The National Park Service is seeking a company to operate the RV park at Prince William Forest Park/NPS file
The National Park Service altered and reissued an earlier prospectus for operation of an RV park in Prince William Forest Park. The 14,600-acre unit of the National Park Service is located in northeastern Virginia, approximately 30 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. via Interstate 95.
The RV park is off Virginia 234 that parallels the northeastern border of the park. Prince William Forest Park (under a different name) was initially a recreational demonstration area designed to repurpose underutilized agricultural land near urban centers into recreational areas. The Civilian Conservation Corps built a series of cabin camps here in the 1930s.
During WWII the park was closed to the public and used as a training facility by the Office of Strategic Services. Extensive road work and construction took place following the war. According to the National Park Service, the park attracts from 300,000 to 350,00 visitors annually. Several locations in the park offer tent camping and rustic CCC cabins that are available for rent. Neither the tent sites or cabins are associated with the RV park.
The RV park has 70 rental sites grouped into four price classifications based on hookup availability. At the top end are 30 sites with 50/30/20-amp electrical service plus water and sewer hookups along with fire pits that rent for $76/night. At the low end are 13 sites with 30-amp electrical service plus water and firepits that rent for $47 per night. Sites between these two categories each rent for $59 per night. In addition to renting RV sites, the operator is required to offer propane sales, firewood sales, retail items, and provide laundry facilities.
Although not required, the operator is authorized to rent tents and other camping equipment, offer Internet and TV cable service, install vending machines, and rent bicycles.
The National Park Service projects gross receipts of $825,000 during the first year with a starting date of October 1, 2025. With a three-year occupancy rate averaging 43 percent, gross receipts were $683,665, $$718,488, and $717,505 (Jan-Oct) for 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. The RV park was closed for a major infrastructure project from November 2022 through the summer of 2024.
The operator’s initial investment is estimated at $251,700, primarily for personal property including inventory. NPS requires a minimum franchise fee of 15 percent of annual gross revenues and a component renewal reserve of 5.3 percent of gross revenues.
According to the National Park Service, the RV park is popular with government contractors and individuals doing business with the nearby Quantico marine base. The 10-year contract allows the RV park operator to rent up to 50 percent of sites to longer-term guests for up to 90 days from April through October. Stays of up to 180 days are permitted from November through March. We’re unsure how the operator can rent a space for 180 days within a 5-month period, but that’s what the prospectus says.
Individuals interested in submitting a proposal for operating the RV park should notify concession management specialist Jason Freeze via email ( Jason_freeze@nps.gov ) at least one week prior to the proposal due date of 4 p.m. EST on May 26, 2025.
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