Chopawamsic Backcountry Camping Permits
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- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 16:50 UTC
- Sites
- 8All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 13 notices
In the agency’s own words
Looking for some peace and quiet? Want to get back to nature, listen to the sounds of the nocturnal world, or simplify your life? Then come experience primitive camping at Prince William Forest Park’s Chopawamsic Backcountry Area. Chopawamsic (chop-uh-WAHM-zik), Algonquian for “small, divided river flats”, consists of about 400 acres (162 ha) of backcountry with a wilderness-like feel in a remote area of Prince William Forest Park. Within this tract of land, there are eight designated hike in campsites. Campsites are accessible from a two-mile (3.2 km) loop trail. Chopawamsic Backcountry Area limits camping to six people or one family unit per site. Chopawamsic is not designed for group camping, which is available at Turkey Run Ridge Group Campground . The northern side of Breckenridge Reservoir is accessible by trail from the Chopawamsic Backcountry Area for fishing. Keep reading
Recreation
Chopawamsic Backcountry Area is located in Prince William Forest Park, which preserves approximately 15,000 acres (6070 ha) including a major portion of the Quantico Creek watershed. The area is the largest example of a piedmont forest ecosystem, the piedmont being the geographic plateau between the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic coast. The park represents one of the largest parcels of undeveloped land in the area and is the National Park Service's third largest unit in Virginia. Various geological outcroppings, winding creeks, gently rolling slopes and man-made lakes make wonderful destinations for any adventurous visitor. The park is home to many animals including 46 species of mammals, 22 species of amphibians, 25 species of reptiles, more than 129 species of birds, 26 species of fish and an unknown number of invertebrates. More than 900 plant species exist in Prince William Forest Park, from the smallest wildflower to the tallest tree. From tree bark in winter, wildflowers in spring, canopy cover in summer and autumn colors in fall, Prince William Forest Park offers beautiful scenery year-round.
Facilities
This primitive backcountry camping area is open year-round barring inclement weather. There are 8 hike-in campsite spots located along a 2 mile (3.2 km) loop trail. Each spot contains a flat area for pitching a tent and a wooden post with the site number and is located a short distance off of the loop trail. There is a parking area at the start of the loop trail that has one vault toilet. Everything you carry with you when hiking to the sites must be carried out with you when you leave.
Natural Features
Chopawamsic Backcountry Area is located in Prince William Forest Park, which preserves approximately 15,000 acres (6070 ha) including a major portion of the Quantico Creek watershed. The area is the largest example of a piedmont forest ecosystem, the piedmont being the geographic plateau between the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic coast. The park represents one of the largest parcels of undeveloped land in the area and is the National Park Service's third largest unit in Virginia. Various geological outcroppings, winding creeks, gently rolling slopes and man-made lakes make wonderful destinations for any adventurous visitor. The park is home to many animals including 46 species of mammals, 22 species of amphibians, 25 species of reptiles, more than 129 species of birds, 26 species of fish and an unknown number of invertebrates. More than 900 plant species exist in Prince William Forest Park, from the smallest wildflower to the tallest tree. From tree bark in winter, wildflowers in spring, canopy cover in summer and autumn colors in fall, Prince William Forest Park offers beautiful scenery year-round.
Nearby Attractions
Prince William Forest Park is centrally located, with easy access to all of the attractions the Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., area have to offer. From the park entrance, the National Museum of the Marine Corps and the main gate of the United States Marine Corps Base Quantico are just a mile (1.6 km) away. The park is located directly between historic Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park and Manassas National Battlefield Park.
What the agency tells you
Open fires such as campfires are strictly prohibited. All cooking must be done on camp stoves.
Pets are prohibited in the Chopawamsic Backcountry Area to preserve a wilder experience, without the impact of domesticated animals on wildlife viewing and the natural soundscape.
Directions: From the park entrance, follow Rt. 619 or Joplin Road for just under 3 miles north past the American Legion sign. At mile marker 22, the entrance to the backcountry area is the first left at the top of a slight hill. A small brown sign points left to the entrance of the backcountry area. It is a gated small gravel parking area with a pit toilet. The gate is not locked; please shut it behind you. Do not follow GPS applications to Chopawamsic Backcountry Area as they will sometimes take you onto military roads that are not public access.
Everything else this campground posts · 10
Waste Disposal. There are no trash cans at Chopawamsic and the vault toilet by the loop trail parking lot is the only toilet facility in the backcountry area. Please use Leave No Trace practices and dispose of human waste no less than 200 feet (81 m) from a water source and cover all waste with soil and leaf matter. Please pack out what you packed in, including any toilet paper and other litter.
Tent Placement. Tents must be located within twenty feet of the wooden campsite post marker.
Maximum Stay. Maximum stay is 15 consecutive days and 30 days in one calendar year (January to December).
Entrance Fee. Prince William Forest Park charges an entrance fee separate from camping fees. You may pay the fee upon arrival at the entrance station or purchase in advance. The park also honors valid America the Beautiful-the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes (also known as an interagency passes, e.g., Senior, 4th Grade, Military, etc.). Visit the park's Fees & Passes web page for more information.
Group Size. Chopawamsic Backcountry area limits camping to six people or one family unit per site. Chopawamsic is not designed for group camping, which is available at Turkey Run Ridge Group Campground.
No Group Camping. Chopawamsic Backcountry area limits camping to six people or one family unit per site. Chopawamsic is not designed for group camping, which is available at Turkey Run Ridge Group Campground.
Attaching Gear to Trees. Do NOT attach ropes, clotheslines, tent lines, or nails to trees or other vegetation. Hammock camping is permitted with 1-1/2 inch (3.8 cm) wide minimum straps on trees with a diameter of 6 inches (15.25 cm) or more.
Prohibited: fireworks, swimming, use of power tools, hunting and trapping, and any weapon (except firearms in accordance with Virginia laws).
Age Limit. You must be 18 years of age or older to obtain a Cabin Camp permit.
You are responsible for complying with all laws, regulations and policies. In addition to the rules listed here, Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations and the Superintendent's Compendium apply. For further information or to ask questions, please contact the park's visitor center at 703-221-7181 or see visit the park's Chopawamsic Backcountry Area web page.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 8 · 8 walk-in
- Hookups
- None
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Campfires
- Not allowed
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets - year round
- Drinking water
- None, bring your own
- Stay limit
- 30 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Reservoir, Lake, River, Creek, Coast
- Backpacking
- Birding
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Wilderness access
- Wildlife viewing
- Fall color · reported 12 days ago, 38 km away
- Patchy color
13 of 16 site-nights open this Friday and Saturdayread 16:50 UTC
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
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Every line of the receipt · 16
What you actually pay
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 16:50 UTC · rules read Oct 1, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
8 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 8 mapped sitesAll 8 sites
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Camp HappyLand (Cabin Camp 5)Prince William Forest Park · 1.3 mi
Camp Mawavi (Cabin Camp 2)Prince William Forest Park · 1.6 mi
Turkey Run Ridge GroupPrince William Forest Park · 2.4 mi
Camp Orenda (Cabin Camp 3 Group)Prince William Forest Park · 2.5 mi
Cabin Camp 3Prince William Forest Park · 2.6 mi
Oak Ridge CampgroundPrince William Forest Park · 3.0 miTo get to the backcountry area:
From the park entrance, follow Rt. 619 or Joplin Road for around 2 miles north past the American Legion sign. Almost immediately after you pass mile marker 22, the entrance to the backcountry area is the first left at the top of a slight hill. It is a gated small gravel parking area with a pit toilet. The gate is not locked; please shut it behind you. Do not follow GPS applications to Chopawamsic Backcountry Area as they will sometimes take you onto military roads that are not public access.
To get to the main park entrance:
From Washington, D.C., and points north, take I-95 south to exit 150-B toward VA Route 619/Joplin Road. The park entrance is the second right, continue up the road 2 miles to the gravel parking area for the Chopawamsic Backcountry Area on the left near mile marker 22.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Camp Barrett, VA
Typical weather
Typical October night 50°F, day 69°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 28°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
What threatens this place
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Chopawamsic Backcountry Camping Permits is in Virginia’s 7th congressional district. Its representative, Eugene Vindman (D), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: B. See every public-lands vote →