Mathews Arm Campground — Shenandoah National Park

Matthews Arm is a medium sized semi-primitive campground with 165 campsites on the northern end of Shenandoah National Park.

We stayed in site C163, which was situated about halfway through the campground and surrounded on all sides by other campsites. There is no electricity or hookups at Matthew’s Arm, and no cell service.

After our wonderful experience with Loft Mountain, it was difficult to not compare the two campgrounds because Loft Mountain was so comfortable, quiet, and well cared for, and Matthew’s Arm seemed to be a little neglected and much more crowded- not because of attendance, as neither campground was full during our stay, but because the campsites at Matthew’s Arm are built right on top of one another with very little space separating them.

We found ourselves wishing we were back at our Loft Mountain site that we enjoyed so much! But Matthew’s Arm is very close to the northern entrance and exit at Shenandoah National Park, and the location is precisely why we booked that particular campground that night.

The sites were easy to find and well marked, and the people around us were polite and quieted down after hours. The view of the stars might have been spectacular if it hasn’t been so overcast that night(and so much canopy overhead)!

Overall we were just as happy to arrive at our campsite at Matthews Arm as we were to leave it, so we are giving this one three stars for an average stay at an average campsite.

This is a nice and very large campground tucked away in the northern part of Shenandoah. The facilities and grounds were well kept and it’s a short car’s travel (but there’s also a trail!) to ice, wood, and other essentials at Elkwallow.

We had originally made a reservation online for a site in Loop B, but when we arrived, we were able to choose a different site number. The A loop has the most appealing sites with many being situated along the forest’s edge (include bear boxes, not all sites here do), providing a pleasant mix of shade and sun throughout the day.

Site A072 was perfect for our liking. It’s sheltered on one side by brush with only one neighbor on the other side, yet it’s angled in such a way to feel much more secluded than one expects to feel in a large, dense campground - the sites can/are very close to one another. As for activities, there’s an amphitheater and several hiking trails that start within or in close proximity to the campground. The Appalachian Trail is one of them. I’d definitely recommend this campground.

More quiet than the Big Meadows area (less people for sure!). Simple campground, with all you need to experience a wonderful time in Shenandoah. In the more northern area of the park, and we found that with a Thursday-Sunday time frame there was so many less people. Bathrooms are simple, and no showers. Our site B125 was not huge (are any sites here huge? I didn't see one!), but we had space for our larger North Face tent on the tent pad (just barely!). Our site had a fire ring and picnic table, though no bear box. Seems like some sites had the boxes, and others did not. Be sure to lock up your food and anything questionable here. Policy was pretty strict about that. B125 was tucked against a hill and woods (and man those woods are right at the edge of your site). Across from us was a handicap site, and next to us was a handicap site as well. It meant we had basically no neighbors for our early June weekend camping. Saturday night was quite full all around (still no neighbors for that spot). Some spots at Matthews Arm are reservable, others are first come first serve. It's cheap! You can park some trailers here, but it probably depends on your set up which spots would be best for that. There are a number of trails that you can get to either from campground, or sorta close. We hiked out near the group site and could get to Overall Run Falls (which I believe is the tallest in the park). As with all Shenandoah hikes, a good amount of up and down on this one. We really enjoyed our visit here and will definitely be back! 

Don't forget to wait for full dark, and then look up. Breathtaking. 

So. Many. Stars.

What do I love about Mathews Arm Campground in Shenandoah National Park? So many things!

• The simplicity of a national park setting: no frills in a beautiful setting.
• Generator-free area: No generators are allowed in parts of the A and B sections.
• Non-reservable sites! This makes it easier to travel without a plan other than arriving early at a campground. The entire A section (A1-A116) and a small part of C (C143-C145) cannot be reserved. Sites in B (B117-B141), the rest of C (C146-C164), and D (group sites D165-D167) can be reserved.
• $15 price: Our Lifetime Senior Pass cuts that in half (and covers the park admission fee).
• Hiking! You can hike to Overall Run Falls from a trail in the parking lot near the campground and turn this into a loop hike by returning a different way. The ranger at the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center near the Front Royal (North) Entrance Station was extremely helpful. We told her we planned to try 3 of the 4 campgrounds as we drove north to south on Skyline Drive and wanted hiking recommendations. There are 15 separate maps with multiple hikes in each, and we left with several of those marked up by the ranger. We also hiked the Stony Man loop on the way to our next stop at Big Meadows; the 180+ degree view while standing up on top of the rocks was spectacular.
• It's quiet! People don't come to national park campgrounds to party. They come to see the sights and hike. They're tired at night and don't make a lot of noise.

I guess that's enough.

The Sites

• Sites are large but many are lined up right next to each other. I recommend staying away from A72 to the end of A. They're lined up too closely for my taste, and there isn't much shade.
• I liked our site A55 and thought A56-A61 were nice sites. When we entered a sparsely populated park in mid-afternoon on a Monday in October, those sites were already taken. By evening, the park was half full. Arrive early in the day if you don't have a reservation, especially later in the week.

Amenities

• Bathrooms are adequate. There is potable water and a utility sink near the bathrooms, but there are no showers. The closest (coin-operated) showers are about 30 miles south at Big Meadows Campground, the next campground on Skyline Drive. Bathrooms are newer/nicer at Big Meadows and Loft Mountain.
• Trash disposal, ash disposal and recycling bins are available.
• Some sites have food storage lockers. Google reviews indicated park rangers insist you keep all food in a locker, camper or vehicle and you can be fined if you don't. Apparently, bears recognize coolers so you should cover them up in vehicles. (I also heard this at Rocky Mountain NP.)
• There's no store at the campground, but there's one a couple miles south on Skyline Drive.

We towed a boat ( not used here - we drove across country) and had plenty of room for a tent too so you can pull a trailer if you like. The pull in area was paved and behind it was a nice flat tent area. Our truck has a converted area in the back with a shell on top and carpeting inside converting to a bed so we slept there ( nice to get away from insects). Our dog was along and slept in his kennel. A mile or 2 away was a store selling a variety of camping supplies. It also had a small cafe so you could order food and drinks. The firewood they sold was too wet to use so I dont suggest buying it. The campground itself was quiet and peaceful and located in a deciduous forest. A deer kept running through the camp area and there were many birds. Each site came with a metal standard table and bench style seating as well as a fire pit with a metal ring. The bathrooms were well equipped and worked fine although the light was broken at the womens so you need a flashlight at night. There are no showers at this campground. The water is fully drinkable at the bathroom/fountains etc. There is a beautiful trail leading to the largest waterfall in the park called Overall runs trail. It is 5.1miles round trip (out and back trail). Its considered moderately steep meaning challenging for an unconditioned person and the trail has a steady incline. The overall elevation gain is 1291 ft. Wear hiking or exercise shoes but there is no bouldering or pull yourself up areas. In case of rain it can likely be slippery so be careful. You will probably encounter a small stream of water near the trail and in rain season possibly cross an area that could be wet. We went in the summer so it was dried out. We saw some people come back in bathing suits although the spring stream isnt very deep but maybe with more exploration there could be deeper areas. Its really beautiful among deciduous trees and stunning greenery and the waterfall view gives you a view of the valley as well. If you want a shorter hike, you can circle the camp ground in traces trail hike. Its considered an easy 1.7 mile with very little if any elevation change. These both trails do connect with other trails if you want to hike further. For camping - there are bears here so you need to bear proof any food or item that smells. Keep it in your car. We saw multiple bears in the park. There are also a lot of mosquitos as well as no seems and biting flies. We used insectshield clothing but deet or similar are options if you dont want to get bit. The store sold a netting you can use over your head. Even the dog preferred to restraining his head to getting his ears bit like crazy. It's a good place to explore Shenandoah national park from. Its nice your leashed dog is welcome almost everywhere ( not inside buildings etc and not on all trails).