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Frequently Asked Questions: Virginia State Parks Cabins

By Shellie AnnePosted July 20, 2018

 

Last updated on May 12, 2025

Leave the hustle and bustle behind as you experience a Virginia State Park from the inside out. Wake up to enjoy breakfast together on the deck or enclosed porch while wrapping your hands around a hot cup of coffee and listening to nature.

These are the most frequently asked questions about overnight cabin stays. We hope this will save you some time as you plan your next getaway to a Virginia State Park.

Our 300+ cabins range from woodsy rustic to farmhouse cottages. 

Cabin 8 is a 2 bedroom Tudor style at Twin Lakes State Park, in Central Virginia

Cabin 8 is 2 bedroom/1 bath Tudor style at Twin Lakes State Park

Cabin 2 The Brown House is 3 bedroom 1 bath (cottage style) at Chippokes State Park, Va

Cabin 2 The Brown House is 3 bedroom/1 bath (vintage cottage) at Chippokes State Park

Cabins range from newer styles like this one at Douthat State Park (cabin 35) to more rustic log built at Virginia State Parks

Douthat State Park cabin 35 is a newer style 3 bedroom/2 bath.

Cabins at Virginia State Parks vary from park to park and even within one park. While some parks feature the older Legacy cabins, rustic hand-hewn log CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps built in the mid-1930s-40s), there are also the newer style cabins with vaulted ceilings, gas fireplaces and a more open floor plan.

 

Q: Which Virginia State Parks offer cabins?

A: Here is our page showing which parks offer overnight accommodation in cabins and the rate schedule. There is a nice discount when you stay in a cabin in the off-season vs. peak season.

Lake Anna State Park cabin 5 - 2 bedroom cabin waterfront with wood burning fireplace in Virginia (Fairy Stone State Park playing cards)

Lake Anna State Park cabin 5 is 2 bedroom/1 bath waterfront.

Legacy cabins, available at Virginia's first six parks, were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the mid-1930s and are either log or frame cabins. Douthat, Fairy Stone and Westmoreland have log cabins. Hungry Mother features log and frame cabins. First Landing and Staunton River have frame cabins. The cabins have the least floor space but are popular due to their historic ambiance.

 

Q: How do I check availability at a park of my choice?

A: The best method is to use our online availability form. You can enter the desired dates or a span of dates and see what cabins are available. You can also see a sample map showing where the cabin is located at the park and specifically in the cabin loop(s).

Reservevaparks.com/web map

Select the required search request, i.e., cabins, how many are staying overnight, do you have accessibility requirements? The more you enter, the more narrowed your results will be, or if you prefer a broader range, search for a flexible time frame.

 

Q: How much does it cost, and are their minimum stay requirements?

A: The cost per cabin per night depends on the season, i.e., high season, which is called "Prime Season" in the summertime, versus the slower season, which is called "Standard Season" and "Mid Season," which falls in between the two. You can see the seasons and rates per cabin style and amenity here.

You will note an in-state discount given to Virginia Residents, and also, please note that it is essentially like getting one night free when you book a week stay.

For example, a 2 bedroom standard cabin runs from $121 Prime Season per night and $110 Standard Season per night for Virginia Residents. For non-residents, it runs from $139 Prime Season per night and $126 Standard Season per night.

Minimum stay periods may be required, and this is a good question to ask when you call or check availability online, as it will show you immediately. Not all parks require a 1-week stay in Prime Season, but all parks require a minimum two-night stay for all cabin reservations. Reservations can be made up to 11 months in advance.

See the cancellations, transfers and other policies.

Also, be sure to sign up for the Customer Loyalty Program to earn points that may be applied to future overnight stays.

Bear Creek Lake State Park cabin 6 is 2 bedroom 1 bathroom cabin in Virginia

Bear Creek Lake State Park cabin 6 is 2 bedroom/1 bath. 

 

Q: What if I want to bring my dog?

A: Virginia State Parks offers Pet-Friendly lodging across the state, not just in select cabins.

There is a $20 per-night pet fee to host Fido with the family at a state park cabin, and he is required to be kept on a leash while outside the cabin at all times and cleaned up after. Since most of our furry friends shed, it is an extra cleaning step for housekeeping staff when they stay in a cabin. They recommend placing a towel on the furniture your dog prefers.

See our pet policy.

Taking the trash with you helps park staff immensely, and it's simply a nice thing to do.

Douthat State Park cabin 2 is a 2 bedroom/1 bathroom Legacy style cabin.

 

Q: Why is the check-in time so late and the check-out time so early?

A: Check-in time at a Virginia State Park cabin is 4:00 p.m., and check-out is 10:00 a.m. Full housekeeping cabins have much more to clean than a hotel room. There is typically a full kitchen (fridge/stove/microwave), bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, porches, fireplaces, and outside grills. Park staff also mow around the cabins.

Cabins also require maintenance in between guests when things break, grounds need to be mowed, and so on. We appreciate your leaving the cabin as close to the way you found it as possible, removing all trash and debris when you check out is also helpful. Our housekeeping and maintenance staff work hard to provide a clean, functional cabin for you at check-in to enjoy.

Park staff are there to help with any cabin emergency.

Here are Virginia State Parks that offer overnight lodging. Click the park of your choice and select the features you are looking for, i.e., a cabin with beds for 5 occupants, ADA compliant, pet friendly (Note: pets are allowed in all Virginia State Park cabins except Yurts).

See Virginia State Park FAQs about group lodging. 

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If you have read the article and have a question, please email nancy.heltman@dcr.virginia.gov.

COMMENTS

Virginia State Parks (February 13, 2017 10:14:33 PM): John - We have a big staff event that requires all of the cabins at Occoneechee, Staunton River and Twin Lakes. The only reason some folks are coming in before the 22nd is that they had existing reservations before the event was planned. We have had to work around those reservations but we can't create any more conflicts with the event. Sorry.

John (February 13, 2017 09:10:28 PM): Hi, I noticed that the cabins in several of the parks are listed as "unavailable" for a period of about a week in April 2017. Is this a maintenence period? I also noticed that some parks resume renting their cabins on the 21st of April while others resume on the 22nd.

I bring this up only because I'm planning a trip beginning on the 21st, hoping that there might be a little wiggle room on your calendar. Our preferred parks are Staunton River and Occoneechee due to logistics.

Thanks ahead for any follow up.

Virginia State Parks (January 30, 2016 08:26:53 AM): Angela - the roads in the park are maintained by vdot so I doubt we have that option. Could you email me at nancy.heltman@dcr.virginia.gov the specifics? First I have heard about this complaint.

Angela (January 30, 2016 04:28:45 AM): We have a weekend family Reunion every year @ Westmorland State Park ....Love it...from the Potomac Retreat to the cabins family members have concerns and hope the park will one day put night reflection dots on the roads to get them safely back and forth... We do have some seniors....other than that love it and hoping this is one of the Parks newly furnished.

Virginia State Parks (January 09, 2016 11:11:35 AM): Unfortunately there are very real costs associated with pets staying in cabins. I have pets at home and the wear and tear on floors, furniture and upholstery is significant not to mention extra cleaning from pet hair and flea infestations. We also have the issue with non pet owners with allergies unhappy that we allow pets in all our cabins. We have developed a special protocol to allow for that which included replacing filters and extreme cleaning measures. I'm using to living with pet fur and don't notice it but non pet owners do notice and completely removing evidence of pets in a cabin involves significant effort.

Kay Moore (January 09, 2016 09:01:20 AM): My family have been going to Douthat State Park for over 60 years.
It is beautiful, well maintained with a very accommodating staff, and the facilities are top notch.
My only complaint or issue I have is with the dog policy.
I think $10.00 a night is too much to pay to bring our pet. The prices of these cabins have gone up considerably in the past ten years ( which is understandable) but I would like them to lower the pet nightly fee to $5.00 a night. I usually bring 2 dogs, tagging $20 a night to the daily fee is a little excessive. Thank you for offering a place to make a public comment. You guys do a super job with the Park programs and facilities. Keep improving and keep building cabins!

Virginia State Parks (January 08, 2016 09:47:36 PM): Meredith - I promise we will work on improving our cabins photos. Now that we have replaced the furniture in the original six parks we need new pictures anyway.

Meredith (January 08, 2016 09:32:52 PM): I love the Virginia State Park cabins! We have stayed in several. I do wish there were better pictures of the cabins for each individual park. Sometimes there are Flickr pictures, but not always. Both inside and outside pictures would be great. Easier to help us determine where we can stay since there are typically 8 of us. Shout out to the park rangers and office staff- always so helpful! Thank you!

Linda Ruffner (January 07, 2016 05:25:03 PM): I've stayed in cabins from Natural Tunnel up to Douthat, and they are AWESOME. As something of a Virginia State Park aficionado, I can wholeheartedly recommend the cabin experience. We like to stay in them during the winter when it's too cold to camp in the tent or the camper. VSPs are the best!

Jenna McWilliams (January 07, 2016 03:16:12 PM): What a great list of answers. We've stayed. In Virginia State Park cabins regularly since we moved to Virginia in 2010. I was also pleased to see our most frequently stayed in cabin at Bear Creek right above the answer regarding bringing dogs. We have always brought our two for legged babies with us and have made many memories. It is with a sad heart that our next stay will.be without those fur babies. They both passed away within a couple of months of each other this summer/fall.

Virginia State Parks (January 07, 2016 01:03:34 PM): Patty - the link is there. It is hot linked. Notice the different color text of "availability at the park" - that is the link. If you click on that blue text you go to the online reservations page and can select the park you want. You can also find it multiple places on our website. There is a orange looking box in the middle of the main page at http://www.virginiastateparks.gov that says "Reserve Now" and every individual park page has a similar color box on the left side where the subject topics are listed that says "Reserve Cabins and Campsites."

Patty kipps (January 07, 2016 12:52:09 PM): Thank you. I was finally able to make my reservation. I have a suggestion. After the question: How can I check availability at the park of my choice, and your reply is: Use our online availability form, you should insert the link to that form. I was not able to find the form, and had to call the park.

Dave bryant (January 07, 2016 12:09:07 PM): Is this the marty that left the cool note in the Cabin #21 guest book at Westmoreland SP in December?

Virginia State Parks (January 07, 2016 11:43:15 AM): Marty - we had the good fortune to get some capital money to fill in some of the cabins at parks mostly at parks we had to scale back projects on when we built them originally. There are economies of scale that make additional cabins desirable. In addition to Lake Anna, we have new cabins coming at Claytor Lake, Bear Creek, Natural Tunnel and Kiptopeke. We were also able to get some new larger cabins at Twin Lakes to expand our overnight there to better match the meeting facilities. I am trying to put my hands on what facilities we are building where and as soon as I find it I will email you with it. I haven't heard any timeline updates but I think we are looking at Fall 2016. Projects are so undependable we generally only start reserving them when we have the occupancy permit in hand but we will be taking a waiting list if someone has a specific cabin or dates in mind.

Virginia State Parks (January 07, 2016 11:26:59 AM): Patty - I will email you directly.

Marty (January 07, 2016 10:17:21 AM): I see that Lake Anna is expanding their cabins. Is the project on schedule ? What other parks are expanding in the future ?

Patty Kipps (January 07, 2016 08:30:56 AM): I've spent lots of time trying to find a map that shows the cabin area for James River state park. I want to see the cabin numbers with a way to see if the one I want is available on the date I want to be there. No luck so far. The website you recommend just gets my heart rate up from frustration.

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