Agency-listedVirginia DWR · dispersedFree
Big Woods WMA
Dispersed · public land · VA · 36.94508, -77.05282
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →The land manager lists this site. Someone from the agency inventoried it, so it is a real camp — not a spot we guessed at. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Big Woods WMA
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 101 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Big Woods WMANIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Big Woods WMA · public land · VA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- MMechanic4 mi
- PPropane7 mi
- LLaundry7 mi
- +Urgent care9 mi
- HHardware16 mi
- EVEV fast charger19 mi
- RxPharmacy20 mi
- ShShower20 mi
- DDump22 mi
- AAir-up23 mi
- WWater24 mi
- OOutfitter29 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 24-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 4 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Big Woods WMA
Access
Dispersed
Land
public land · dispersed
Elevation
101 ft
State
VA
Coordinates
36.94508, -77.05282
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Big Woods WMA · public land · VA (OpenStreetMap)
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~4.0 mi
- Propane / LPG7-Eleven · ~6.6 mi
- Dump station~21.8 mi
- GroceriesGrocery · ~4.0 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~19.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicIvor Medical Center · ~8.8 mi
- HardwareEdwards Hardware · ~15.8 mi
EV charging — from Big Woods WMA · public land · VA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger19.0 mi straight-line W — Stoney Creek, VA - Tesla Supercharger, Stony Creek, VA (at a gas station) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach6 within 25 mi · 95 within 50 · 186 within 100 · 585 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS21.4 mi — bp S Crater Road, Petersburg, VA, Petersburg
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO27.7 mi — Target Williamsburg #T1161, Williamsburg
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)19.9 mi — Franklin Chevrolet Buick GMC (at a car dealership) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2024-12-10 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Hampton Inn Stony Creek/Petersburg Area - Tesla Destination, Stony Creek, 18.9 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 320140 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Big Woods WMA · public land · VA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaCarson Safety Rest Area North · ~19.2 mi W
- RestroomJamestown Visitor Center (ME) 42J590A5 · ~23.9 mi NE · NPS
- RestroomGlasshouse Comfort Station 42J630D4 · ~24.1 mi NE · NPS
- RestroomPG: Public Restrooms & Utility Building · ~25.5 mi NW · NPS
Open Big Woods WMA elsewhere
Other camps near Big Woods WMA
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Flippo-Gentry WMA~3.8 mi
How we know this — Big Woods WMA
Fire rules
It is unlawful to leave a campfire unattended. From February 15 to April 30 campfires are allowed only between the hours of 4:00 PM and midnight.
Stay limit
14 nights (up to 14 consecutive nights)
Permit
A new regulation (4VAC15-20-155) effective January 1, 2021 makes it unlawful to camp on Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) without written authorization. There is no charge for camping authorizations at this time. Camping authorization can be obtained from the Go Outdoors Virginia website or any DWR license agent. Any person 17 years of age or older who does not possess a valid hunting, fishing, trapping license or boat registration is required to purchase an access permit or Restore the Wild membership, which includes an access permit, to visit and utilize a WMA.
Area rules
Camping is only allowed in previously cleared locations; no vegetation can be cut to make room for a camp. It is unlawful to camp within 300 feet of any lake or facility (building, boat ramp, etc.). Camping is prohibited in certain other areas as displayed on WMA maps, publicized on WMA kiosks or where posted as "No Camping."
Source
public land records
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Virginia DWR Wildlife Management Area, Sussex County. DWR flags this WMA as offering Primitive Camping. Adjoins Big Woods State Forest; the two parcels are managed as one unit. Nearest town named by DWR: Wakefield. Camping authorization required (free, Go Outdoors Virginia, listed under Special Licenses). Anyone 17+ also needs a VA hunting/fishing/trapping license, boat registration, Access Permit or Restore the Wild membership. Primitive camping up to 14 consecutive nights and no more than 14 nights in any 28-day period. Camping only in previously cleared locations; no cutting vegetation. Unlawful to camp on or within 300 ft of any boat ramp, fishing lake or facility, or where posted. Campfires may not be left unattended; Feb 15-Apr 30 campfires are allowed only 4:00 PM to midnight. Food must be stored so wildlife cannot reach it. Pack it in, pack it out. COORDINATES ARE A COMPUTED REPRESENTATIVE POINT inside the largest tract of DWR's own boundary polygon (2212.5 acres of 2212.5 acres total across 1 tract(s)), NOT a surveyed campsite. DWR states there are no established campsites on WMAs. Sources read 2026-08-17: https://dwr.virginia.gov/wma/ (Primitive Camping amenity flag) | https://dwr.virginia.gov/camping-on-wmas/ | https://dwr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/media/wma-rules.pdf (General WMA Rules) | boundary geometry from https://services.dwr.virginia.gov/arcgis/rest/services/HUB_Layers/DWR_WMA_Boundaries/FeatureServer/0 WMA page: https://dwr.virginia.gov/wma/big-woods/ | auto:agency-trust 2026-08-18: state agency GIS record with a source URL and coordinates, confidence not low. Fee value is the agency's own, not field-checked. Not field-verified -- confirm access, road conditions and fire rules before you go.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Big Woods WMA
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Big Woods WMA
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →