Lake Anna State Park Review

Lake Anna State Park is a nice park with a swimming beach, hiking trails, and a campground. Lake Anna State Park is located in Spotsylvania County in Virginia.

Lake Anna State Park Overview

Lake Anna State Park opened in 1983. The area was home to the Goodwin Gold Mine. Among the many interpretive programs, you can learn about gold mining at Lake Anna. Lake Anna State Park is a medium-size state park with approximately 2,300 acres, smaller than large parks like Pocahontas which has 8,000 acres but larger than 645 acre Machicomoco.

Lake Anna offers camping and outdoor recreation. There are 15 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails. There is a nice lakefront area and swim beach. There are numerous learning opportunities available through the daily interpretive programs.

Lake Anna State Park is a popular park for day use visitors. On summer weekends, the lakefront area will be busy with people picnicking and enjoying the lakefront area. There are many picnic tables and grills available. There is a second picnic shelter area with more picnic tables just a bit up from the main lakefront area.

Lake Anna State Park Video

We share some thoughts about Lake Anna and then show some campground highlights. Check out our Lake Anna State Park YouTube video.

Lake Anna State Park Amenities

Hiking at Lake Anna State Park

Lake Anna State Park offers 15 miles of trails. Three of the trails are hiking only while the rest are mixed use trails for hiking, bicycling, and horseback riding.

We tried all of the hiking only trails and found them to be relatively easy. There were some great views hiking along the lake. However, on some there are significant tree roots so wear sturdy shoes.

Trails are well generally well marked and easy to follow. However, you may find the Fisherman’s Trail may need a bit more signage at the trailhead near the picnic shelter area. At one point near the picnic shelter area, we found ourselves walking on a grassy area where there was no marked path. A few of trail markers might benefit from an update as the wording had peeled from the post.

You can find the park’s trail map at Virginia State Parks Lake Anna Trail Guide.

Lake Anna State Park Swimming Beach

Lake Anna State Park has a large swim beach. During the summer season, cool off in the lake. A nearby playground and concession stand are available. To access the swim beach, you’ll need to purchase a day pass.

Lake Anna Fishing Pond

Near the main waterfront area, Lake Anna State Park has a fishing pond. This is a nice area with a wooden deck and some seating. It’s a popular place for youth to try fishing.

One thing to be aware of. We found a warning sign posted in the picnic shelter area regarding PCBs and eating fish. However, this warning sign was not posted near the fishing pond.

Lake Anna State Park Boat and Kayak Launches

Lake Anna can be a busy lake. The state park offers a boat launch. This is located near the main lakefront area.

Though it wasn’t well marked, there is also a kayak launch.

Lake Anna State Park Campground

The Lake Anna State Park campground is open from the first Friday in March until the first Monday in December. Reservations can be made at ReserveVAParks or by calling 1-800-933 7275.

There are three campsite loops in the campground. Sites are back-in and pull-through. Most sites are long and level. Half of the sites (23) have 50 amp electric and water hookups while the other 23 have no hookups. All of the sites appeared to be RV-type sites. Though tent campers can use the sites, they weren’t tent-specific sites like you might find at First Landing or Machicomoco State Parks.

Here are a few sample sites. We show a few more in our Lake Anna State Park Review YouTube video.

Site 7 is a good example of a non-hookup site.

Site 38 is a nice, back-in site with water and 50 amp electricity.

While most of the camp sites are set apart from each other, a few are close together. These might work well as buddy sites.

Bath houses are provided on each campground loop. They are clean. Individual entry showers are available. Laundry facilities are available.

Lake Anna State Park Cabins and Yurts

Lake Anna State Park has several types of camping cabins, lodges, and yurts for rent.

The yurts are nicely set back in the woods.

Lake Anna State Park Campground Other Information

Cellular reception on Verizon was OK. We tried over-the-air TV and weren’t able to get a good signal. We did get a few channels but the signal was not strong. One of our tests is to see if we can stream TV using our cell phone as a hot spot. A Fire Stick was able to work, but we experienced buffering.

Road and other noise was minimal. During our stay, we didn’t hear noise from trains or highway noise.

There is no playground in the campground area. The nearest playground is near the waterfront area of the park. 

Lake Anna State Park Camping Rates

Camping for a water & electric site is $40 per night. Add taxes and a $5 online reservation fee to the total.

Visiting Lake Anna State Park With Dogs

Like most Virginia State Parks, Lake Anna is dog friendly. You can walk the trails with your dog. They can stay in the campground with you. As long as you keep your dog on a leash, you should have a great time exploring Lake Anna State Park with them. Note that dogs aren’t allowed on the swim beach or inside the buildings.

Lake Anna State Park Directions

Lake Anna State Park is about equal distance from Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Charlottesville, Virginia. It can be accessed from either Interstate 64 or Interstate 95. However, it is about 20 miles away from either. The roads are good but with an RV you’ll likely be taking some corners a bit slow. Allow time to get from the interstate to the park.

Good directions are available on the Lake Anna State Park page.

Attractions Near Lake Anna State Park

Lake Anna State Park is approximately 20 miles from Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Charlottesville, Virginia. There are plenty of activities available in the area including museums and wineries. You might get some ideas from Tripadvisor’s list of the Top Attractions in Lake Anna.

Leave a Comment

I hope you found this review of Lake Anna State Park and Campground to be helpful. Leave a comment to share your experiences with the park.

If you liked this, you should check out our reviews of other nearby Virginia State Parks including Powhatan State Park, Pocahontas State Park, and Westmoreland State Park.

Copyright 2021 Travel Trail Sail. All Rights Reserved.