Don't let all my NJ posts fool you. I was born and raised in southwest Virginia and most of my family still lives there. Although I am forever grateful that my parents moved us out of the area when we were younger - especially when I get a peek at the local electoral maps - my heart remains in the mountains. Can't say my brains remain here though because it took until today to realize Claytor Lake was 1) a state park and 2) gorgeous and amazing. All these years I just thought it was nowhere special that my cousins would go fishing. And to think I road trip all the way to NH and Maine every year and could have just driven 7 miles from my grandmother's for an equally rewarding experience. I had cabin fever today at my granny's and caught the local Outdoors magazine write up about Claytor Lake. There's camping?? Swimming?? Trails?? I watched a few videos on YouTube then got in the car to see for myself. Need to know: -There's a booth at the entrance - closed after 4pm. $7 parking fee for most paid by the honor system with cash or check or by card through the QR code during after hours. There are 4 campgrounds - I only saw Campground D open and it was overwhelmingly being used by those with RVs, teardrops, and campers. These are NOT wooded lots, rather gravel pull-ins and you'll likely be very close to your neighbor. A lil too close for me but I can see it not being a huge deal since everyone had campers to sleep in. I took a drive through this campground to see if I would feel comfortable and I didn't see any displays that would make me think I wouldn't (you picking up what I'm putting down?) Trails and paved paths galore. I saw one trail today but didn't get to explore much. Apparently the only shoes I packed for this trip were Crocs. Paved paths snake through the park and are accessible for those with mobility devices. The "lake" was created by damming the river. The water is clear by the shore. We love clean river water! Tons of shelters, grills, benches. There is something for everyone! Not sure if shelters are first come first serve or if you need to book them in high season - check the website. There's a gift shop but it was closed. I was bummed because you know I love stickers! I am counting down the days until I can return in the warmer weather. I would not be opposed to camping here or swimming once they reopen the beach for the season. I also look forward to exploring the trails. Fantastic solo outing. What a gem in my little country corner of the world. read more

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I came to this campground after I looked on line to see if I could fish during the night for catfish. The answer came back that registered campers could but not general public. Park day use areas close down at 10 PM. According to the Internet, they only close these fishing areas at 10 PM for daytime visitors but last registered campers fish all night. At 10PM, we were asked to leave the fishing pier. I mentioned what the Internet said and the ranger seemed baffled and said that it's not true so we had to leave. He did say he would look into it because it was important to him that people had the right info. Problem is, during the summer, in this part of the country, the water gets hot and the fish go deep. Being a bank angler, it's impossible to catch any catfish during the day, they only come shallow at night. The bass fishing is the same. Fishermen and hunters pay for the bulk of what it costs to keep these parks operational yet when we would like to use them, we get the shaft. This quote is from the VA Outdoors Management : A lot of our funding to help conserve wildlife and habitat comes from public spending on things like fishing and hunting licenses, tags, or stamps, boat registrations, and via a federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition. Those sources of financial support have helped us protect hundreds of species and their habitat for over 100 years, but there's always more we can do for Virginia's wildlife. That's where you come in. You too can become a steward of the outdoors by supporting our work or working with us -- whether you hunt, fish, and boat or simply enjoy the outdoors. So, you can see what I'm saying. It is not right or fair that everyone else gets to do what they want but we flip the bill for it. Then our rights keep getting tanked. They put hiking trails and bike trails and beaches for swimming, but keep taking away hunting and fishing rights and they keep raising the prices. Hunters and fishermen are always on the bottom of the list of whom these people cater to. It's not fair or just. At the very least, we should be able to fish when we want especially when that is the only time those fish will bite!!! read more

This park is one of those ones that feels like a private to public site; the majestic house at the lakefront has been turned into a visitor center. The visitor center has a room or two of exhibitions on hydrology and wildlife but is not anything big. I came seeking a New Year's hike and expecting some scenery while being unsure if the amount of trails available would be enough. I managed to spend a solid two hours circumnavigating the place. In summer, swimming and boating are more likely the activities du jour, and it appears to be an excellent place for such activities. While the park looks close to the highway on the map, it feels like being at a park and there isn't any road noise. Like most VA state parks, they do charge for parking (waived for New Year's Day). read more

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Claytor Lake State Park is my 27th VA State Park. If you love water recreation, this is your park. All things water, here! I arrived and set up my tent immediately. I went on a hike that went around a portion of the large lake, then across the street and back to the start point. My tracker shows 5.34 miles. Afterwards,I ate my mac and cheese from Walmart Deli. So good and inexpensive. After a bit, the thunder rolled through the area for about an hour before the torrential rains came. I put my fold up chair in my tent with my LED lantern and read my book and fell asleep. While This park gives opportunity for all people who love water. I love water but I don't have a boat or jet ski and It was too hot to kayak. ***The tent areas are really large! A lot of room. My pictures may not show it but it was very roomy. Some people had a super large tent with a 4 leg canopy over top of it. It was amazing Plus then, they had 2 party tables with food and cookery and a large 6 leg canopy over that as well. Wow.i was definitely impressed, looking at people's set ups here. Gas stations less than a mile away. 2 small restaurants .5 miles away. Very convenient. DYK, you can also rent the gazebo and folding chairs. What a great venue for a wedding. read more

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This is a great place to go to visit. There are more trails than your heart can desire. The scenery is just beautiful. The Staff is so nice and welcoming. Grab your tent, hiking boots, bike, canoe or fishing rod and you're ready for a good time. This time of year there's bass fishing, hunting and many activities for the children. read more

Claytor Lake State Park - Parks Near Me - Dublin, Virginia

Had a great time here. The trails, the beach, the discovery room. Very nice staff too.

This was an absolutely wonderful park!! The cabin location couldn't really get much better, right on the lake with mountain backgrounds, and not to mention it was positioned perfectly for sunrise and sunset viewing all from the comfort of the screened in porch! It was serene and peaceful, with two twins semi-close by! It was a 13 minute drive to Walmart for all my supply needs, and even though you are near to the highway, you hear none of it in the park. The trails were well-marked with option for hiking or biking, and had lovely scenery on the way. This may well be one of my favorite locations by far! Loved Radford and Dublin nearby as well. Check out the visitor center, which is a historic home built with materials from the area! I went in off-season for some rest and relaxation and was extremely happy!! read more

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Scenic, family-friendly and clean park in southwestern Virginia! The location is about one mile south of I-81 between Radford and Pulaski. The park is about a 15 minute drive from Blacksburg. My two teenage sons (16 yrs, 14 yrs), wife, and I came to visit the park on a Sunday afternoon in mid-June 2022 and enjoyed the lakeside beach. The entrance fee is $7 per vehicle. We went straight to the swimming area which has a sandy beach area and lifeguards (on Thursdays to Sundays). During the peak summer months, you will need to pay an additional fee of $4 per adult ($2 per child) to use the public beach. It can get a bit crowded on Sunday afternoons, but if you enter by 11:30am, it's relatively easy to find a convenient parking spot. Leashed dogs are welcome to enter the park, but are not allowed in the swimming area (sandy beach). However, dogs can stay on the lawn outside the beach perimeter. We did not have time to explore the hiking trails or fishing pier, but it looks like a nice place for camping! If you're visiting or passing through the Blacksburg area with kids on a family vacation trip, I would recommend this park! read more

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We came here years ago when our children were small and loved it. We brought 2 of our grandchildren for a week and we're shocked to find the swimming beach covered in goose poop. The smell was horrible and it must be a health hazard for people to swim and play in the middle of that. This was totally unacceptable and I don't think we'll ever come back. read more

Great park with amazing views! Took our dogs here to walk the trails and see the waterfront and had a great time. There are plenty of trails of different difficulty for either walking or hiking. We went on a Sunday and paid the $7 entrance fee, hung out for about 2 hours, and did the Poplar trail. The Lake Overlook was beautiful and a sight to see! read more

Claytor Lake State Park - Parks Near Me - Dublin, Virginia

This was a big hit on our family vacation this year! For a small $5 parking fee, you can get access to a huge, beautiful park. There are numerous areas for kids to play, fishing piers, hiking trails, and of course, the lake! We paid the small fee to swim at the lake. It's got a nice beach front area that also has many large shaded trees nearby. So we were able to camp out in the shade with some chairs and let the kiddos swim. In terms of lake water, it wasn't terrible. They have lifeguards on duty, and a diving platform you can swim out to if you so choose. It was a great spot to take the kids for the day, let them swim, do a quick picnic lunch in one of the shaded picnic areas, and play some more. We went back a second day for fishing -- that was less successful, as we only caught one fish. The number of boats trolling through the lake is high -- so, fun for the kids swimming who get some waves once in a while, not so fun for people trying to catch fish. :) Overall, we enjoyed it and will most likely visit again when we are back in the area. read more

My husband and I, along with a couple friends, spent our Labor Day camping at Claytor Lake State Park. We had booked the campsite fairly late (2-3 weeks prior) considering it was a holiday weekend, but had several campsites to choose from. We aimed to find one that had a decent amount of privacy since we were bringing our dogs. However, the campground is fairly compact (even if it doesn't appear to be so when reserving online). Campground B appears to have some of the best privacy/space due to trees - but not by much. We struggle to comfortably fit our cars/two tends in our allotted space - though other campsites did seem to have better space. The park itself is nice with well defined trails and they seemed to have lots of kid-friendly activities (per the kids at the campsite next to us) Overall good weekend while at the park, but there are probably better campgrounds/parks depending on your interest. read more

The park is great. The campgrounds are terrible! Tent campers are forced, scolded in fact by sour faced old women, to set up IN THE GRAVEL DRIVEWAY. All of the tent sites are like this. Traffic roars by almost all night within 30 feet of the tent! You cannot STEP OFF OF THE GRAVEL. Men on electric mules patrol every two hours. They slow down at the sites of single women, "to get a good look." Fire grates are below par. There is no privacy as campers are on top of one another. Neighbors are allowed to play loud music all hours. A very bad place to tent camp.​ read more

The park has gone through several changes and upgrades; including partially paved trail pathways, well kept campsites, and shelters available to rent for events. My family and I have been visiting this state park since 1993. With majority of our family in this area, this has been a great location to hold our family reunion. read more

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Located on the New River, Claytor Lake is a scenic Virginia state park and fishing destination. It has rental camp grounds and cabins of varying sizes to suit any group. We rent one of the largest cabins every summer for our family to have a nice getaway. A great feature of the cabin is that there are no T.V.s, which means you don't have to have a reminder of the "plugged in" world if you don't want it. You could always bring your own portable T.V. and D.V.D. player if desired, but I highly recommend spending some time without them. There is so much beauty to take in while walking on the various trails or while cruising out on the lake water. They offer boat rentals so that you can maximize your experience. If you are looking for a little peace and quiet, arrange a vacation at Claytor Lake when you have the chance. read more

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This place was amazing. So beautiful and peaceful. We loved the trees and the lake and the fresh clean air! Will definitely be back! read more

Claytor Lake State Park - From camp sight! - Parks Near Me - Dublin, Virginia

Beautiful views, nice cabins, perfect camping spots. The rangers and staff are great. Perfect place for to spend a day or several!

What a gem located in southwestern Virginia, wonderful lake, with boating, camping and hiking. Feeds from the New River, Located just of interstate 81 the park is super easy to get to. Awesome staff who will assist you with whatever your needs may be. Numerous camp sites with or without electricity. Many cabins big enough for all the family. This park is great for any season! read more

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RV campground is well kept and easy to navigate. Sites are level. Trails are well maintained and signage is outstanding. Trail options are limited and lengths short, but pretty scenery and verity for the size park. read more

I agree with Cat on this park. In fact, I'm beginning to prefer state parks over their more popular National counterparts (Shenandoah National Park, I'm talkin' to you). Andy Guest State Park near Front Royal is the perfect summer retreat for those with less time to play. But if you can grab a few days off, head down to the Radford area and drop anchor at Claytor Lake. This is a smaller lake than more famous Smith Mountain Lake, but I prefer Claytor (which is actually a dammed lake created by the New River). No 100 MPH motorboats crammed with NASCAR fans damaging the ecosystems, as is the case on Smith Mountain Lake. No ugly high rise resorts destroying the view, as is the case with Smith Mountain Lake. Claytor Lake State Park juts out in the peninsula on the lake, and even though the park does not surround the lake, for some reason the influence of the park seems to rule supreme. The motorboats are not loud and fast. Very few houses along the lake; the ones that are there are spaced nicely apart. It reminded me in a way of one of the smaller Finger Lakes; long and skinny, with a sloping shore all the way around. The park itself is well manicured with plenty of picnic areas, pavilions, grills and cabins to rent (we didn't rent a cabin but stayed at a motel about 5 minutes down the road). Entrance fee is $5. Good work Virginia! Keep it up! read more

We spent a great weekend camping, boating and enjoying the campfire. Was lucky to get a spot this weekend from a cancelation. I was very impressed with how clean the bathrooms were in the campground as well as down at the lake.The Townsend's were the host & hostess and they made sure D campground were top notch. read more

First of all, this is the most expensive park I've ever stayed at, and I've been camping for over 60 years. And it was all right...but not worth the money. We have a popup and had an electric site that was nothing but a gravel pull-through. No privacy, just a pull-through, a fire ring, and a table. Luckily for us, it was April so we didn't have any near neighbors, but I'd hate to be there on the weekend, even in April. Your neighbors would be in your lap. The bathroom was ok, not too clean, not too warm, but ok. The ranger and hosts were very nice. And the other reviews are right - you can hear traffic all night. read more

Beautiful location, clean cabins, well-maintained and -marked trails, and super friendly and helpful rangers. When our car broke down, Ginger was especially helpful, giving us a good recommendation for a mechanic and finding a towing company for us. We'll definitely be back! read more

Beautiful park. Nice hiking trails. Nice swimming area. Family environment. We go 6 to 10 times a year.

I have been coming here for years. Everyone is kind and if you have people in the surrounding areas they are so nice to you. (Most of the time) read more

Absolutely love this park. Always so clean and the trails are well maintained. Great place to relax!

Beautiful trails . Great beach. Best to come in summer time when you can enjoy the lake.

If you are looking for an adventure for everyone, with no wi-fi for the weekend this is the place for you! Conveniently located off I-81 you can visit for the day or reserve a cabin or yurt and stay a few days-which I highly recommend. So much to do at this park, you can swim at the beach area which has lifeguards, grassy area, playground and a snack bar. Rent jet-skis kayaks, canoes, lake boards or boats onsite at the marina (plan ahead they sell out on busy weekends). You can also walk the trails or ride bikes. We took 4 bikes, it was a mistake because they took up room and we spent most of the time fishing, walking around or at the beach area. It does get crowded on the weekends. Don't forget your sunblock and bug spray and water shoes if you don't like stepping on branches, rocks, etc. in the lake. If you plan to camp be prepared for barking dogs, crying kids, car alarms going off at 5am and walking to the bathhouse with flashlights at night. It is a fun getaway, enjoy! read more

We have been staying at the Claytor Lake State Park campground through two iterations of watching our daughters play volleyball for the Hokies at Virginia Tech. The campground and other amenities are fabulous; campground personnel friendly and professional; and reservation and check in system seamless. Sites are first come first serve so be sure to get there as early as possible on your arrival date to get choice spots. Shopping is about three short miles away in Dublin. I can say that my only distasteful experience is with a young, overzealous park ranger who decided to accost me, my wife and two utterly ferocious 9 pound llasa apsos with a bright flashlight and stern and overly rude admonishment that we had to turn off our softly playing Miles Davis music from our Bluetooth speaker as it was "audible" as he drove by looking for nonexistent miscreants in the campground. I am going to start a "camping lives matter" movement if this keeps up. read more

Claytor Lake State Park - Parks Near Me - Dublin, Virginia

I camped here in June 2015. In this park, all the facilities are high-quality and well maintained. This is a great place to visit. The lake is very large and scenic. There is a marina with boat rentals and a swimming beach with lifeguards. The woods and forest are beautiful. All the campers were considerate and quiet. The place seems well-planned and well-organized. Highly recommended. read more

Camped here for one night. Campground was nice. Main thing I didn't care for were the bathroom stalls. Narrow, dimly lit and full of bugs. Literally Huntsman spiders all over every shower room. At least they are harmless. There were some other spiders along with moths and other small flying bugs. The camp ground was quiet, however, you can actually here traffic on1-81 all night long! Ugh! Not much you can do about that. So, for camping, better to be in an RV than a tent. The next morning Started out nice and quiet and I was really happy to be able to enjoy a hike in the park. Unfortunately, at 8:30am some folks set up a drone and were flying it along the beachfront. Then the lawn mowing started and you could not escape the noise. Even on the trails it was still noisy. It got worse when the leaf blowers joined in. Two straight hours of noise and I decided that it was time to leave the park-earlier than expected. The park was pretty, the trails were well maintained but because of the noise the visit was not so great. read more

Beautiful place!! So relaxing and quiet for a nice weekend outdoors. My only gripe is the "camp host". Former stays at the park were wonderful. The camp host was friendly, informative, and very helpful. Can't say the same for my most recent stay with a camp host. I'm a 35 year old mother of two. Don't drink, don't smoke. Why did I feel like I had a chaperone all weekend? She visited twice each day, just to pick on every little thing we did! Asked what our plans our each day, gave terrible weather advise, and barked at us for having a vehicle tire in the grass. "The car has to go", very sturn. Maybe she was having a bad week, but I came to relax as always, not be big brothered. Going to try a different camp ground in the area next time :( read more

Fun lake to spend the day on kayaking or boating. I think it's around $5 to park for the day.