North Bend Campground Review

North Bend Campground is a large park in Virginia on the shore of beautiful Kerr Lake, a large, clear lake on the border of Virginia and North Carolina.

North Bend Campground Overview

North Bend Park is located near Boydton, VA and is about 20 miles from South Hill, VA. It’s a great place to relax and enjoy the woods and water.

North Bend has over 240 campsites spread across four campground loops. Each loop is on a peninsula extending into the lake. Many sites have water and 50 AMP electric connections. Some have only 30 AMP while some sites have no hookups. Campsites are gravel. Many are large and wooded and many are fairly level. However, you’ll want to do some research prior to booking as some sites are on a hill and some have a narrow entrance.

North Bend Park and Campground offers great access to the lake. There are swimming beaches on each loop. There are also multiple boat ramps.

We found North Bend to be a quiet campground. There was an occasional boat on the lake. We didn’t hear noise from trains, planes, or a highway.

North Bend Campground Video

In our North Bend Campground YouTube video, we walk you through all of the highlights of this great park and campground.

North Bend Campground Amenities

Day Use Area

Near the entrance to North Bend Park is a large day use area. This area includes picnic shelters, an amphitheater, a disc golf course, and a special events area.

On Friday nights, North Bend shows movies at the amphitheater. The movies on the schedule during our visit included WALL-E and Madagascar. There are also trivia nights and interpretive programs available. The amphitheater is a ways from the campground loops so you’ll likely want to drive. There is parking available.

The disc golf course looks nice with plenty of shade.

Cycling at North Bend

North Bend Park doesn’t have hiking trails. However, there is a paved path that connects campground loops A, B, & C as well as the day use area.

North Bend Boat Launches

There are several boat launch areas at North Bend.

North Bend Campground Campsites

North Bend has over 240 campsites spread over four loops. Some sites have amazing lake views. Others are heavily shaded. While many are fairly level, there are some that are on a hill or are otherwise unlevel. Be sure to do some research before booking.

Sites include a picnic table and a firepit. Note that firewood is not sold in the campground. We noticed several roadside stands with firewood for sale on our way to the park.

One interesting feature of the sites at North Bend is a concrete table which might be handy for cleaning fish.

Loop A has 50 sites with no connections. Loop B, C and D have a mix of sites, some with no connections and others with either 30 amp or 50 amp connections. Some of the nicest waterfront sites have no connections.

Each loop has a bath house. Individual entry shower rooms also contain a toilet and sink. The facilities seemed basic but clean.

Each campground loop also has a playground.

Each campground loop also has a swim beach. The lifejacket loaner program was a nice feature.

Sample North Bend Campsites

The campground is large and we couldn’t include every site. Here are a few sample campsites to give you a sense of what is available.

While the campsites at North Bend are not full hookup sites, there are two dump stations available. The one near Loop B & C is set for one inbound and two outbound campers to use the facility at the same time. One nice feature is that the rinse hoses provided have a threaded head so that you could do a black tank rinse, assuming that there isn’t a line waiting to dump.

Our Campsite Lesson Learned

We normally do a pretty good job of selecting our campsites. You can check out our process at 9 Steps to Finding a Great Campsite. However, this time, I picked a site that wasn’t great for our rig. From the pictures online, I could tell the site had a somewhat narrow entrance and was on a curve in the road. What I didn’t notice was that the campsite was located at the top of a hill.

Our Transcend is relatively high off the ground. I don’t think our last camper would have cleared the hill. We would likely have had an issue with the bottom hitting the ground. We are also fortunate to have four wheel drive, which I engaged to help ensure we could back up the hill. However, once in place, our truck was at a bit of an angle down the hill. Due to that, we were unable to unhitch.

Note that most of the sites in Loop C along the lake side are relatively level. Some of the sites on the other side of the road have a similar hill.

North Bend Campground Other Information

While there is no campground provided Wi-Fi, we were able to get a good cell signal with Verizon. We noticed a cell tower just across from the main campground road. We tried over-the-air TV and were able to get several North Carolina channels, though the signal wasn’t strong.

Road and other noise was minimal. On the weekend we stayed, noise overall was very quiet, especially after dark. 

The sky is clear at North Bend with minimal light pollution. On a clear night, you can see the stars very well.

Visiting North Bend Campground With Dogs

Like most campgrounds, North Bend is pretty dog friendly. Dogs are not permitted on the swim beaches. However, there are multiple other beaches spread throughout the campground which were being used by people with dogs. As long as you keep your dog on a leash, you should have a great time exploring North Bend with them.

One thing to note, though, is that we were given a list of rules to follow when visiting the park. A couple of interesting dog-related rules for the campground are:

• “No person shall allow animals to bark or emit noise which disturbs other people”
• “Please clean up and dispose of your pet’s waste. Other campers will tell on you so make sure you do – the ticket is $95.”

North Bend Campground Rates

This campground is a great value. Camping is only $28 per night. Seniors can get a 50% discount.

Reservations for the North Bend Campground can be made at Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777.

North Bend Campground Directions

North Bend Campground is located at 1930 Mays Chapel Road, Boydton, VA 23917.

Roads to North Bend were generally good.

Leave a Comment

I hope you found this review of North Bend Campground to be helpful. Leave a comment to share your experiences with the park. Or, we’d love to hear your recommendation for a park you think we should visit. Thanks.

If you liked this, you should check out our reviews of Powhatan State Park and Belle Isle State Park.

Copyright 2021 Travel Trail Sail. All Rights Reserved.