US Army Corps of Engineers · Virginia

John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir campsites, sold out? Here's how spots come back.

John H. Kerr Dam & Reservoir, also known as Buggs Island Lake, is a 50,000-acre lake extending 39 miles up the Roanoke River along 800 miles of wooded, cove-studded shoreline in Virginia and North Carolina. Visitors enjoy fishing, camping, swimming, boating or just relaxing and enjoying the scenic beauty.

📍 Virginia 🏕️ 14 campgrounds

How booking at John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir works

Reservations for John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir are made through Recreation.gov. In peak season, the most popular campgrounds are typically claimed within minutes of each release — which is why the park reads as "sold out" for most of the year.

Sold out is not final, though. People book far ahead and plans change, so cancellations return to the official calendar throughout the season — with no announcement, at any hour. A cancelled site is bookable by whoever sees it first.

Booking facts

Managed byUS Army Corps of Engineers
Book throughRecreation.gov
LocationBoydton, VA
Campgrounds14
Official listingRecreation.gov

Campgrounds in John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir

Set a watch on the whole park, or go straight to the campground you want — each one has its own availability and cancellation pattern:

North Bend Park247 sites
Rudds Creek Rec. Area99 sites
Longwood Park66 sites
Buffalo Park22 sites
Buffalo Park Picnic Shelter1 sites
Grassy Creek Park1 sites
Island Creek Park1 sites
Ivy Hill Park1 sites
Longwood Park Picnic Shelter1 sites
North Bend Park OSAGE Picnic Shelter1 sites
Old Picnic Area (John H Kerr)1 sites
Palmer Point Park1 sites
Rudds Creek Rec Area Picnic Shelter1 sites
Tailrace Park1 sites

How itOpened watches John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir

We scan the official Recreation.gov calendar for John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir around the clock. The second a site that matches your dates and equipment opens up, you get a text with a direct link to that exact site. You book it yourself, in your own account, at the normal price. We never book, hold, or resell anything — monitoring is all we do, and it's what your fee pays for. Openings are first-come, so a text beats an email every time.

Page data refreshed 2026-10-29. Availability facts come from the official directory listing for John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir; cancellation statistics come from our own scanning logs.