Rappahannock River Campground

This place was a fallback for me and my daughter when all the sites in Shenandoah were taken up one weekend. All I knew was they had spots and we could camp there. I'm actually really happy with it because it was a really nice place and the man working there was really kind. When we pulled in we were greeted by a friendly fat cat. We paid our fee, which was only around $15, and then another $5 for a bunch of firewood. The Firewood was a bit wet and didn't work out, but hey, beggars can't be choosers.

We walked down to the river, which was the location of even more and bigger camp spots. Plenty of people with dogs running around and having a good time. This would be the perfect location for a small scout troop or a big family outing. Back towards out campsite, there was an old abandoned horse farm. We did peek into the barn, but it looks like no one has taken care of it for about 10 years, and I didn't want anyone getting hurt. We did go back out to the field at night to do some star gazing and that was beautiful.

The campground were only about half full when we were there, so it didn't feel like I was invading on someone's space, or them on mine. My biggest complaint is just that there isn't a whole lot to do in this area. Shenandoah and GWNF are about an hour drive, and this place was about a 2 hour drive from home for me. If you're passing through the area, or just want a nice little campsite, I would definitely recommend it.

I spoke with Steve, the owner for the past 20 years, and this campground has some significant history that goes along with it including the river facing campground used as a crossing point during the civil war. He specifically mentioned that Custer came through for which Steve has documented in a book he wrote about his 50 acre estate.

The area of the campground is deep in the woods with the only audible intrusion coming from the infrequent airplane or helicopter passing by.

I slept in campground 37 which is in the area closest to the river. There are some other sites (1-15) that are further up the hill. The river side campground has sites that line the perimeter of a large oval opening in the trees near the water. Some sites are wooded (37 was the most wooded with the ability to handle a few tents) with half of the sites along the river bank.

In general, you are open to the other sites which is not my cup of tea, hence I selected site 37. If this were a big group outing, then I think I'd prefer to hangout closer to everyone else especially since the stargazing through the hole in the trees was very nice.

The bathrooms are more like outhouses and the showers are a drive from the campground. Steve said the showers had hot water from propane, but I stayed overnight only and didn't try them out.

I purchased 10 large pieces of wood for $5 which is a way better deal than any of the places where I live and a few more pieces than the national parks/state parks offer for that price. That was nice burning the fire late into the night.

The area is quiet and a nice drive from local worries and stresses.