Campground Review: Belle Isle State Park
Belle Isle State Park is located on Virginia's Northern Neck, and sits directly on the Rappahannock River. When we camped here, we were in a tent and it was during the summer months. If you're familiar with Virginia State Parks, you know that the amenities can be fairly consistent. All of the campsites have water and electric, fire rings, and picnic tables. The bathhouses were clean, the park and playground area were clean and spacious, and we were able to catch some local live music during our visit. The beach area itself, being on the river, was a bit smaller than lake-based Virginia State Parks.
The grounds at Belle Isle are large, flat (something you notice when you're used to the mountains), and gorgeous. It is a great place to bring bikes for the kids or go on long walks. But the highlight for us was definitely renting kayaks (tandem kayak fees are currently just $10 per hour or $35 for the whole day) and paddling around the Rappahannock with the girls. We were able to get up close and personal with osprey and heron. Belle Isle is clean, beautiful, and a perfect spot for river adventures. I'd give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Like all Virginia State Parks, you can reserve a campsite via Reserve America. If you frequent Virginia State Parks or other campgrounds reserved through Reserve America, I recommend you set up a Reserve America account so you can log points and get discounts on camping rates.
The grounds at Belle Isle are large, flat (something you notice when you're used to the mountains), and gorgeous. It is a great place to bring bikes for the kids or go on long walks. But the highlight for us was definitely renting kayaks (tandem kayak fees are currently just $10 per hour or $35 for the whole day) and paddling around the Rappahannock with the girls. We were able to get up close and personal with osprey and heron. Belle Isle is clean, beautiful, and a perfect spot for river adventures. I'd give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Like all Virginia State Parks, you can reserve a campsite via Reserve America. If you frequent Virginia State Parks or other campgrounds reserved through Reserve America, I recommend you set up a Reserve America account so you can log points and get discounts on camping rates.