As spring nears, here’s where to find a great campsite nearby

Campers in our region are lucky to live in an area where it’s feasible to leave the office about 4 p.m. on Friday and then find themselves sitting in one of the many local camping destinations, roasting a hot dog on an open fire no more than two hours later.

With the weather warming up and campgrounds open, this will be the case for many.

The first and largest local campground is Prince William Forest Park, a National Park just north of Quantico on the side of Interstate 95. The park’s Oak Ridge Campground, a 100-site, wooded campground capable of accommodating tents, RVs, and trailers.

The park’s Turkey Run Ridge Group Campground has six campsites that accommodate 25 people, three campsites that accommodate 40 people, or a Single Historic Cabin that holds four, six, or 10 people.

Cots, a ceiling fan, picnic tables, and cooking grills make these wooden tents a home away from home, the NPS said. On a promotional video produced by the Prince William Conservation Alliance, the park is called “a natural oasis in Northern Virginia’s suburban sprawl.”

Prince William Forest Park was established as Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area in 1936. Many of the trails and roads in the park were originally constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

For campers who’d instead have it a boating experience, there’s Leesylvania State Park in Woodbridge, on the banks of the Potomac River. At Leesylvania, there are camping sites for small tents-only a primitive campground is available for groups. Four tents-only primitive campsites are available only for guests arriving by canoe or kayak.

The visitor center opened for the season on March 6, and the Breakwater Marina Store will open later in the spring.

Near Gainesville, there’s Hillwood Camping Park with 140 sites available to everything from the RV camper to the tents. It’s divided into three different sections – the long-term campground, extended camping, and full hook-up campground. They do not take reservations and recommend calling a day ahead of arrival, and they’ll let you know what’s available.

From the look of the descriptions on their website, Hillwood sees a lot of people coming to the Washington, D.C. area for business and use the campground instead of a short-term apartment or hotel.

“Tucked just outside of Gainesville, Hillwood Camping Park provides workers traveling to the D.C. area for long-term business or military assignments with a peaceful respite far enough away from the metro to relax but close enough for daily travel,” their website states.