This weekend we took a quick trip to Virginia. In this post, we’ll tell you about a scenic, dog-friendly hike, review Richmond North/Kings Dominion KOA, and share our feelings about a few rides at Kings Dominion.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Kings Dominion KOA and have mixed feelings. The layout of the campground left a lot to be desired, but the amenities were decent.
The confusion started right away at the entrance. Most KOAs do a good job using signage to show where one should leave an RV while checking in. That wasn’t the case here. We missed the spot where we were supposed to stop and ended up following a truck pulling a popup that made a turn into the small parking lot in front of the office. Thankfully we realized what was happening before we made that last turn and got really stuck, but we still weren’t where we wanted to be.
If you come to this campground, pull over to the right almost as soon as you turn off the main road. It looks like there’s a short spot on the right directly across from the office.
| Campground Name | Richmond North/Kings Dominion KOA |
| Location | Doswell, VA |
| Dates | June 21-23, 2024 |
| Site Number | Site 210 |
| Site Surface | Paved, level |
| Hook-ups | Full hookups + 50-amp electric |
| Cost | $164 per night (including taxes and fees) |
| Water Pressure | 95 psi |
| Voltage | 120 V |
| Verizon Speed Test | 1 Mbps down; 11 Mbps up |
| T-Mobile Speed Test | 250 Mbps down; 5 Mbps up |
| Campground WiFi | 3.51 Mbps down; 3.06 Mbps up |
Sadly that wasn’t the end of our troubles. Over the course of the weekend, we came to realize the layout of this campground is…not ideal. The campground feels tight overall. Roads that we believe are two-way don’t seem wide enough to have two RVs pass each other, and some of the turns make it difficult to get around.
Our site was a pull-through, but it was surprisingly short with a tricky approach. To complicate things, the electrical pedestal and water hookup were not in the usual spot. They were about halfway up the length of the RV and much further from the edge. To get close enough that our electric cable would reach, we had to pull further forward than we would have liked. This meant we didn’t have enough room in front or behind the RV to properly park the truck. We did our best, but we definitely stuck out in the road a little.
It seems like unconventional hookups are prevalent at this campground. We saw sites with the sewer hookup on one side of the RV and the water and electric hookups on the other side. We saw plenty of hoses and cables that weren’t even touching the ground because they had to be stretched so far to make the distance.
If you can ignore the weird layout issues, the campground amenities are decent. The pool is a pretty good size. It’s also the first pool we can remember that gets decent shade in the late afternoon. About half the pool was already shaded by 5:00. When we left just before 7:00, almost the entire pool was in the shade.
The camp store sells some of the basics as well as ice cream. They also have a free shuttle every 30 minutes to take you to and from Kings Dominion. Their location is also a plus; if you decide to drive yourself, it’s less than five minutes away.
What We Did
North Anna Battlefield Park
North Anna Battlefield Park is less than a 10-minute drive from the campground. The park has “some of the most pristine examples of earthworks in existence” (according to battlefields.org). The park has six miles of trails with interpretive signs.
After turning off the main road, you have to drive for a bit. You’ll pass a small field on your left and see two stone pillars in front of you.
Drive through those and you’ll find the parking lot and trail entrance. The parking lot has a few trash cans and a port-a-potty.
The trail goes through the woods, so there is plenty of shade. The main trail is maybe two miles out-and-back, but there are a few side trails.
Along the way, you’ll find signs with information about the Battle of North Anna.
The trail ends at the North Anna River. Technically, there is water access, but the trail down to the river was pretty steep. I wouldn’t recommend trying it with young kids or dogs/people that aren’t in reasonable physical shape. Corona managed without a problem, but we wouldn’t have tried it if Max had still been with us.
If you can make it to the river, it’s very pretty. Corona enjoyed the chance to cool off and get her paws wet.
Kings Dominion
We got to the parking lot about 30 minutes before opening, and there was already a line. I suspect the heat kept people away because that was the worst line we encountered all day. We only waited longer than five minutes for two rides all day.
We read online that the line for Twisted Timbers can get long, so we went there first. Unlike most rides, they say you shouldn’t have anything at all in your pockets, and they take it seriously. There’s a metal detector in the line and, after it, a set of (free) lockers. Anyone who sets off the metal detector is sent to get a locker.
Unfortunately, the lockers didn’t work well at all. We suspect this is why the line gets long. When you enter a PIN number, the screen should display the number of a locker and open it. Except the first locker wasn’t open. So we entered another pin and tried again. When it did finally open a locker and we put things in it, the locker wouldn’t close/latch. At one point, someone else asked for a locker and it opened one that already had items in it. After multiple attempts, we were successful, but I can see how this could cause a bottleneck and create long lines at this ride.
Reptilian is a very unique ride. It’s more like a bobsled than a roller coaster. The cars are set up differently as well. Instead of two people sitting next to each other, the person in the front of the car sits between the legs of the person in back. We saw several adult-child pairs, and this appeared to work quite well. For two adults, I was worried, but we fit just fine. We weren’t the only adult-only pairs, either. If you’re not a fan of roller coasters, consider giving this one a try. It’s not nearly as crazy as your typical coaster.
Flight of Fear was an intense ride. Its linear induction motor takes you from zero to 54 miles per hour in just four seconds (according to the Kings Dominion website). It was indoors, in the dark, and there were way more loops and turns than I expected. If you don’t like roller coasters, skip this one. This was also one of the only rides we encountered all day that had a line.
After that, we went right to Backlot Stunt Coaster. That one surprised me as well. Between Flight of Fear followed by this one, my motion sickness was in overdrive afterward.
Wildlife
There weren’t a lot of wildlife sightings on this trip. We did see bats at the campground, but I can never get a decent photo of them. I did get a photo of this cute spider at the campground.
And later we found a frog who was doing his best to hide from us. Can you see him in the center of the photo?
Happy travels!
