lake anna state park

We love Lake Anna, there is alot of grills and picnic tables to have a good time grilling the beach can be a bit crowded in the summer because that is the place to be on weekends,the is a boat ramp if you have your own boat or jet ski etc, Over all lakae anna is a awesome place to spend some quality time with your love ones without breaking the bank.

Last summer, every chance we got, my granddaughter and I went to Lake Anna to enjoy the beach! We would pack a picnic lunch and drinks for the day. We would get there as soon as it opened and left at sundown. The water was warm, the beach was clean and it was not too crowded. This summer I am going to get the pass rather than pay every time we go.

The park has hiking trails and numerous roads to ride bikes. There is a nice place to launch your boat if needed and a great beach to catch some rays. The water is always inviting and there is a roped off area for safe swimming.

Nice Bike and Hiking Trails (Horses too). Camping is nice. Beach area needs more sand and gets very crowded but is nice.

we were in the area and thought we would check out the state park for future fun time. the lake looked beautiful, the state park was nice, clean and well kept up. we took a look at their cabin rentals and they looked very interesting. state park is absolutely a place to visit.

Great Lake for a large family vacation. Home rentals are plentiful and seem to be top of the line in amenities and quality of the home itself. Bring your boat and trailer for a week of Wake Boarding, Jet Skiing and just cruising the lake. Daughter ended up purching a lot and plans to build in the future. Great spot for a second home. Home rentals for a large family are in Bumpass and outside the Park area.

We discovered Lake Anna, Virginia by accident while driving through the state of VA and taking back roads to avoid the highways. The Lake is beautiful and quite large. Most of the shore line is either wooded or has water-front homes. Lake Anna is located in a remotely populated part of the state and surrounded (primarily) by state parks, farms, undeveloped land and residential areas. It has many coves and fingers that are fun to explore by boat and a state park with a public beach, restaurant, and nature center. There are several marinas and a couple of them rent boats or jet skis. By looking on various sites we discovered many private homes available for rent right on the lake front. There really are not any hotels or major chain stores anywhere nearby. We only found 1 super market but it was clean and well stocked. The shopping and dining opportunities are very limited and there isn't a single t-shirt shop or mini-golf course (that we saw) in the area. We actually had trouble finding anywhere to get ice cream! If you are looking for a quiet retreat, away from hustle and bustle, this would be a perfect destination. Within about 1.25 hour drive from Lake Anna we also discovered the James River where we spent an afternoon tubing. We went with our 2 young grandchildren (ages 7 and 6) and the tubing was appropriate for them since the river is quiet, slow, and not deep. Be sure to check Lake Anna State Park for scheduled activities at the Nature Center as they offer an nice schedule of events for families and kids.

We went to the lake on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend and had the following fees: $5 per car for parking, $4 per adult for beach access, and $3 per child (ages 3-11) for beach access. Usually I don't mind paying either fee, however, the parking lot was full and people were parking on the side of the road and the bathrooms/changing rooms were dirty even though they had closed them for 20 minutes to clean them.The beach itself is fairly nice and it's not too hard to grab a spot in the sand since many families also spread out on the grassy knoll. The water was pleasant and warm, but a bit dirty. Every few hours they kicked everyone out of the water to do a wristband check. There is only one entrance to the beach so it would make more sense to post someone at the entrance. They didn't explain what they were doing and instead the lifeguards just shouted to everyone to get out of the water.The staff in general was curt and dismissive. The concession stand had the worst chicken fingers and fries that I've ever had. They don't have healthy options at the concessions so definitely plan to bring your own picnic. We plan to take our future beach trips elsewhere.

This is a lovely park with nice little cabins to rent and large, shaded, private RV/trailer sites with water and electricity. There is a great swimming area in the huge park lake, several playgrounds, walking trails, geocaches, picnic shelters, concession stand, on and on and on. The showers and restrooms are spotless as is the entire park.We have parked our RV there twice now and will be back again. This last time we were backing into our selected campground site and I looked to my right when I should have looked left and I drove the rear wheels of my 45' RV right into a ditch. Well the camp rangers were all over it and we were out of there with a lot of lumber, concrete blocks, digging and praying in about an hour but they did it and we were safely parked in our site with no damage except my pride. Thank You, Rangers.

We stayed several days in July. The weather was hot and humid-typical for the season. The campground has RV sites, cabins (one of which was handicap access), and tent sites around several loops. Our RV site was large enough for our RV, our tow vehicle and also had a gravel pad for a tent. This site was very private as it has foliage on three sides. We backed up to the forest and watched the fireflies at night. There was one bath house in our area which was a long walk if you needed it. There was a trail from the campsite down to the open-to-the-public beach area but to haul stuff to the beach, you would need to drive. There also are many hiking trails in the area. There is a small visitor center at the beach which is a cool place to visit for an hour or so.

This was the first time my family had been to Lake Anna. My husband use to come fishing at this lake as a child and remember many fond memories. We enjoyed the trails and the beautiful woods of Virginia. Some trails were busier then others. It was nice to have a vending machine to get a cold water after a hike. We enjoyed conversations with people on the path and learned many more things that Lake Anna has to offer. We will visit Lake Anna again when we are back in the area.

I have been to Lake Anna many times in my life and sadly I will say it has changed over the years. The beach where you can swim is loud, crowded, and dirty. There a many nice hiking trails but the trails in the woods had so many bugs! Made for a very irritating hike. My suggestion is take the trails that out line the lake. Less bugs and pretty views!

Lake Anna was packed on the 4th of July weekend we visited. I thought we’d never find a patch of shade to chill. If water activity is your thing then you can swim (fee paid for beach area), fish, paddle board, jet ski, or do whatever your heart desires. If chilling is your thing then you can hang out in the shade or grill. Changing rooms and a café are onsite. Parking was $5 per car on the weekend we visited. Lake Anna reminds me of Rocky Gap State Park (our fave), except the Lake Anna beach area is much larger, Lake Anna was hugely crowded - it was like Ocean City crowded, you have to go up the hill to get to your car and parking is somewhat limited, so be prepared to park on the side of the road. If you found this review helpful, please choose “yes” below. Happy travels!

I was there for first time this past week-end. As long as you don't stop at the water volley ball area, its ok. The volly ball area was just a big hangout for beer, shots and filthy music, not family oriented at all. Jello shots to anyone, even young girls and boys. The campsite looked ok. The water stained everything I wore. I wonder about the quality and how often checked. Not a place to visit again anytime soon.

What a joke. As you enter the park you have to go through a "Contact Station" which is nothing more than a toll booth with half-minded, uniformed mini-rangers with the repetitive greeting of, "WelcometoLakeAnnaStateParkthatwillbefivedollarspleasehaveanicedaythankyou." The five bucks is supposed to be a parking fee and I failed to want to bother mini-ranger with what if we just want to drive in to take a look. There may have been a mental break down. Then there is another four dollar per person charge to use the beach which looked like half of central Virginia was in attendance for family reunions. My wife and I chose Picnic Area B. A smaller scale version of beach central; no bathrooms working but the porta johns in the 89 degree heat were a real pleasure. Dog poop in the lawn. Our nearest neighbors, a family of three decided they were privileged to use two picnic tables and half the available walking area to the water. No Wake Zone signs but be some sort of secret code for boaters to see just how much wave action they can possibly make. There were jet skiers oh so cool on their little noisy water rockets, tug boat size pontoon boats, water skiers and fishing boats all vying for the same piece of turbid, erosion filled water and two little kayaks straining for shore. This is an over-used, over-rated, worn out, muddy puddle of water that needs horsepower restrictions, water enforcement, litter patrol and road side maintenance. What a disgusting experience.