National Park Service · VA

Camp Mawavi

ReservableBookable through November 7, and from April 16 through April 29.
Book on recreation.govWe make nothing when you book
Right now
Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
Sites
1All of them booked ahead

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 2 notices

In the agency’s own words

Prince William Forest Park is a 15,000-acre forested oasis, located 35 miles south of Washington, DC. 21 miles of bicycle trails and 37 miles of hiking trails crisscross Quantico Creek and its tributaries. Camp Mawavi, also known as Cabin Camp 2, first hosted campers in 1937. For many years, Camp Mawavi, run by the Campfire Girls of America, operated out of this camp. The camp sleeps 148 visitors and consists of approximately 132 acres. This rustic camp mainly contains 4 person cabins, with a few 2 and 6 person cabins. The units are clustered in a circular arrangement and contain 8 cabins, a bath house, and a lodge. Each unit is in a grassy clearing that is surrounded by dense forest. The large ballfield and lake access in the camp are among the best in the park. Camp Mawavi was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Keep reading

Recreation

There is a large field area available for recreational sports. Access to the lake is a short walk from the camp. Hiking and biking trails are a short walk from the camp.

Facilities

Camp Mawavi is set up in four units with cabins that sleep 2 to 12 people. In each cabin there are lights, electrical outlets, bunks and mattresses. Sleeping cabins do not have heat or air conditioning. Campers must bring all gear including bedding, pillows, and towels. Restrooms: There are five bath houses throughout the camp - one in A Unit, one in B Unit, one in C Unit, one in D Unit, and one behind the dining hall (Building 95). There is also a restroom located in the dining hall and infirmary. Campers are responsible for cleaning and sanitizing floors, shower stalls, sinks, and toilets. Plungers and toilet brushes are provided. Campers must bring hand soap, detergents, and other necessary toiletries. Toilet paper is provided. Kitchen and Dining Hall: The dining hall seats up to 126 people and contains a commercial kitchen. The park provides no food to campers. The dining hall provides wooden tables and benches. The kitchen is equipped with the following: 10 burner gas stove 3 ovens Microwave Large griddle Walk-in refrigerator Freezer Large sinks Food warming station with 4 trays Storage space Plenty of counter space Groups may do their own cooking or utilize a caterer. Groups may use the fireplaces inside the dining hall. Campers are responsible for cleaning and sanitizing the dining hall after use. Campers must bring utensils, pots, pans, baking sheets, cutlery, and other kitchen tools. Sleeping is not permitted in the dining hall, per fire code.

Natural Features

Camp Mawavi is located within a nearly 15,000-acre forest. There is a large field area available for recreational sports. Access to the lake and hiking is a short walk from the camp.

Nearby Attractions

Camp Mawavi is located 35 miles south of Washington D.C. and a few miles from the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

What the agency tells you

Rule

Check-In: The check-in time is 4:00 p.m. The Permitee must be present for the check-in process. A park representative will inspect the facilities and cover emergency procedures, specific cleaning procedures, and provide last minute information. Early check-in is not allowed without permission. Check-Out: The check-out time is 2:00 pm. The camp must be clean and emptied of all Permitee and guest’s equipment, trash, and personal effects prior to the time of check-out. The Permitee must be present for the check-out process. A park representative will inspect the facilities for damage and cleanliness. Cleaning: It is the camping group's responsibility to clean the facilities prior to check-out. The park provides brooms, mops, and mop buckets. We recommend you bring the following items: Environmentally friendly floor cleaner, multipurpose cleaner, glass cleaner, rags/paper towels, and lemon juice (to clean griddle). Trash/Recycle: Trash cans are located throughout the camp. They must be emptied daily into the larger receptacles behind the dining hall. Recycling receptacles are also located outside of the dining halls. Parking: We recommend visitors carpool as much as possible to the camp's designated parking area. One vehicle is permitted to remain at the dining hall throughout your encampment. State approved handicap vehicles are also permitted to remain parked at the dining hall. Campers are allowed to park temporarily at the dining hall to load/unload vehicles but must return to the designated parking area. Vehicles are not authorized to park or operate beside any other buildings within the camp. No more than two vehicles can be parked behind the dining hall. Cabins: The camp is designed in four units with cabins that sleep 2 to 12 people. Sleeping cabins are equipped with lights, electrical outlets, bunks and mattresses. Sleeping cabins do not have heat or air conditioning. Campers should bring all gear including bedding, pillows, and towels. Restrooms: There are five bath houses in the camp - one in A Unit, one in B Unit, one in C Unit, one in D Unit, and one behind the dining hall (Building 95). There is also a restroom located in the dining hall and infirmary. Campers are responsible for cleaning and sanitizing floors, shower stalls, sinks, and toilets. Plungers and toilet brushes are provided. Campers must bring hand soap, detergents, and other necessary toiletries. Toilet paper is provided. Kitchen and Dining Hall: The dining hall seats up to 126 people and has a commercial kitchen. The park does not provide food. The dining hall contains wooden tables and benches. Campers are responsible for cleaning and sanitizing the dining hall after use. Campers must bring utensils, pots, pans, baking sheets, cutlery, and other kitchen tools. Sleeping is not permitted in the dining hall, per fire code. Craft Lodges: Sleeping is not permitted in the craft lodges. Groups may use the fireplaces inside the craft lodges, per fire code. Infirmary: The infirmary sleeps 12 people and has a refrigerator and a private restroom with a shower. Fires: Groups may use the council ring and fireplaces in the dining hall and craft lodges. In order to avoid the spread of invasive and forest damaging pests, firewood purchased or brought from outside the park must be USDA certified pest free or from within 50 miles of the park. Fires are not permitted outside of the council rings and fireplaces. Alcohol: The sale of alcohol is prohibited. For group sizes of 50 or more, alcohol is prohibited within the camp without a valid Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Banquet license. No later than 10 days prior to the first day of the encampment, an ABC approved license must be filed with the Cabin Camp office along with a $500,000 liability insurance policy naming the National Park Service as the additionally insured. Entrance Fees: Prince William Forest Park requires separate entrance fees.  All cabin campers MUST HAVE valid park entry.  Learn more about the America the Beautiful program on the park website Fees and Passes page.

Rule

Regulations - All emergencies, accidents, and incidents should be reported to: 24 HOUR ASSISTANCE LINE - 1-866-677-6677 - All pets are prohibited in the cabin camp area, cabins and camp buildings (except service animals). - Smoking is not permitted in any of the cabins or buildings. - Facilities that are not included in the permit should not be entered or used at any time. - To prevent animal and pest problems, campers must place trash in provided covered trash receptacles or carry it out upon departure from camp. - Fires are not permitted outside of the council rings and designated fireplaces. - Camping tents, screen tents or other structures are not permitted in the cabin camp. - Removal or moving of picnic tables, beds, or mattresses is prohibited. - Vandalism of cabins and other buildings is against federal law and is subject to fines and/or prosecution. - Electrical appliances (for example, stoves, AC Units, and heaters) are prohibited. - No nails, tape, tacks, staples, screws, or other hardware or adhesives may be applied or attached to the interior or exterior of camp buildings, structures, or to trees. - The exchange of money is not permitted within the park.

Tents and rigs

Sites
1 · 1 cabin
Hookups
1 electric
Accessible sites
None listed
Campfires
Allowed, barring fire bans
Shade
Every site
Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Sep 16, 2026

Around the campground

On the water
Lake, Creek
Biking
Birding
Hiking
Picnicking
Water access
Wildlife viewing
Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Sep 16, 2026

Nothing on the booking system for the next 30 nightsread 18:52 UTC

Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.

Every one of the next thirty nights is in recreation.gov’s record and not one site is being offered on any of them. That’s a campground closed or not yet released for booking, not a sold-out one.

Booking windowThrough November 7Bookable now through November 7, 2026, the end of this reservable season, and again for April 16, 2027 through April 29, 2027. Today at 10 AM ET, availability opens through April 30, 2027.recreation.gov
If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservationrecreation.gov’s schedule
Runs itNational Park ServiceBooked through recreation.govthe agency’s record
Watch for a cancellation

Full? Watch it.

One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.
Tell me when the season opens

Watch for the season to open

One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

We’ll write once, when the season that starts Fri, Apr 16 2027 is open for booking.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.
Book on recreation.gov

We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.

Every line of the receipt · 15

What you actually pay

The sign priceNational Park Service
The National Park Service publishes no per-night rate for this campground that we can read, so there’s no sign price to print. That’s a gap in the record, not a free campground.
Group area, a night$725
Rates for the season the campground is in now, Apr 17, 2026 to Nov 7, 2026.
All reservations must be made online and paid for electronically.
No payment will be accepted onsite.
All vehicles entering the park must also pay the park vehicle entrance fee.
Visit the park website's fees and passes page for rates.
The booking feerecreation.gov
Reservation fee, booked online$8
One fee per reservation, however many nights you book, and it’s non-refundable. $9 if you book by phone, $3 in person.
Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount.
What a stay costs
The agency publishes no nightly rate for this campground, so there’s nothing to add the $8 booking fee to. We won’t total a receipt with a number missing from it.
If your plans changerecreation.gov
Change fee, moving to dates outside your booking$10
Cancellation fee$10
Cancelling the day before, or the day of$10 + your first night
No-show$20 + your first night

Who keeps the booking fee

The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →

How we know this receipt · 4

recreation.gov availability, read 18:52 UTC · rules read Oct 1, 2026 · rates Sep 22, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

The sites

1 sites

All 1 sites

Sleeps
MawaviCamp Mawavicabin electric

Getting there

the agency’s directions · the phone number
The phone703-221-5843
The agency’s pageOfficial page ↗

The weather

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

The land, and who answers for it

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from
Right now: National Park Service publishes no season and no closure for this campground, and it takes no bookings we can read. That’s a gap in the record and not a locked gate: the number below is the only way to be sure.
Cell signal: the Park Service’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.