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Camping reservations are highly recommended, and all campgrounds are site-specific - call 1-800-933-7275. The park has five campgrounds. Three of them, Branch Pond, Walnut Grove and Canoe Landing, are open year-round for primitive camping. There are primitive restrooms at those campgrounds. Drinking water is unavailable in the primitive campgrounds, but potable water is available at five of the six picnic shelters. Canoe Landing is the only campground on the river. Please note that primitive sites do not have electricity.
Branch Pond - Seven primitive sites in a wooded area about two miles from the river (BranchPondPrimTent). Tents only. Each site has a tent pad.
Great place to hang out. If you have two vehicles, park one at Dixon landing and drive back and throw your tubes/kayaks/canoe into Canoe landing. It's a nice long float with a few small beaches or feld trees you can land at for a picnic. The stars are beautiful at night. Milky Way visible. Beware of the skunks. Especially if you bring an animal with you. Makes sure a very memorable experience.
We loved our stay here and will be back! First off, the drive in is beautiful! Rv/camper sites are well spaced and have great shade. We loved the sand/gravel material used for the pads, very level and don't puddle when it rains. The bathhouse has an attached laundry room and outdoor sink. Toilets and showers are separated. Dump station is at the entrance and was a good set up. The trails are well maintained and beautiful. The visitor center was very cool. All the park staff were so friendly!
We visited in the afternoon, late May 2023. The plan was to bike with the family. However the weather did not cooperate. It had been raining the 2 days prior and the trails were probably pretty muddy so instead we decided to just take a look around and maybe hike a little bit since it was already built into out itinerary. We explored the visitor center for about 30 mins. There are a number of really cool exhibits and they have live animals in there as well. It was pretty interactive and kept the kids entertained. The park store is also located here in the visitor center. There was a decent amount of stuff to buy including apparel. We wanted our pins and hiking medallions which we actually had to run up to the contact station at the front gate to get as they were sold out at the visitor center. We also asked for the junior ranger program here and there was no way we could complete it as one of the requirements was to attend multiple ranger lead programs which we couldn't do in an hour or so. We took some fun pictures out back the visitor center and were then on our way.
We will definitely have to return with our bikes so we can complete the trails!
We stay here every October for our family reunion. Every time we have a blast and the view is picture perfect. Horses trotting around, fishing by the river and crackling firepits. Beautiful sun rise/set and perfect view of the stars at night.
The 4.5 miles country road that leads to this park is extremely scenery. $5 entry fee. Took the Cabell trail to see the Tye River overlook. Very wide trail (looks like a fire road) and an easy walk to get to the overlook. It was a busy Sunday but the trails were pretty empty. Took the Dixon trail on our way back and there was nobody else. Well maintained trail system with clear blaze. Saw a lot of people riding horses near the visitor center. My dog loves the boat landing area on the River Trail. The water is calm, shallow, and clean. There is also a very nice outdoor seating area in the back of the visitor center
