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Dispersed Camping

Laurel Prong Trail Dispersed

2 Reviews

Laurel Prong Trail Dispersed is located near the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, offering a terrain of forested areas and rolling hills. Temperatures range from lows in the 30s Fahrenheit during winter to highs in the 80s during summer. Nearby attractions include Shenandoah National Park and the scenic Skyline Drive, providing opportunities for hiking and sightseeing.

Description

National Park Service

Shenandoah National Park

A free back country camping permit is required: https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/bc-permit.htm

Shenandoah National Park has 196,000+ acres of backcountry and wilderness and over 500 miles of trails to explore. Backcountry camping is, by its very nature, a primitive experience that allows you to immerse yourself in the beauty and challenge of Shenandoah's wild side. Before you head out on your trip, however, be sure that you understand all of the information below so that you'll be prepared to safely discover a brand new world beyond the pavement!

Each year thousands of people spend a night or more in the Shenandoah’s backcountry. While visitors seek the backcountry for isolation, the cumulative actions of everyone in these areas can have dire effects on the resources we seek to enjoy. We can mitigate these effects by following Leave No Trace principles, as well as observing park backcountry regulations. The following regulations exist to keep Shenandoah's wilderness wild and untrammeled for you and for future generations of hikers and campers.

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Location

Laurel Prong Trail Dispersed is located in Virginia

Coordinates

38.472765 N
78.440186 W

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Access

Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.
Hike-In
Backcountry sites.

Connectivity

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VerizonLTE
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No Coverage

Site Types

Tent Sites
Dispersed

Features

For Campers

Phone Service

Enjoy dispersed camping on government land and leave no trace. Pack in and pack out. No (or limited) services at this camping area. Permit may be required.

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Contact

General Info

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Drive Time

43 min from Harrisonburg
53 min from Charlottesville
1 hr 38 min from Winchester

Allan M.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 22, 2025

Bears

About as flat as you’ll get, the hike here was nice. It’s a decently private spot with the trail close by, bugs weren’t bad only gripe was bears were constantly checking out our tent during night, we had one beef stick (trash thrown in our hang bag of course) but after one bear sniffed that sucker out 15 minutes later while we were in our tent we heard the first one full sprint and slobbering to check it out 😂 overall it was a fun night, 100% do not have food scents near your tent

Month of VisitJuly

Nora S.

Legend

Reviewed Oct. 13, 2023

Hard to find.

This campsite is another one we found on a list provided by Shenandoah’s park rangers and was listed as moderate hike and easy camping. I think, just like some other on the list, the easy camping might be a slight exaggeration. It was not particularly easy to find and we couldn’t find a super great spot. Good views on the hike.

Month of VisitSeptember