We stayed two nights at this FAM camp on our way back from our month long trip on the Blue Ridge Pkwy and Skyline Drive.  It was in late June 2021 and we made last minute reservations enroute back to our NY home- not wanting our trip to come to an end we decided to explore this campground.  We chose it because of its proximity to the museum at the very famous West Point Military Academy (aprox 3 miles away) and only a short detour from our planned route home-and after staying here –that would be the ONLY reason we would say it was worth the visit. Please read on for the details of our visit…..

This is an older campground and has seen better days as evidenced by the following some vintage log structures that in the hey dey must have been used for great gatherings, poorly maintained RV sites and roads. The check in building is modest with only basic snack foods available for sale. This is where they do the boat rentals, etc. By the signage inside the check in building it seems that the park is much more focused on being a day recreational area for those who live on the Army base. There are lots of rentals for grills, camping and sport equipment, fishing equipment, party equipment, etc.

It is a shame as an Army facility that maintenance is not better. West Point Academy is known for schooling outstanding engineers and this campground would be a great class project to have cadets put in some elbow grease!

What you DO get staying here is a “boom boom” to rattle your teeth when the nearby Army installation is testing their ordinates. Kevin, having served in the Army felt right at home! LOL

We paid $28 per night- way too much in our opinion for what condition and amenities the campground provides for a W & E site only. They do have a dump station, laundry facilities, playground and in season- boat rentals/fishing, etc.

There are some beautiful, vintage log constructed buildings around the campground but as far as we could see they have not been used for a long time and are locked up tight.  This is surely the case of the one at the beach. It is completely closed off and inaccessible. 

The beach was not well maintained at all– goose poop everywhere!  Lily pads and other water plants nearly clogged most of the swimming area-so you can feel them on your feet and body when trying to swim. Thank goodness we had our floats so was not too bad once we got out to the little deeper area.  Worse part is the beach is fenced and gated and the hours of use are very limited!  We were shoo’d out by a guard at 4 PM.  Hours for swimming I believe were 11 AM to 4 PM.  That is ridiculous since there is no lifeguard so why the restrictions?  Their website says they have guards during summer months. We suspect this early locking of the beach is only for the convenience of the staff.  It is not like there was evidence of any beach cleaning/sweeping or raking.  There was some litter/trash left on sand and again…more goose poop than we have ever seen anywhere- it was like dodging landmines trying to get from the gate into the water!

We did not use the playground below but it seems that would be the best feature of this campground’s amenities.

Our trip to the West Point Military Academy Museum was a highlight for us. 

We had never been there before and as history buffs we were in awe of their collection of everything from Roman through modern military history.  Also included is a complete history of the Academy itself with interesting collection of evolution of the cadet uniforms, sports and rivalry with Navy, etc. This museum is definitely worth the visit!  They also have a nice gift shop full of Army and WP souvenirs, logo items , etc The museum is modern, well kept and very well done. Exhibits are well cataloged and include easy to follow descriptions. There is an elevator for ease of floors. See slideshow below…

Something VERY important to note!  The entrance to this campground is up (and down) a 24% grade narrow winding hilly access road to get up to the campground from the highway.  There is only this one road up and down. There are NO mirrors mounted on side of curves to help you see anything that may be coming around a bend.  Thank goodness we did not have to negotiate an oncoming vehicle much less a fifth wheel because we do not think the two will fit.  Again, this is a project that should be upgraded due to the size of most RVs these days.  If you have a big RV we are suggesting you pass by this campground.  The site we had was one of a handful that can handle anything over about 26 feet.  Many of the sites are on small winding roads, uneven and trees make negotiating into sites a challenge.

Sites 9-13 would be the only ones we would say could fit any modern 26foot or larger trailer or RV.  There was a 40′ Class A in site next to us. They are Water & Electric only sites- but dump station is right nearby (maybe too close in the dog days of summer-the smell might be bad if you are there on a Sunday when everyone is leaving and dumping!)

Would we stay there again, simple answer is no.  Sadly there are little to no other campgrounds (public or private run) in this immediate area to offer any other choices.