On the Potomac River’s Northern Neck, this park offers many opportunities for family fun. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has a bathhouse, meeting area, snack bar, camp store and power-boat ramp. You’ll also find a visitor center, campgrounds, camping cabins, cabins, a playground, a fishing pier, boat rentals and 6 miles of trails. Fossil collectors enjoy hunting for ancient shark teeth along the Potomac. Offshore breakwaters are great for fishing. Birding enthusiasts find the park an excellent site for spotting American bald eagles, ospreys, kingfishers, great blue herons, common terns, green herons and gulls, as well as wintering waterfowl. Murphy Hall, atop Horse Head Cliffs, offers a superb view of the Potomac River. The hall accommodates up to 72 people for meetings and other gatherings. Amenities include audiovisual equipment, a warming kitchen for catered events and an executive board room.

There’s limited cell phone service in the park. WiFi is available at the camp store.

Hours

Dawn – dusk.

Location

Six miles northwest of Montross, just off Route 3.

• From Fredericksburg (I-95), take Rt. 3 east, go about 40 miles to the park’s entrance, turning left onto Rt. 347.
• From Tappahannock, take U.S. 360 East to Warsaw. Turn left onto Rt. 3 west at the third stoplight. Stay on this road until about six miles past Montross. Turn right into the park’s entrance on Rt. 347.
• From Richmond, take U.S. 360 East, then follow Tappahannock directions.
• From Tidewater, take 17 north to Tappahannock. At the second light, past Lowrey’s Restaurant, turn right onto 360 east, then follow Tappahannock directions.

Drive Time: Northern Virginia and Washington D. C., two hours; Richmond, one and a half hours; Tidewater/Norfolk/Virginia Beach, two and a half hours; Roanoke, five and a half hours

Park Size

1,321 acres