Bolar Mountain Recreation Area

Bolar Mountain Recreation Area

Bolar Mountain Recreation Area
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles34 reviews
Excellent
22
Very good
10
Average
2
Poor
0
Terrible
0

DandHS
Leesburg, VA34 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2021
This is a gorgeous park for camping. The view is stunning, there are many lake front sites if you reserve long enough in advance as we did.

We discovered it last year by chance taking up a canceled spot with friends on Labor day, and returned this year the week before Memorial day. There is a significant difference between the place when in full capacity - obviously noise, crowd, and jet ski traffic on the lake.

Also seems to be in transition from privately operated to state owned - when we visited this year none of the Marina services were operating which forces you to drive back to the nearest WV store for necessities such as ice etc.

The facilities (shower, restrooms) were relatively clean (if you don't mind the crawlers, occasional mouse running across) but this was mainly for a lightly occupied camp, as mentioned above and indeed during the labor day weekend they were in much worst condition.

So if you are geared for self sufficiency and pick an off time this is one of the most beautiful sites in VA, with an unbeatable cost/benefit ratio for a tranquil and relaxing vacation.
Written June 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

chloe r
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020
Besides getting rained out on our last night, Bolar was an extraordinary campsite.
The water was so blue and warm. The people were great. I would definitely recommend reserving online beforehand as we got lucky and got one of the last two available sites. Also, shop beforehand for necessities and food: driving to get things is one hell of a hike and there are no supermarkets nearby, just small mom & pop shops which don't get me wrong, definitely are authentic and cute, just do not have a lot of the necessities.
Written July 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

chamdexor
Chesterfield, VA1,639 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2017 • Family
We stayed in the Sugar Ridge section of the campground. We tent camped in the walk-in spots (#132). This is a good tree-covered spot. Each of the Sugar Ridge sites have a fine graveled pad. Site 132 is about 70 steps away from the parking area and then the sites after that are further away from the parking area. If you choose site 137, you will have to walk quite a ways to the site which may be a pain if you have a lot of heavy gear requiring multiple trips. I'm not saying it's a mile away or anything - just takes some walking.

There is a bathroom very close (toilets/sinks only; the showers are in another bath area a bit further down). The bathroom is not good. Not that I expect any state campground bathroom to be nice, but this one is just reminds me of a horror flick (painted cinderblock walls, door that doesn't close then slams shuts sometime later, one "working" yellow light that buzzes and flickers, 2 sinks, bugs and moths both alive and dead everywhere) but it's not a port-o-john so that's good. Note: this is not shown on the recreation/gov website - it only shows the bigger bathroom. But there is a bathroom across from the parking lot for the walk-in sites.

The walk-in sites are all in a highly wooded areas. One of our nights we were the only tent in this area and it seemed pretty quiet and remote at night. We were able to put a 6-person tent and screen tent on the camping pad that still had a picnic table on it. Not much extra room - there is a fire cylinder - but with everything we had on it, we couldn't then put extra chairs around it.

The campground is on Lake Moomaw. You can go to the lake from the walk-in tent sites, but it's higher up so you have to walk down to it from around Camp site 137 but even when you get there - there's no place to get in - it's still high up by 5-10' above the water and no place you'd be able to get back up if you jumped in. But it's very pretty.

There are other camp sites that are bigger, more open, and closer to the water but they're also closer to the next camp site and we wanted a bit more privacy. These sites, however are closer to the bathroom that has the showers.

There is a camp host who can provide firewood and ice.

There is a 'beach' down the road but it's kinda small area to hang out - there is a playground too (this too is small) - but it's an easy place to get in the lake.

Note: I didn't see any camp store so bring what you need because I didn't see any store anywhere close.

Lastly: We haven't bee in this area before and it was rainy so we hadn't planned on hiking. We did want to see about renting a boat - but the marina nearby only houses people who already have boats (although they rent canoes and kayaks) and I think they sell bait and ice as well.

We actually drove to the Greenbrier on a rainy day to tour the underground bunker which was really interesting and a good rainy-day thing to do, but it's about an hour away. On the other hand - the Homestead is about 40 min away.

We also had a good time here just hanging out at our campsite. Saw a few deer as well. Really pretty area. I hadn't found much detailed information about this area so hope this is helpful.
Written June 22, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

G M
5 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
Had an RV site in Loop 1. Left after 2 days into a 3-day reservation. Might as well have camped at a dog kennel. Dogs everywhere, doing what dogs do. No peace and quiet. Irresponsible/inconsiderate owners. Camp hosts said this has been a problem for some time, but they are powerless to do anything about the loud dogs. Really?
Written July 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LoveCamping425
Richmond, VA1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2013 • Couples
This is a beautiful and well-maintained campground if you are looking for some peace and serenity. We stayed in Loop 3 and had a site right on the lake. I was amazed at how quiet this campground was. It helps that Loop 3 is at the end of the road, so you don’t hear any cars except those coming into the campground. The bathrooms were very clean and plenty of hot water for the showers. The sites are quite big (we were in a tent) and there was some distance between sites, so you didn’t feel crowded. Great hiking or bring your kayaks to enjoy the lake. We are definitely going back next year!
Written August 12, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

EMLAWI
Edgerton, WI11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2015 • Family
First of all this park is beautiful! Lake Moomaw is breathtaking and great for swimming! The water is so clean and clear! We enjoyed the trails that we went on and the area surrounding the park as well. Our campsite was on Loop 1 and was clean and surprisingly quiet for the amount of people there and being right next to the bathroom. We stayed on a weekend and every site was occupied. Still the whole place was pretty quiet by 10 and by 11 all you could hear were crickets.

It is definitely worth noting that there are two roads into this place.State Rte 603 will bring you into the park on Richardson Gorge Rd which is unpaved gravel and of course on a gorge. It's a gorgeous site, but you don't want to be up there with a very large vehicle or any kind of trailer. Mapquest and Google Maps both wanted to send us this way so be sure to double check your directions. Definitely print them out because you also can't count on any cell service there or anywhere around there.

I would suggest stocking up on gas and supplies well before you reach this destination. There were not any stores or gas stations near the park and the ones we did see were boarded up and abandoned.

Print out any maps of trails or places you'd like to see or visit in and around the park before leaving. While the camp hosts and park employees that we did come across were nice enough, they were not the most helpful. We asked around and got very little direction from anyone except to point us toward the beach and the boat launch, which were very easy to find. There was kind of a funny vibe in this place. Almost everyone we saw there on a fully booked weekend was local or semi-local. It's on the VA, WV border and every plate was one or the other. You kind of get the feeling that while you're not absolutely unwelcome as an out of state guest, you're not much more than tolerated. That being said, we really enjoyed the locals even if they only tolerated us. Just don't expect to get much help in the way of tips or directions to trail heads or prime places to explore. They seem to keep this gem to themselves as much as they're able. ;)
Written July 29, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rirrian
Washington DC, DC117 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2014 • Couples
Absolutely gorgeous, beautiful area. Secluded, beautiful waters, great air, scenic views, scenic drive to the area from DC.

The serenity and beauty of this place warrants a 5/5, the crowd, more like a 0/5. Let me explain...

There are some real backwoods bigots here with their big trucks and prejudice here. I'm in an interracial relationship (Asian + white, the most vanilla of them all) and the stares were intolerable. Or was it the fact that I was the only minority and I'm not welcome? I went to Gatlinburg the summer before I didn't feel as unwelcome as I did here. (Someone said I'm "almost white" which is quite progressive!)

My SO only managed to mention casually once we got here that he brought his ex (an Afro-Brazilian) down here for a day trip with a mutual male (gay) friend and they got the look of death from just about everyone.

I only had one day of this wonderful Americana action because my SO got sick and we scrammed once there was enough sun to navigate out of the area. There's absolutely no reception up here so store your maps on your phone ("ok maps" on google maps), bring a physical map.

Despite an intolerant crowd, I would not "not suggest" this place because I am all about "stand [your] ground" too! If more pleasant, not-bigoted, diverse people pay this beautiful lake a visit and make this a vacation hot spot (because it definitely warrants that), some people can actually enjoy themselves without feeling Billy Bob and Annie Mae's beady little (blue) eyes staring lasers through you.
Written November 22, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MeEncantaTravel
Washington DC139 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2012 • Friends
We stayed on the beach by the lake for one day. There is a sandy beach and a good swimming area. They also have camping and boating (which looked wonderful). We stayed in Warm Springs close by. Great place for a family outing if you don't camp.
Written November 9, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kevin C
Syracuse, NY7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2015 • Couples
This campground is very clean. The camp area looked like it had been raked as did the fire pit. The restrooms are very clean as well. Hot water for showers and well stocked. This was a one night stay for us as we were traveling south for vacation. If time allotted, we would have stayed another night. The camp host (Zelda) was warm and welcoming. She offered to be of assistance if needed. If you are from out of town do not use your GPS to locate this campground. Follow the directions provided on the web site. GPS will play tricks on you. Not knowing, we used the GPS and it took us onto roads that the truck and camper would not fit. Finally got wise and used the campground directions. Beautiful park, beautiful lake. We would go there again. Camp grounds are located in the Bolar Mountain Rec Area.
Written May 8, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cynthia P
Poquoson, VA8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2017 • Couples
This is our fourth year camping at Bolar Mountain Recreation Area on Lake Moomaw. The park is amazing with great hiking trails and lake swimming and boating. You can fish in the lake right from your camp site. We caught a couple of huge catfish! Though the park facilities are starting to show some wear (bathrooms and showers), the spacious camping sites are in great condition and offer excellent lake or forest views. This year we stayed on Site 114 on the Sugar Ridge Camping loop. Ed, the campground host, offered lots of information about the area and worked very hard to keep the park looking nice. It was a pleasure talking to him each day! Our site 114 was nice, but sites on Campground 2 and 3 offer better lake views, especially site 51. The marina offers boat rentals and a small store for supplies. Very inexpensive to rent a canoe and explore the lake. The only drawbacks of this park are that campers are allowed to run generators from 6AM to 10PM and camper's dogs are left unattended to bark all day. Quite noisy at times!
Written June 27, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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