Camping Suggestions for Shenandoah NP and G.W. & Jefferson NF,VA

[Herr Motorspiele]

Wanting to plan a trip up to Shenandoah National Park/Skyline Drive and George Washington & Jefferson National Forest. I prefer dispersed/primitive camping if possible but would be interested to hear opinions and reviews of any and all experiences in both areas.
Thanks!

https://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm
https://www.fs.usda.gov/gwj/

[campism]

Skyline Drive is going to be difficult for dispersed camping. "Approved areas only" is the rule there. In the national forests, though, you can find dispersed camping in addition to established campgrounds. I've stayed at the small inexpensive North Creek campground near the Arcadia exit (north of Roanoke) off I-81 and if you go across the road and uphill from there you'll find dispersed camping. I'm sure there's plenty more, like in the area around Reddish Knob near Dayton/Harrisonburg.

Note: Skyline Drive costs for admission and the camping is additional. If you have your senior pass admission is free but camping still costs.

Have fun!
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'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic

[stevegibb]

Matthew's Arms is a nice campground. We've done several multi-family weekends there. This year we're aiming for a private campground on the Shenandoah that borders GW national forest. It's called "The Country Place" and offers cabins, river trips and a tree house. We'll be doing excursions into the national forest for ultimate frisbee, swimming and just to hang. Luck!

[73thingsale]

https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/gwj/recreation/camping-cabins/?recid=73539&actid=34

From the site:
"...Dispersed camping is permitted throughout the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, except in specially designated areas. Camping is not permitted in developed recreation areas, administrative areas,active timber sale areas, and other areas that are signed as closed to camping."

Pandapas Pond is a great area, if you like mountain biking or hiking. It's on the western side of Blacksburg, down US 460. Beautiful area.
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Dave
86 GL Hardtop Blue

[Herr Motorspiele]

Thanks for the tips so far. On one map I thought I saw the NSA base near Reddish Knob.
Pandapas Pond looks like a neat area too.
I've been looking at this: https://data.fs.usda.gov/geodata/rastergateway/states-regions/states.php
which is information overload!
Also I'm hoping this is a good reference for some backcountry spots "off the beaten path". https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/gwj/maps-pubs/?cid=fsbdev3_000547
Anyone have GPS or mile markers for some nice primitive/dispersed sites?

[JanglerVan]

[Herr Motorspiele]

Anybody been to The Pines?
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/gwj/recreation/recarea/?recid=73987
Janglervan,
A friend said he went years ago and really liked it.

Also wanting to check out Whitetop Mountain. Found that on iOverlander and saw a couple videos on YouTube. Looks real nice!

[[email protected]]

Just left George Washington this morning. Incredible. Take 250West off the 81 towards West Augusta. (Look up Braley pond). Continue on FR 715 past pond about 5 miles, you will come to a fork with a sign pointing right to another pond or left, take the left on FR 95, go another 3 to 5 miles, plenty of beautifull pullouts by the river, super private, many with swimming holes and trout fishing. Very very nice. Weather should be iffy though for the next few days and sites were filling up for the long weekend. Bring plenty of supplies because you won't want to leave!

[campism]

Oh, great. "Virginia's most haunted campground." Who knew?

http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/virginia/haunted-campground-va/
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'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic

[pinetreeporsche]

Up near the N end of your requested range, in West VA. an hour west of Front Royal, VA: the Short Mountain Wildlife Mgmt. Area has 6 primative campsites-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Mountain_Wildlife_Management_Area
If anyone has been there, and knows which one or two of the six is choice, please post as a reply. I'm also putting this on the VA/MD/DC thread of the Samba and on the Full Moon Bus Club site, to see if anyone has more information on the Management area, and esp on which campgrounds are best.

[Herr Motorspiele]

Got a chance to make it up to The Pines area this past weekend. Didn't stay "in" The Pines but across the road and up a little ways. Campground was full which was fine since I was looking for something a little more secluded anyway. I saw tons of pull out spots and several roads/trails that shot off the main road, Rt. 617. Plenty of options for dispersed camping. Beautiful area! Perfect weather. We had to unfortunately cut the trip short but plan to go back in a couple weeks and explore some more. Saw a crowd of enduro bikes and a couple jeepers. Also saw some anglers and creek boaters as we were driving up Friday night. Potts Mt. trail has some 4wd trails but a local told me you can drive all the way up to the top of the mountain with 2wd. He also told me about some other good camp spots in the area. I'll report back in a couple weeks after the second excursion. This is definitely an area I plan to explore more in the coming months.
By the way, shortly after leaving New Castle we lost all cell phone coverage. Depending on your carrier, plan accordingly.

In it's native habitat.

[JanglerVan]

Herr Motorspiele, have you been back to the Pines? The weather looks good this weekend and I'm thinking of going up there to explore.

Ok, I really need to do some work today but I would rather plan a camping trip... I'm thinking either The Pines or White Rocks Camp Ground. If I go to White Rocks I can take my son to the kids only fishing pond at Glen Alton or go up to the Raptor Observatory near Waiteville...

[Herr Motorspiele]

Hey Jangler,
Sorry for the delayed response. I have not been back yet. June and July have been slammed! I am planning to make it back up, maybe early fall. Haven't heard about that raptor observatory?! I did take another trip up I-81 to WV and back in one day. The area around New Market looks like lots to do, caverns and Civil War museums.
I'm also wanting to check out White Top Mountain in Wilson Creek Area.
Anybody been there?

[campism]

We've done some camping in the Damascus and Mt. Rogers areas but always at established campgrounds and nothing dispersed. Nice area and usually cooler temps than in the flatlands. Lots of hiking and biking in that area with the Iron Mountain Trail for energetic riders and the Creeper Trail for more casual riding.

*edit*

Checking maps reminds me that we camped at the Hurricane campground south of Mt. Rogers and later drove through the Grindstone. The first was secluded in a very calm little valley and the second was at higher elevation and was being windblown during our drivethrough visit on our way to Damascus.
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'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic

[pinetreeporsche]

Being a northern VA resident (close to DC), I'm interested in boonie/stealth opportunities in the northern parts of GW and Jefferson Forests, or up north of Cumberland and Hagerstown, all the way to the Cunningham falls area of MD. IF anyone has found very small campsites (or better, stealth opportunities) in these regions, please share them here. I'm always surprised how few active Vanagon-nauts there are around DC- or at least how few have attended the limited number of Fairfax county area efforts to have gatherings we've attempted.
I've spent a night at the first of FDR's CCC camps north of Luray (nothing but a few foundation walls left, but no other campers; a fil-it-out-and-put-in-a-box to pay the fee-- I think under $10). Found another nat'l forest/CCC campsite, also with no on-site staff, right on the WV border, west of Woodstock if I recall (guess I need to make notes while on the sites). Several similar ones seem to be popular with the boonie riders-- mostly BMX power but maybe also pedal-power. I'd be eager to find some stealth sites west of the Winchester area. Near to waterfalls would be a bonus, or even along a river. If anyone got a good spot or two anywhere along the upper VA spine and on north a bit, even into southern PA, please share your favorites.