Northwest River Park Campground

If you're looking for a campground to just relax and chill for a couple of days with friends and family, this is a good place. I'm still giving this camphround 5 stars, cause I'm a nature lover, and it's all green! The bathrooms are all clean. They have the cleanest shower rooms! I can't believe it. Well, I'm from California, and I've seen worse. However, there's just not enough activities you can do with kids. There's a few playgrounds, a putt putt golf course where you and your kids can use. Paddleboating was great, but you can't go beyond the bridge, which is fine. There were bicyles, kayaks and canoe that you can rent. For me, this is a good place on my list! And Park Rangers go on patrol once in a while, so it's safe. Just one thing, campers that brings their Fido, please be responsible enough to pick up their dodos, I had to pick up someone's dodo, (with double gloves, yes I have it my toiletries), cause it's right in front of our camp. I really don't want from my camp to accidentaly step on it.Great place!

Last time we were out to this park was 30 years ago. We went all the time with our church growing up for day outings. They have taken good care of the park over the years and have improved on the entire area. Plenty of parking to the left as soon as you enter the park. The Office is close to the entrance next to the lake. They have a nice area for fishing. You just need to bring n active fresh water fishing license. They also post when they have stocked the lake last.I love that for only $10 an hour you can rent a canoe. They have lots of life jackets of all sizes and plenty of different paddles. For us this was perfect. At a nice leisurely pace it took us an hour and a half to paddle the entire water way. We had a great time and will definitely go and do this again. The water way is peaceful with plenty of shade. My favorite part of the water trail is that you get to go under a couple of beautiful bridges. They also offer kayaks and paddles for those. The best part is that they have a boat launch area. You stay perfectly dry getting in and out. They have hiking trails. The one thing is that they could mark their trails better. We found that they did not mark the water way trail either. But it certainly makes it an adventure. We had someone tell us to look on our google map on our phone to find out our location. You can pick up a paper map but you can still get lost. It is helpful if you have google map or hiking map app.They have a nice small mini golf area. Very well kept and clean. We did not play but there were plenty of people playing the mini golf.Camping area is nice. They have a kids playground in the camping area. They have water and electrical hook ups for RV's. They have Cabin's with heat and AC. You can also take a tent and hammocks . Wide variety of camping in this area and it is very well kept.

It's been a hot minute since I ventured to Northwest River Park - we're talking probably back in elementary school for a field trip to kayak and paddle boat! So to be able to return so many years later with my own daughter to enjoy mother nature in all her glory - priceless!The park is a little off the beaten path, but it's worth the drive from the main roads of south Chesapeake. There is ample parking for whatever section of the park you are looking to visit. Our first stop was, of course, the playground. On a sunny Sunday morning, there were no other kids so my little one had her choice of play equipment. Call me helicopter mom, but I always do a cursory check before I let my toddler run free. The playground is showing some age with rust and peeling paint, but nothing looked too dangerous and we were pretty sure we wouldn't be going for tetanus shots afterwards! Near the playground are plenty of covered picnic tables, grills and open grassy fields to let the kids and dogs run free, but please pick up after Fido. After play time, we ventured along part of one of the hiking trails and checked out Lake Lesa where you can rent kayaks or paddle boats. Every area we encountered was very clean, which was so nice to see! There was even a well-stocked little library by the lake. Based on the website, they stock the lake with trout for those who like to fish and we did encounter a few people looking for a catch. I hope to venture back to take in more of the trail and even try out the disc golf course. It was a beautiful place to spend quality family time!

May take a little time to get here, but such a beautiful sight! We decided to take our talents here for a walk and it was great. There are multiple areas for parking that I assume put you at different places on the trails. We parked right near the front/shop, grabbed a map, and hoped for the best! We were trying to get a few miles in but it was a bit confusing on where to actually start off at so we just took off walking. Beautiful views & great change of scenery. They have wildlife signs of different animals found in the area or an alike area which was a bit scary (haha), but it was fine. Love that they have maps available, trail signs, and trail marks. Also heard their kayaks are available for rent for only $10!

Tolls...Nature...Trails...Cabins...Beautiful view of the lake...Playgrounds...Don't forget your bug spray and sunblock...This park has it all... if it wasn't so far of a drive, I would visit at least twice a week.Granted I have only visited this park during, Family Fun Day, which is held once a year... and this past September was my third year attending... such a fun event!This year, well pretty much all the years that I have attended, the weather was perfect and the vendors... all the rage!This year I was able to canoe with friends... scary, but luckily one of the riders were experienced so I was at ease! But it was so much fun!!Oh and I must not forget... Family Fun Day is absolutely FREE!! However, if you travel the interstate route there is a toll... but do not fret, if you take the road way... beware of traffic, but there isn't a toll!A hidden gem in Chesapeake that you should definitely visit alone, with friends or with your family.Have fun and enjoy life :)

I have actually been coming here for years. I've taken my kids here when they were little. We've have plenty of celebrations here using their shelters. I've also taken my schoolage kids here from my summer camp that I used to head many years ago. It's always very clean. They have many picnic tables and grills available; and many of them come with shelters in case of rain. They have hiking trails. They have cabin available for use to camp. They also have plenty of parking available as well. Their restrooms seems to always be clean. You can also rent kayaks and canoes to use on the water. I find this campground to be a hidden gem in our area. You almost forget you're in the middle of Chesapeake.

Great area to kayak and be with Mother Nature. It's 10$ a hour to kayak. Nice scenery and plenty of fish. Worth it !

Nice park! Fishing, boating and camping. First time here and we will definitely be back. Didn't really look at all the park had to offer. We went to go fish and definitely got our fill. While we were there saw others enjoying the paddle boats and canoeing. Looked like a few RVs and campers were there as well.

Very enjoyable place to fish, boat, picnic, hike & camp!! They have maps of the park too. There's even handicap parking at the Ranger station when you enter where you can park and fish all day! Great local spot for activity!!

I remember staying at Northwest River park as a child and was excited to share a trip with my daughter - make new memories. Unfortunately, our experience was very different than I remember / had hoped it would be. We arrived late and were told that it was not a problem, just check in at the office in the morning. Early the next morning, we received a loud knock on the door of our RV. It scared me awake as I am unaccustomed to people knocking on the door. I went out to find a ranger reminding me to check in. Ok, understandable, it was late morning. When we got straight and headed out of the RV, we were 'greeted' by two very large and aggressive dogs in the campsite next to us. They were pulling on their leads hardenough to be standing only o. their back paws. The leads were attached to a not-so-secure looking clothesline which also had several pieces of clothes on it. We spoke to the office about the dogs and they told us there was nothing that could be done but to let them know if there were more incidents. Later, the one dog would break free from his collar and shoot straight to our toy poodle. From that point on, we took our dog to a nearby park to walk, every morning and every night. Our second day in the park, we were awakened to several police and rangers 5 feet from the front of our RV. An officer approached me and told me that the car in front of our spot had been stolen and asked if I had seen anything the night before. I had gone out around 1 to retrieve something from my car but didn't notice anything off. The people camping next to us (who were also one of only 3 campers in our loop) were being questioned and another person came up and stated that he had seen one of them in the car that was presumably stolen. The incident left me feeling uneasy in our RV and we did not venture out after dark. Fortunately, a couple of days later, the campers and their dogs left. The RV pulled out but there was a tent pitched on the site that stayed a day longer. The day that the police were there, I took a walk across from our site and saw a pile of odd items in the fire pit. There was a license plate cover, some clothes, a razor blade and other things that were very out of place. no one had camped at any of these sites the entire time we were there. Thinking it could helpful for the rangers and police (and realizing the potential danger for dogs and kids i. the campground) I went up to the office and let them know. The girl working the front thanked me but rolled her eyes abs appeared annoyed. Okie then, did my due diligence:). The stuff remained i. the fire pit for the next 3 days. We were fortunate to get good campers next to us after they left but we both realized the previous campers had abandoned two cats. I actually knew the name of one as I heard the campers call it on one occasion. Our new neighbors let the office know but the cats remained there till we left. It was sad. The stay was buggy (despite using spray, we have tons of mosquito bites) and anything but relaxing. I spoke to a couple of the rangers there and they said they had been struggling to keep vagrants out and even told me some other unpleasant stories of recent campers / incidents within the park. In short, our stay did not provide new happy memories. Instead, my daughter and I left saying we would take Northwest River off our list of campgrounds to visit again in the future. So bummed.