Not expensive, however, I feel like for the cost of this campground the course should be open to campers.

Pretty park close to DC. Weekday stay in November so it wasn’t busy. Our site was across from a playground and next to a path that went to the water. Staff was super nice and accommodating with helping us get WiFi outside and filling up our water. Would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to stay close to DC and Mount Vernon. Some helicopter noise.

Went out on Saturday the 17th, Just to get out of the house and relax, Well that didn't happen, First thing the tent sites are way to close together, I had another tent in my campsite when I got there, had children and adults walk right thru my campsite all day and night, Right between my tent and fire ring, Worst experience of my life for anything like that, I kept hearing tent door zippers all night, This veteran wont ever be back there, Worst experience of any campsite I have ever been at.

Pohick is one of our favorite campgrounds close to Washington DC. We have come to this park several times over the past few years, and since our last visit, many of the sites have been upgraded, graded, and leveled. They have added 30/50amp power and water to many sites. Pohick offers spacious tent sites as well as some larger sites that easily accommodate our 30-foot travel trailer. We highly recommend the sites inside the circle nearest to the field. The comfort station is easily accessible if necessary. We also love that they offer laundry facilities here for those "accidents" that are unavoidable! The park is clean and well-managed, comfort stations are comfortable and clean, and the atmosphere is family-friendly. During the pandemic, the comfort stations are cleaned/sanitized 3-4 times per day!

The metro station is a short drive away, so getting into DC is quick and easy. Additionally, the surrounding areas are packed with shopping and activities. For example, take a stroll in Occoquan and paddle on the river.
Potomac Mills, a large shopping outlet, is also nearby, as well as historic Alexandria. The park offers MANY activities, including weekend boat rentals, trails, putt-putt, ranger-guided activities, disc golf, and more.

Drawback: no wi-fi, and the cell signal is only so-so. We needed a booster to get enough signal to work efficiently. CHECK THE DRIVEWAY LENGTH! Many of the sites will not accommodate large campers, so make sure you double-check the site information before booking. Weekends are BUSY! Although noise isn't a huge issue, there is increased merry-making during the weekends.

This is one of our favorite places to camp. We appreciate the shade and the family-friendly atmosphere. This park is 20 minutes from the red line metro station, so it's quick and easy to get into DC for some tourist activities. This park does not have Wi-Fi, and the sale signal is very weak, so plan accordingly. There are several trails and a marina and boat rentals. This is a public regional park, so although the campgrounds are for campers only, the rest of the park is open to the public, and often busy on the weekends. During the pandemic, the bathrooms are cleaned three to four times per day. I have never been to a camp with cleaner bathrooms !!