Best Campgrounds in Virginia

Virginia, with its diverse landscapes ranging from the misty Blue Ridge Mountains to the tranquil Chesapeake Bay, offers some of the most breathtaking camping experiences on the East Coast. Whether you’re a seasoned outdoor enthusiast or a family looking for a weekend getaway, the Old Dominion state has something special waiting for you. Let’s explore some of the most stunning campgrounds that showcase Virginia’s natural splendor in all its glory.

Shenandoah National Park – Big Meadows Campground

Number of Campsites: 221
Reservations: Recreation.gov
Address: Mile 51.2 Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, VA 22835

Nestled in the heart of Shenandoah National Park, Big Meadows Campground sits perched at an elevation of 3,500 feet, offering campers a cool respite even during Virginia’s warmest summer months. The campground takes its name from the expansive grassy meadow nearby, where wildflowers paint the landscape in vibrant hues from spring through fall. As dusk settles, the meadow transforms into a wildlife viewing paradise, with white-tailed deer emerging from the forest edges to graze in the golden light of sunset.

The sites here are scattered among towering oaks and hickories, creating natural privacy screens between neighbors. Morning fog often clings to the treetops, creating an ethereal atmosphere as sunlight gradually filters through the canopy. At night, the lack of light pollution reveals a celestial show that city dwellers rarely experience – countless stars punctuating the inky blackness overhead.

What truly sets Big Meadows apart is its prime location along Skyline Drive. Step outside your tent and you’re mere minutes from some of Shenandoah’s most beloved trails. The Dark Hollow Falls path leads you through moss-covered rocks to a cascading 70-foot waterfall, while the Appalachian Trail, which runs adjacent to the campground, offers a chance to step onto America’s most famous footpath.

When the day’s adventures leave you hungry, the nearby Big Meadows Lodge provides a rustic dining experience, complete with panoramic views that stretch for miles across the Shenandoah Valley.

First Landing State Park

Number of Campsites: 202
Reservations: Virginia State Parks
Address: 2500 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23451

Where history meets natural beauty, First Landing State Park marks the spot where English colonists first set foot in America in 1607. Today, this coastal gem offers a camping experience unlike any other in Virginia. The campground sits nestled among 2,888 acres of maritime forest, a rare ecosystem where ancient cypress trees and towering pines create a verdant canopy over sites that range from primitive to those with full hookups.

The morning light here is something special – golden rays filter through Spanish moss that hangs like natural chandeliers from gnarled branches overhead. The air carries the distinctive scent of salt marsh and pine, an intoxicating reminder that you’re in a transitional zone where forest meets sea.

What makes First Landing truly extraordinary is its diversity of environments. From your campsite, trails lead through nine distinct ecosystems, from cypress swamps where turtles sun themselves on fallen logs to secluded beaches where the Chesapeake Bay laps gently at the shore. The 1.5-mile Cape Henry Trail cuts through the heart of the park, revealing hidden lagoons where great blue herons stand statue-still, waiting for their next meal to swim by.

After a day of exploration, there’s nothing quite like watching the sunset paint the bay waters in shades of orange and pink, as osprey circle overhead before returning to their massive stick nests for the night. And when darkness falls, the rhythmic sound of waves creates nature’s perfect lullaby.

Douthat State Park

Number of Campsites: 87
Reservations: Virginia State Parks
Address: 14239 Douthat State Park Road, Millboro, VA 24460

Tucked into the Allegheny Mountains, Douthat has been welcoming campers since 1936, earning it recognition as one of Virginia’s original six state parks. This historic gem spans 4,500 acres of mountain terrain, with a 50-acre lake serving as its sparkling centerpiece. The campground here feels like stepping back in time, with stone and timber facilities built by the Civilian Conservation Corps still standing strong after nearly a century.

Morning at Douthat brings a symphony of bird calls echoing across the water, as mist rises from the lake’s mirrored surface. The campsites are thoughtfully arranged in several loops, some hugging the lakeshore while others climb gently up the mountainside, offering varying degrees of privacy and views.

Mountain laurel and rhododendron create natural privacy screens between sites during the summer months, exploding in pink and white blooms that perfume the air. In fall, the surrounding hardwood forest puts on a spectacular show as maples, oaks, and poplars transform the mountains into a patchwork quilt of crimson, gold, and russet.

The real draw for many campers is the network of over 40 miles of trails that radiate from the campground like spokes from a hub. Mountain bikers consider the park’s technical single-track among the best in the Mid-Atlantic, while hikers can summit mountains for panoramic views or follow gentle paths around the lake. When summer temperatures climb, the lake’s beach area offers refreshing relief, complete with a high dive platform that delights the young and young-at-heart.

As evening approaches, the smell of campfires mingles with the earthy scent of the forest, and the waters of the lake reflect the fading colors of sunset until stars begin to punctuate the darkening sky.

False Cape State Park

Number of Campsites: 12
Reservations: Virginia State Parks
Address: 4001 Sandpiper Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23456

For those seeking solitude and a true wilderness experience, False Cape State Park represents Virginia camping in its most primitive and rewarding form. Accessible only by foot, bicycle, or boat, this remote stretch of undeveloped coastline sits between Back Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, offering an experience that feels worlds away from the nearby resort area of Virginia Beach.

The journey to False Cape is part of the adventure – a 6-mile trek through Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, where seasonal migrations bring thousands of waterfowl to the marshes and waterways. By the time you arrive at one of the park’s 12 primitive sites, you’ve earned your slice of paradise. Each site occupies its own small clearing among maritime forest, with the constant soundtrack of waves crashing just beyond the dunes.

Dawn at False Cape brings the possibility of spotting wild horses roaming the beaches, descendants of Spanish mustangs that have called this coastline home for centuries. During the day, the empty beaches invite long walks where dolphin sightings are common, and the only footprints in the sand might be your own, interspersed with the delicate three-toed impressions of sandpipers darting along the water’s edge.

The coastal forest here harbors countless bird species, from painted buntings to bald eagles, making it a paradise for birdwatchers. When summer temperatures soar, the constant ocean breeze keeps the air moving and the bugs at bay.

As night falls, the lack of artificial light creates conditions for stargazing that few East Coast locations can match. The Milky Way stretches across the sky like a celestial highway, and the rhythmic crash of waves lulls campers to sleep.

Grayson Highlands State Park

Number of Campsites: 96
Reservations: Virginia State Parks
Address: 829 Grayson Highland Lane, Mouth of Wilson, VA 24363

Perched at elevations exceeding 4,000 feet in Virginia’s southwestern corner, Grayson Highlands offers a camping experience that feels more like the Rocky Mountains than the typical Eastern woodlands. The park is famous for its sweeping alpine-like meadows called “balds” and the herd of wild ponies that roam freely across them, their shaggy coats silhouetted against the sky as they graze on the mountain grasses.

The campground sits among a mix of hardwoods and evergreens, offering sites with varying degrees of shade and protection from the mountain weather, which can change rapidly at this elevation. Morning often brings a spectacular inversion layer, where campers find themselves above a sea of clouds that fills the valleys below, with only distant mountain peaks visible like islands in a white ocean.

The real magic of Grayson Highlands is found along its trail system. The park serves as a gateway to some of Virginia’s most spectacular natural features, including the state’s highest peak, Mount Rogers, accessible via a spur trail from the Appalachian Trail which runs through the park. Along these high-country trails, massive boulder fields created by ancient geological forces provide natural playgrounds for rock scramblers and photographers alike.

Wildlife viewing opportunities abound, with the ponies often stealing the show as they approach hikers with curious, gentle demeanors shaped by generations of human interaction. Black bears, though more shy, also call these mountains home, along with a diverse population of birds adapted to the unique high-elevation environment.

When evening temperatures drop, as they often do even in summer at this elevation, campfires become gathering points where stories are shared under star-filled skies that seem close enough to touch.

Sherando Lake Recreation Area

Number of Campsites: 98
Reservations: Recreation.gov
Address: 96 Sherando Lake Road, Lyndhurst, VA 22952

Often called “the jewel of the Blue Ridge Mountains,” Sherando Lake Recreation Area centers around a 25-acre spring-fed lake cradled by forested mountains within the George Washington National Forest. The water here is remarkably clear, with underwater visibility often extending several feet, revealing the sandy bottom and occasional flash of sunfish or bass swimming below the surface.

The campground is divided into two main areas – a family area near the lake and a more secluded section set further up the mountainside. Sites in both areas benefit from thoughtful spacing among tall pines and hardwoods that create natural boundaries and the sense of having your own private forest retreat.

Morning fog often hovers over the lake’s surface until burnt away by the rising sun, creating ethereal photo opportunities as early-rising anglers cast their lines from the shore or small non-motorized boats. A sandy beach area at one end of the lake provides the perfect spot for families to splash and swim during hot summer days, while a second, smaller lake upstream offers more secluded fishing opportunities.

Hiking trails range from the gentle one-mile loop around the main lake to challenging ascents that connect with the Blue Ridge Parkway and offer panoramic vistas of the Shenandoah Valley. In late spring, mountain laurel creates tunnels of pink and white blossoms along these paths, while autumn transforms the hillsides into a kaleidoscope of fall colors reflected in the lake’s mirror surface.

As daylight fades, the sound of whip-poor-wills calling from the forest joins the gentle lapping of water against the shore, creating a peaceful soundtrack for stargazing from the lake’s edge or the comfort of your campsite.

Hungry Mother State Park

Number of Campsites: 107
Reservations: Virginia State Parks
Address: 2854 Park Boulevard, Marion, VA 24354

With a name as intriguing as its scenery is beautiful, Hungry Mother State Park centers around a 108-acre lake framed by the peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia’s southwestern region. The park’s unusual name comes from a legendary tale of a pioneer woman and her child who became lost in the mountains while escaping Native American raiders; when rescuers finally found the child alone, the only words the youngster could utter were “hungry mother.”

Today’s visitors find not desperation but delight in the park’s well-maintained campground, where sites are arranged in two loops near the lakeshore. Tall hardwoods provide ample shade during summer months, while offering spectacular autumn color when the weather turns cool. Many sites back up to the lake itself, providing campers with water views and easy access for morning fishing or evening paddles when the lake’s surface is at its most still.

The clear mountain lake serves as the park’s recreational hub, with a cordoned swimming area featuring a sandy beach that gradually slopes into the water – perfect for families with young children. Kayaks and canoes are available for rent, allowing exploration of quiet coves where herons stalk the shallows and turtles sun themselves on fallen logs.

A 5.7-mile trail circles the lake, crossing bubbling streams on wooden footbridges and offering ever-changing perspectives on the water and surrounding mountains. More challenging trails climb to ridgetops, including Molly’s Knob, where hikers are rewarded with panoramic views extending into neighboring states on clear days.

As night falls, the rustling leaves and gentle lapping of water against the shore create a soothing backdrop for campfire conversations under skies surprisingly free of light pollution despite the park’s proximity to the town of Marion.

Chippokes Plantation State Park

Number of Campsites: 50
Reservations: Virginia State Parks
Address: 695 Chippokes Park Road, Surry, VA 23883

For a camping experience that blends natural beauty with living history, few destinations can match Chippokes Plantation State Park. Situated along the historic James River, this working farm has been continuously cultivated since 1619, making it one of the oldest in the nation. The campground here offers a unique opportunity to wake up within a landscape that has witnessed four centuries of American history.

The camping area sits nestled among towering pines and hardwoods, providing welcome shade during Virginia’s warm seasons. Sites are arranged in a single loop, with some offering glimpses of the James River through the trees. In the morning, mist often rises from the river’s broad surface, creating an atmosphere that feels unchanged from colonial times.

What sets Chippokes apart is the opportunity to blend camping with cultural exploration. A short walk from your tent or RV leads to the antebellum mansion and Farm and Forestry Museum, where agricultural practices from pre-industrial America are preserved and demonstrated. Seasonally, the park’s heritage garden displays heirloom vegetables and flowers that would have been familiar to the plantation’s early inhabitants.

Nature hasn’t been shortchanged here either. The College Run Trail leads hikers through wetlands vibrant with wildlife, while the quarter-mile River Trail provides access to a shoreline where fossilized shells and occasional whale bones can be found eroding from the riverbanks – remnants from a time when this area lay beneath an ancient sea.

Summer evenings bring spectacular sunsets across the water, with the possibility of glimpsing osprey returning to massive stick nests with fish clutched in their talons. As darkness descends, the absence of major cities nearby results in star-filled skies that seem to stretch to infinity.

Final Thoughts About Camping in Virginia

Virginia’s campgrounds offer experiences as diverse as the state’s varied landscapes – from mountain heights to coastal shores, historic sites to wilderness retreats. Each location provides its own unique blend of natural beauty, recreational opportunities, and connection to the land that has drawn humans since long before Virginia had its name. Whether you’re seeking adventure, relaxation, wildlife viewing, or a combination of all three, these top campgrounds invite you to create memories against some of the most spectacular backdrops the Old Dominion has to offer.