Michael H.
Guide
GuideLoft Mountain Campground — Shenandoah National Park
Four Day Trip
Spent four nights at this campground! No hook up but great spot to explore Shenandoah National Park
Best Campgrounds near Basye, VA
The Shenandoah Valley surrounding Basye, Virginia features diverse camping options within an hour's drive, ranging from primitive forest sites to full-service RV resorts. Wolf Gap Recreation Area, located about 15 miles northwest of Basye, offers free primitive camping with basic amenities in a secluded forest setting. Nearby Shenandoah National Park provides multiple developed campgrounds including Big Meadows and Mathews Arm, where campers can access the Appalachian Trail directly from some sites. Private campgrounds like Creekside Campground in Edinburg and Endless Caverns RV Resort in New Market complement the public options with full hookups and additional amenities for both tent and RV campers.
Road conditions vary significantly throughout the region, with many forest service roads requiring careful navigation, especially after rain. As one camper noted, "The road on the way up is gravel, but has its share of potholes and bumps." Cell service is limited or nonexistent at most campgrounds, particularly those in national forest areas and higher elevations. Weather patterns in the Blue Ridge Mountains can change quickly, with afternoon thunderstorms common in summer months. According to a visitor at Canaan Valley, "We experienced afternoon rain showers daily, but arranged our hikes and bikes around them." Bear activity requires proper food storage throughout the region, with many Shenandoah National Park campgrounds providing bear boxes at sites.
Mountain views and trail access rank as top priorities among campers visiting the Basye area. Sites with views of geological features like Seneca Rocks receive consistently high ratings, with one visitor describing the tent-only section as "a giant meadow with picnic tables and tent pads arranged around the edges... nearly all have an incredible view of Seneca Rocks." Campground privacy varies considerably, with some visitors noting issues at more developed sites. A camper at Mathews Arm observed that "sites are tight but enough brush that you don't feel your neighbor is on your doorstep." Wildlife encounters, particularly deer and birds, are frequently mentioned in reviews of forest campgrounds. Weekend crowding affects most sites from May through October, with midweek visits recommended for those seeking solitude.
Best Camping Sites Near Basye, Virginia (162)
1. Wolf Gap
20 ReviewsBasye, VA8 milesWebsite$20 / night
"This campsite is by far one of my favorite free campsites that Virginia has to offer. what makes Wolf Gap so speacial is the the 4 mile hike that leads to a rocky overlook of the valley."
"We made a spur of the moment one night trip up here from Virginia, and I do glad we stumbled upon it! There are only 8 or 9 camp spots, each with a leveled area for a tent and a designated fire pit."
2. Big Meadows Campground — Shenandoah National Park
120 ReviewsStanley, VA27 milesWebsite+1 (540) 999-3500$30 - $75 / night
"While the campground is very nice, with clean conveniently located bathrooms, the site itself is probably not suited for a large group of people."
"Our site had the AT running right behind it. The was plenty of access to trails, and pretty central to the park. The campground is near showers, laundry, campstore, and visitor center."
3. Creekside Campground
17 ReviewsEdinburg, VA11 milesWebsite+1 (540) 984-4299$26 - $47 / night
"We spent 2 nights at Creekside Campground in Edinburg, VA on our way to West Virginia—- and found a real gem. We paid$50/night for Back-in Creekview FHU Site#20."
"We had a large grass space with water and power on the edge of a beautiful creek and enjoyed the sounds of it both nights."
4. Endless Caverns RV Resort & Cottages
22 ReviewsNew Market, VA16 milesWebsite+1 (540) 896-2283$45 - $249 / night
"July 10-19, 2020 As my wife and I were discussing my review, I asked her what could we point to to take away from a 5-star rating. Neither of us could think of a single thing."
"We stayed close to the catch & release pond and felt as though we had a lot of privacy despite the spots being right next to each other."
5. Harrisonburg - Shenandoah Valley KOA
32 ReviewsShenandoah, VA20 milesWebsite+1 (540) 896-8929"Convenient to the highway and easy to get to. Sites are well spaced. Hookups were well positioned. Walking trail starts at the campground. WiFi worked pretty well. Overall a great KOA."
"Positive: Friendly staff, close to Shenandoah NP, quiet camping, every site has a fire pit. Negative: Pricing rather high"
6. Andy Guest/Shenandoah River State Park Campground
56 ReviewsBentonville, VA25 milesWebsite+1 (540) 622-6840$27 - $384 / night
"Virginia has the best state park campgrounds. Water and electric. Large sites. The bathrooms are clean with separate shower rooms. Nice hiking in the park. Near SNP. Responsive and friendly rangers."
"In my opinion it has the best location of the 3 Turks they have. It’s it the woods close to a boat landing you can see a bit of the river. In the fall or spring I’m sure the view is amazing."
7. Trout Pond Recreation Area
6 ReviewsBaker, WV9 milesWebsite+1 (304) 897-6450$25 - $105 / night
"There is Rockcliff lake and small beach area, an overlook (Lina Constable Overlook) to hike to right off the camp loop but it’s 1 mile steep incline at times but worth every step. Gorgeous!"
"The area closes completely (entrance gate is locked) from Dec 21 - May 1. The site was super clean and well maintained. Lots of hiking trails and a very easy one that loops around the Rockcliff Lake."
8. Mathews Arm Campground — Shenandoah National Park
45 ReviewsRileyville, VA26 milesWebsite+1 (540) 999-3132$30 - $75 / night
"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!)"
"There are a few trails encompassing and leading out from the campground, and it's nice to have a central location from which you can out on small hikes."
9. Spacious Skies Shenandoah Views
18 ReviewsLuray, VA20 milesWebsite+1 (540) 743-7222$34 - $220 / night
"Adjacent to a working farm where cows, sheep, llamas, chickens and roosters can graze next to the campsites. The grounds were beautifully manicured and incredibly clean."
"We stayed at this KOA on our way to Virginia Beach but wanted to a day in Shenandoah National Park. "
10. Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Luray
24 ReviewsLuray, VA23 milesWebsite+1 (540) 300-1697"Close to Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive."
"They had plenty of appearances of Yogi or Cindy bear at activities and just driving around the park on a golf cart."
Recent Camping Photos near Basye, VA
514 Photos of 162 Basye Campgrounds
Victoriana P.
Wolf Gap
Wendi C.
Trout Pond Recreation Area
Sarah C.
Rivers Edge Campground
Kaleb D.
Creekside Campground
Sumner C.
Bennie’s Beach Campground
heather
Camp Roosevelt
Jon N.
Emerald Pond Primitive Campground
Regina C.
Endless Caverns RV Resort & Cottages
Annette K.
#1 Rock Tavern River Kamp
Blue Water M.
Luray RV Resort on Shenandoah River
Matthew M.
Little Fort Campground
Jason G.
Fort Valley Ranch
Recent Reviews near Basye, VA
1119 Reviews of 162 Basye Campgrounds
- Michael H.Guide
Brooklyn Heights Riverfront Campground
Weekend paddle and hiking!
Great private campground right on the river! The camper spots are across the road from the river and next time we will reserve a camper spot and a tent spot right on the water!
Beth B.
LegendSwift Run Campground
Great owners, close to skyline drive and Massanutten
This is our third year coming in the winter. We always come for a long weekend. Got snowed in this year but owner cleared driveway and made sure we could get out on time. Bathroom was open and showers worked.
- JJoe G.
TravelerCanaan Loop Road Dispersed
Fun Trail
Fun beginner trail, nice dispersed camping spots. Went there when it was dry so it was an easy drive. Very close to Blackwater Falls so you have all the trails there also have trails down the road with nice lookout points
- JJoe G.Traveler
Gandy Creek Dispersed Camping
Peaceful place
Great spots by the creek. Its nice to wake up by the water and relax with a cup of coffee. Good trails to walk also
- TTom W.Traveler
Lower Glady Dispersed Campground
Secluded & Quiet
We came in late Friday & could tell from the 7+" snow covered road in that no one else was going to be here (unless they'd been parked for two days of snowfall). We parked on a site be the creek on a big loop near a vault toilet (nothing better than a 20° toilet seat to wake you up in the morning). These sites were easy to recognize as safe driving spots under the blanket of snow. The road was well marked. The hairpin turn at entrance was wide enough that it was not a problem to navigate in the snow / icy road. Main roads had been plowed thoroughly. Anyway, great stay. Could not see stars but the moonrise was beautiful.
Janet R.LegendLoft Mountain Campground — Shenandoah National Park
Oh, Shenandoah!
The Shenandoah Mountains are beautiful any time of year, but early fall is spectacular. Ripe blackberries underlie the whole landscape everywhere you go, trees are turning magnificent colors, songbirds are stopping over on their migration south, bugs are nearly non-existent. I enjoyed visiting the park and camping here, especially as it is one or the few National Parks that are dog-friendly and allow dogs most everywhere, --throughout campground, on most trails, and even on the outside deck at cafe by our campground. The park also participates in the "Bark Ranger" program for dogs.
This campground is one of three main campgrounds in the park, and has a Campground store as well as nearby cafe featuring variety of sandwiches, soups and desserts, including local blackberry ice cream! So you will be well-provided for. There is a maze of trails around the campground itself, and just down the Skyline Parkway is access to the Big Run trail network, which provides great birding, hiking, and fishing
Even in the campground among many campers, there is great access to the Dark sky which is great for stargazing. Ranger programs in the campground feature this and other nature programs. From the campground there is easy access to myriad scenic overlooks along Skyline Drive in both directions. There is a fairly long drive to get to the north end of the park at Big Meadows which is the northernmost campground and where the NPS Visitor center is. The scenic drive but you do have to double back a long way to get back to Loft campground.
Make reservations well ahead of time! Most sites need to be reserved, a few available for same day. Campground fills up early in the day. Tent campers are more likely to get a spot. We got the last site of the day. It had a good drive in for a couple cars, but the tent pad was pretty small. There was a picnic table and fire ring, but the campsite itself was a little overgrown and in need of maintenance. The bathrooms were in need of some cleaning too; usually the National Park Service is good about this, but the park was short staffed and so things were a little rough around the edges. As such, although I would rank the park as a 5, the quality of the campground was only so-so, and overall I ranked the camping experience a 4 because of this
Alex G.
ScoutSwitzer Lake Dispersed Camping
Lots of Campsites Available
Switzer lake has a lot of campsites to choose from, however this is a popular destination so I would recommend securing a site as early as possible. Due to the conditions of the road I would not recommend taking a car with a low clearance. Preferably a car with at least AWD is recommended. As others have pointed out some sites get trashed by ne’er-do-wells, but besides that it's a very beautiful area.
- RRic M.
RangerBear Heaven Campground
Not very dispersed, but lovely
One of the advantages of this particular campground is that it's not far from the town of Elkins, so you can go back into town if you don't feel like campsite cooking— lots of good restaurants and entertainment opportunities in Elkins.
While this is truly primitive camping, you are not so primitive that you need to dig a hole to go to the bathroom— they do have porta-potty's. It's also noteworthy that this is likely not available year-round. The road becomes impassable in winter when there is a lot of snow, and they start maintaining it, often even blocking the road with gates during the winter. Understandable but unfortunate, since it is beautiful added is not always snowing even in winter, right?
The campground is not free but also not very expensive. I think the senior citizens price is under five dollars, or at least it was when I camped there a couple years ago(2023). The sites themselves are first-come first-served, the kind of camping ground where you simply go back up to the entranceway to fill out a form and state where you are and make the payment in a box. While the campground is at a fairly high altitude, most of the sites don't have expansive views, and I think only a couple of the sites even have an expansive view down below. But that's okay if you are into wooded views, because there's plenty of that all around, and even a small rock climbing area for you and your kids to scramble on the rocks.
Guide to Basye
The camping areas surrounding Basye, Virginia sit at elevations between 800 and 3,000 feet, creating distinct temperature variations across different sites. Summer overnight temperatures often drop into the 50s at higher elevation campgrounds, while valley sites maintain warmer conditions. The region experiences notably different rainfall patterns based on elevation, with higher sites seeing approximately 15-20% more precipitation annually than valley locations.
What to do
Hiking to scenic overlooks: At Shenandoah River State Park, numerous trails lead to viewpoints above the river. "There are several rustic campsites located on the Southfork of the Shenandoah River, as well as modern electric sites, RV sites, and cabins. Tons of trails, wildlife and activities in and near the park," notes a camper in their review.
Explore local caverns: The Endless Caverns RV Resort offers direct access to cave tours. "The Endless Caverns actually adjoin the office welcome center and tours are offered multiple times daily. It would be tough for arthritic knees… but we really enjoyed the raw nature of the caverns," explains a reviewer.
Mountain biking on forest trails: Many campgrounds provide trail access. A camper at Harrisonburg KOA mentions, "Backs up to a great hike. Close to Harrisonburg with all the great breweries! Eat at Golden Pony. There's great hiking nearby."
Wildlife photography: The area has diverse animal viewing opportunities. "We saw many deer and bear while camping. Just being in Shenandoah is a soothing experience," reports a camper at Big Meadows.
What campers like
Natural water features: Wolf Gap Recreation Area campers appreciate the access to streams. "This campsite is by far one of my favorite free campsites that Virginia has to offer. what makes Wolf Gap so speacial is the the 4 mile hike that leads to a rocky overlook of the valley," shares one visitor.
Dark skies for stargazing: Higher elevation sites offer exceptional night sky viewing. "When I visited it was on a weekday and while there were some people staying on the RV side I had the tent area to myself, it was quiet at night in my little corner of camp and I could walk out a bit from my site and see the entire night sky which was amazing!" reports a Luray KOA visitor.
Privacy between campsites: Trout Pond Recreation Area offers more secluded camping. "We hiked around Rock Cliff Lake and observed petrified wood. Swimming is excellent with sand beach. Big catfish in clear water. Water was so clean that it was throbbing with anfreshwater jellyfish. Very clean campground."
Campground cleanliness: Multiple campgrounds maintain high standards. "The bathhouse was fully tiled and very clean. The office offers ice, firewood, and a gift store with a few RV components," notes a camper at Endless Caverns RV Resort.
What you should know
Winter closures: Many forest service campsites close seasonally. "The area closes completely (entrance gate is locked) from Dec 21 - May 1," reports a camper at Trout Pond Recreation Area.
Road conditions: Several campgrounds require caution when accessing. "The roads are paved and the little one toilet hole bathroom is helpful. Bring plenty of water and everything you need/want," advises a Wolf Gap visitor.
Reservation systems: Different campsites handle bookings differently. "This was a great midweek site. The reservation board is straightforward, the history of the campground is interesting, and the trail access is excellent," explains a Wolf Gap camper.
Cell coverage limitations: Big Meadows Campground and others have limited connectivity. "No cell service. We went to the visitor center and connected to the WiFi if we needed to do something online. The camp store has a lot of stuff!"
Weather unpredictability: Mountain conditions change rapidly. "We camped here the last night of the season (Nov30) and shared the campground with a mix of tent campers, car/van campers, and a few larger units. It was an especially cold night hitting a low of 14F."
Tips for camping with families
Kid-friendly activities: Jellystone Park Luray focuses on family amenities. "We stayed here for 3 nights in August for our little guy's 8th birthday. It was perfect for kids! The kids loved running off in the open field and playing on the zip line. We loved that we could see them from our site."
Educational ranger programs: National Park campgrounds offer learning opportunities. "Nice amphitheater with interesting ranger programs. Busy traffic in park but nice trails are accessible from campground," mentions a Big Meadows camper.
Wildlife viewing opportunities: Children enjoy animal encounters. "Though this campground is HUGE, the sites are not piled on top of each other. You will definitely see deer in the campground as they walk through and browse the understory. They are unafraid of humans unless directly approached."
Swimming locations: Several campgrounds feature water access. "Swimming is excellent with sand beach. Big catfish in clear water," notes a Trout Pond Recreation Area visitor.
Tips from RVers
Site leveling challenges: Some of the best places to camp near Basye, Virginia require preparation. "Sites are mostly level, requiring only minor adjustments. Nestled in nature, lined by trees with a steam running behind us," reports an Endless Caverns visitor.
RV site selection: Creekside Campground requires careful site choice. "I paid $50/night for Back-in Creekview FHU Site#20. Once I was able to negotiate a few big trees, the site was plenty roomy and right on the water. Lots of ducks wandering around kept us entertained."
Navigation considerations: Mountain roads present challenges. "We were pulling a 15' trailer and could only access the sites from driving reverse along the one way road. The trailer barely fit the back-in site and we were able to detach and park our vehicle perpendicular to the trailer," explains a visitor at Trout Pond.
Hookup availability: Electric limitations exist at some sites. "There are only 8 or 9 camp spots, each with a leveled area for a tent and a designated fire pit. There was a notice saying wood was for sale, but didn't say where," notes a Wolf Gap camper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find cabin rentals in Basye, VA?
Where can I find cabin rentals in Basye, VA?
Basye offers several cabin rental options in the surrounding area. Endless Caverns RV Resort & Cottages provides beautiful stone-bordered cottages with full amenities in a wooded setting. Their cottages feature stone fire pits and are well-maintained. Another excellent option is Spacious Skies Shenandoah Views, which offers cabin accommodations alongside stunning mountain views and access to amenities like a swimming pool, dog park, and farm animal viewing. For those seeking cabin rentals, be sure to book in advance, especially during peak seasons, as these popular accommodations fill quickly.
What's the best time of year to visit Basye for camping?
What's the best time of year to visit Basye for camping?
The ideal time to visit Basye for camping is late spring through early fall (May to October). Canaan Valley Resort State Park Campground in the region experiences its best weather during summer months, with comfortable temperatures perfect for outdoor activities. Fall brings spectacular foliage, especially in September and October when the mountains display vibrant colors. For those who prefer fewer crowds, consider visiting Mathews Arm Campground — Shenandoah National Park in late May or early September when the weather is mild but the summer crowds have thinned. Be aware that some campgrounds in the region close during winter months, and mountain roads can become difficult to navigate during snowy conditions.
What outdoor activities are available in Basye, Virginia?
What outdoor activities are available in Basye, Virginia?
Basye, Virginia offers an abundance of outdoor activities year-round. The area provides excellent hiking opportunities, with nearby Loft Mountain Campground — Shenandoah National Park offering access to numerous trails with varying difficulty levels. For water activities, check out Seneca Shadows, which is near some of the most beautiful landscapes in the region with opportunities for fishing and paddling. The Basye area is also popular for wildlife viewing, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Winter brings excellent skiing opportunities at nearby Bryce Resort, while summer activities include golfing, zip-lining, and exploring local caverns.
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