Shady Valley, TN is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Shady Valley is surrounded by family-friendly activities. Discover great camping spots near Shady Valley, reviewed by campers like you.
$25 - $40 / night
"First off - if you are driving an RV or travel trailer up here - know what you are getting yourself into. The drive up here is challenging and only recommended from the East."
"It was a two mile drive from the Contact Center to the campground entrance… passing by a scenic view turnoff on the right, with long valley views."
$25 - $136 / night
"Totally worth driving up the small country mountain road. After you make it up. The office is on the right. Very friendly staff and super helpful."
"Lovely woody and grassy field campground with only electric at our site. The sunrise is beautiful on the big field. The sites are well spaced and fairly level."
$30 - $95 / night
"Bath House was very clean...shower. Nestled next to the.Holly River. Prices were good."
"I came here on a couple of break days while working at a nearby summer camp and it was such a fun experience. The lake surrounded by mountains was breathtakingly beautiful."
$30 / night
"While there's a few dozen great places to stay in and around the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway, there are few campgrounds as prized as Julian Price, which has plenty to explore just steps from your tent's"
"This 197-site campground has a brand new bathroom/shower building with electricity and dish washing station next to site D24 (this may be the only one with electricity)."
$15 - $85 / night
"Great campground in the Smoky Mts of East Tennessee.Right on a beautiful creek, easy access to off-road adventures. Close to many good outdoor activities and historical towns."
"If your goal is to enjoy camp while still having access to amenities like showers and restrooms, this spot is great. Owners are great and very accommodating."
$24 - $36 / night
"Campground Review:
Located in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area of SW Virginia, the Gindstone Campground is tucked away midway up the mountain."
"The fire pit had a great grate for cooking in our cast iron pans and the picnic table was a huge plus."
"Sites are relatively clean, easy to park at, bath house is clean& easily accessible. They even have a"coffee shop". The staff here are amazing!"
"Beautiful campground with running creeks and sloping drives. Pleasantly surprised the weekend prior to Halloween that there was trick or treating, a haunted trail (kid friendly), and wagon ride."
$35 - $42 / night
"For my first time camping, we got a great location. The tent site we got, we could hear the running water from the stream. Bathroom and shower are clean and has heated water."
"The positives: Location: very close to Grandfather Mountain entrance and BRP. There are plenty of stores, restaurants, antiques nearby too."
$31 - $63 / night
"I was further impressed by the staff friendliness."
"We stayed here in our popup over Easter. when we pulled out the beds they were almost over the running stream which was amazing. put you right to sleep."
$25 - $45 / night
"Very nice lake for swimming and kayaking. Challenging hiking and biking trails. I saw some monster fish in the lake so my guess is the fishing is good."
"Hungry Mother State Park, Royal Oak Campground, Marion VA...site 3. https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/hungry-mother
Campground Overview: Located outside of Marion VA
Hungry Mother State Park is"
LegendThis is the first time I have stayed in a yurt, and it was definitely a learning experience. First of all, it is a cross between a tent and a cabin, and it has no electricity, bathroom, or running water. This was not so bad since the campground bath house was only a couple of hundred feet away. However, the temperatures were in the lower 90s outside, and once we walked inside the yurt, it was like walking into an oven. The temperature had to be somewhere around 110 degrees inside. Immediately after opening the door, opening the window and opening the canvas window coverings, we could feel the heat pouring out of the yurt. Fortunately, I had two 100-foot extension cords and a fan in our car. I plugged into the closest campsite and ran the cord to the yurt. There is no way we could have stayed in the yurt without the fan, so if you decide to stay in a yurt at this park during the summer, make sure to take extension cords and at least one fan. One thing that my wife and I found strange was that there were handrails along the three steps to the deck around the yurt, but there were no handrails beside the rougher steps leading to the yurt. Once we got the yurt cooled off to a decent temperature(high 70s), it wasn’t too bad. It had a queen bed and a trundle bed, which our grandson stayed on. A couch, side tables, and a dining table was also inside. The overall appearance inside the yurt was pleasant, and there was a picnic table and rocking chairs on the outside on the deck. There was also a fire pit, another picnic table, and a lantern hanger included with this yurt on the ground outside of the deck area. You will have to take your own linens for the beds—a queen and a single. There are two campgrounds in this state park, and each one is quite different. The Lover’s Leap campground has space for larger RVs and appears to be the newer of the two campgrounds. Although there are playgrounds, a swimming complex, an amphitheater, and much more, some of these venues are closed for the season due to the pandemic. The one thing I was really looking forward to(the chairlift) is only open on weekends. However, we were able to hike a couple of trails and see the natural tunnel. There are also cabins in the campground and they have a variety of sleeping arrangements of up to sixteen people in one cabin. The historical background of the state park is varied and extensive, so there are a lot of things to see within the park and surrounding the park. My wife and I decided we really want to come back and camp here again when we have more time. Overall, the campground has a lot of opportunities for different types of camping, and a lot to do, but if you stay in a yurt, be prepared.
LegendStayed here with a group . I van camped, a Bell Tent, Avion camper, Geodome , and mini house was rented. All pretty well maintained. There were a few electrical issues due to the crowd that arrived for a music event over the weekend. They sorta stick people all over the place when their busy. Beautiful view along the River. Bar and food truck with vegan options on site. We whitewater rafted, the guides were excellent and it was an awesome trip. The AT meanders along the River and is easily accessible from the campground. Be flexible if you stay here, their reservation system leaves a lot to be desired, but it is a very layed back and enjoyable stay.
LegendWhile there's a few dozen great places to stay in and around the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway, there are few campgrounds as prized as Julian Price, which has plenty to explore just steps from your tent's front door (er, flap!).
After a 3+ hour drive from nearby Raleigh, my very great friend Gary (or'Gariatica' for short) and I landed at the D Loop, which is one of four campgrounds you'll find here. What's important to know about the'Big Letter D Barrio' as the locals refer to it as, is that the campground perches up almost immediately after entering it, so you'll be first met with a few of the lower campsites (which must receive a decent amount of noise from the passing traffic that is only 30-40 feet away from them) before coming to the ground's bathhouses (while just mediocre and not the cleanest, there are bonus points here for providing 'no coin required' individual, private stalls (8 in all), so no group showers, which will be disappointing for some, I suspect).
After passing the communal bathing facilities, you will circumnavigate the D Loop in counter-clockwise fashion (although many tried to swim upstream and go in the opposite direction, which I don't recommend, as apart from being hit from oncoming traffic, even if there was none, you would need to conduct a 17-point turn-around to park your car in the provided parking spot) to tour the 40 or so campsites.
While there were only a few free slots to chose from at the time of our booking (about 3-4 weeks in advance, so book early if you can!), we did get relatively lucky with our campsite, good 'ol D20, which had plenty of space for our behemoth 24 person tent cabin (OK, so you can't really sleep 24 in this sucker, but it sure would be fun trying!).
I would actually recommend the sites that were located directly across from ours - while ours slanted upwards(revealing our entire site), those on the other side of the road sloped downwards so had a solid amount of privacy. Basic amenities were had at most sites we saw- solid (yet aging) picnic tables, fire rings (with pull down grill) and wooden-encased tent platforms. Warning: no nearby running water (to clean dishes, you'll have to load them up in a bucket and trudge back and forth to the bathhouse (donning a towel is optional).
Also, I would suggest if you are looking at campsites here or in the other areas of this campground, do look at whether or not a trail cuts through or by your campsite. I don't know how you feel about 100's (this is a popular campground with loads of people hiking trails when we were there, so I'm not overestimating here) of strangers passing by your front door (dang it, I meant'flap' again!), but you might want to avoid the heavy foot fall traffic.
Also, unlike any other campground I've ever visited (I lost count after the first 100), I've never stayed at a campground where it was so easy for anyone to simply drive up and around the campground (usually, you have to persuade someone at the front gate that you belong there, right?) as this location has an EZ access point that avoids the ranger at the gate(who left promptly at 5pm anyway), which made me a bit uneasy, although we had no problems to speak of.
Last tip? My buddy who knows the area fairly well took me to Gamekeeper's Inn [https://gamekeeper-nc.com\\\\\\\] for one of the best meals of my life. This oversized log cabin chalet has an outstanding bar, simply fantastic staff, upscale smarts and feature exotic meats and rare game, so while I would have preferred hot dogs and beans fireside, followed by endless amounts of s'mores, I was instead dining on grass-[hand]-fed Bison and dungeon-free Emu, the likes of which I had never savored before. Quite delish, washed down by very fine Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough in the land of kiwis and finished off by, what else? You guessed it, a fantastic creme brûlée. Very nice and quite expensive, but hey, you only live once, right?!.
Happy Camping!
TravelerThis place is absolutely beautiful. Totally worth driving up the small country mountain road. After you make it up. The office is on the right. Very friendly staff and super helpful. He walked us to our site and helped us make sure we could pull into our site. We set up on site C-4 close to the tree line so we had so much privacy. It was close enough to the bathhouse but far enough for us to feel secluded. They have a fishing pond, long hiking trails and only about 15 minutes from downtown. 
LegendAshley here with The Dyrt. We'd like to welcome your host, Rusty, to our platform. Each tent has lighting and electrical hookup. Glampers will have comfy linens and furnishings. Close access to the restrooms and hot showers. Check them out and leave them some love.
RangerThis park is right on the banks of the Nolichuckey river. It had nice trails for hiking. There is river access for fishing or launching a water craft. We were there in December when the weather was chilly and practically had the place to ourselves. The bathhouse was exceptionally nice and there was also laundry and wifi available.
GuideAnother lovely campground along the BRP, close to Linville Falls and gorge, picnic area and visitor center.
Erwin’s View Trail: Moderate Linville Gorge Trail: Strenuous {amazing view of falls}
Get a map at the visitor’s center.. redundant: the gorge is rather crowded on the weekends.
Check online for road closures when visiting the parkway.
$20 per night
There are 70 sites, some reservable sites and walk ins -and an RV loop {dump station} All sites non electric, generators permitted before quiet hours.
Lovely rangers and camp host that I found to be pleasant and helpful.
Open field sites, with decent sized pads, fire pits & picnic tables. Some of the sites are more secluded, the ones nearest to the parkway road.
Dog friendly for leashed puppers 🐾 Kid Friendly
There are bear lockers, keep food and supplies in the locker and in car at night.
Alcohol is prohibited
No showers but access to clean water and flush toilets.
You may collect dead wood or bring in HEAT TREATED firewood that is certified with a federal seal.
Local stores that sell wood and/or other supplies: Linville Falls Visitor Center/Park store Linville Falls General Store {8896 NC-183, Linville Falls, NC 28647- trinkets, camp supplies, cold drinks, non perishable food, Hunt Brothers Pizza etc} Walmart Supercenter, Spruce Pine, Ingles Food Store, Newland
Nearby Attractions
Linville Falls Linville Gorge “Grand Canyon of the Southern Appalachians”
Falls Trail - 1.6 mi RT/easy The Gorge Trail - 1.4 mi RT/ strenuous. The Plunge Basin Trail- 1mi RT/ moderate. Leashed dogs permitted 🐾
BRP Linville Canverns Crabtree Falls, Burnsville Grassy Creek Falls NC Gem Museum
The campground is laid out well, spacious, clean and located near awesome trails, falls, look outs and shops and restaurants.
ScoutWe go back here multiple times each season. Very family friendly. Sites are relatively clean, easy to park at, bath house is clean& easily accessible. They even have a"coffee shop". The staff here are amazing! The campground is tucked away outside of Boone, but not so far that if you really need something you cant get it. The staff does a great job making sure the quiet hours are really quiet and no craziness happens. After looking around at other campgrounds, we really love this one. Most of the sites are shaded so in the heat of the summer it is really pleasant to hang out at the campsites(usually with a nice breeze). The location is also not far from the Blue Ridge Parkway and lots of great hiking.
ScoutFor my first time camping, we got a great location. The tent site we got, we could hear the running water from the stream. Bathroom and shower are clean and has heated water. Our came site had a lot of rocks so it was hard to sleep at night. Would recommend talking a air bed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Shady Valley, TN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Shady Valley, TN is Hickory Ridge Campground — Grayson Highlands State Park with a 4.8-star rating from 56 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Shady Valley, TN?
TheDyrt.com has all 53 glamping camping locations near Shady Valley, TN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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