Best RV Parks & Resorts near Big Island, VA

Many of the very best sites are seasonal but there is still good sites on 1st come 1st choice basis make resv. On line at thousand trails staff is very good and helpful.

We stayed here several times in an RV.  Short-term sites are in the very front but you do have to take a circuitous route through the campground to get back to that area after checking in.  Many long-term sites (lots of weekenders) around the lake and up in the hilly area.  Short-term sites are electric and water only but there is a free dump station down in the back. There is a pool and they also sell propane.  Due to the COVID rules their pool may not be open 2020.  Friendly staff and very quiet for overnighters.  Easy access from I-85.  Not sure about tenting as were RV only.  Definitely worth a visit and highly recommended.

They used to be a KOA but dropped their membership last year because some of KOAs rulesjust didn't make sense for them.

The campground is small and well-kept. It has an incredibly chill and laid-back vibe.

You are a quick walk to the brewery and café, where you can grab breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is nice and dark at the campground, so great for star watching. 

There are several small walking paths throughout the property. 

It is very pet friendly. 

It is very quick drive to lots of hiking, including the Appalachian Trail. 

You are also a stone’s throw away from a ton of other really great breweries and wineries. I highly recommend visiting Blue Mountain Brewery and Bold Rock cidery during tour stay for some great food and beverage.

Cell service and wi-fi are spotty at best, but what do you expect? You are in the middle of the mountains. 

Each full hook up site has a picnic table and fire ring. Fire wood available for purchase.

*Warning, if you stay at a full hook up site and are parked in an odd number spot, you will need an extra long sewer hose to reach the connection. For example, we have a small travel trailer and we needed a 30 foot hose. The sewer connection for the odd number sites is on the opposite side of the RV than the electricity and water. The good news is that in a pinch, and your sewer hose does not fit, they do have a dump station on site.

Misty Mountain offers something for everyone - spacious, level well-maintained full hook up sites that can accommodate any size trailer or RV, more rustic tent camping sites, quiet creekside camper sites with electric and water, and both modern and rustic cabins. The camp store is well stocked and even offers a very nice wine selection, plus local canned salsa, spaghetti sauce, and pie! There are many amenities for families - a huge bouncy mat, a fishing pond, playground, large group campfire, sports area, and a nice rec room. They have free donuts and coffee on Sundays, and special events many Saturdays. The shower and laundry facility is very new with modern, clean amenities. The showers are private suites and are large and nice enough that some people with showers in their campers still choose to use the camp ones instead. The site areas closest to the camp store and recreation area are the nicest - the RV sites up the hill by the cabins are smaller and closer together. The whole facility is very well maintained and the camp hosts live on site.

Pros: this campground is fairly quiet (at least when I visited in fall), and has nice amenities including free hot showers.

Cons: they definitely cater to RVs. They have a primitive tent area, but it only has a vault toilet. The bathhouses (with showers and flush toilets) are all located in the loops with full hook up sites; I would expect if you had to choose to put facilities in one area over another, the tent area would make more sense since RVs have their own toilets and showers on board.

Given the chance, I probably wouldn't stay here again unless I was passing through.

Devils Backbone Brewery and Basecamp is amazing! This a great concept to put a nice campground right at a brewery/restaurant. 

The campground is only about a year old and has nice variety of sites. Full hook-up sites are all pull through, large, and flat. The tent sites are large and situated in the tree line for added shade. The bathhouse is one of the nicest we’ve ever visited. There is no wifi and limited cell phone service at the sites, but wifi is available at the main brewery compound. While we loved this campground and can’t wait to return, the one drawback that may take some planning is the hookup situation. There is a tower between two sites with water and electric and depending on the way you pull through the sewer hookup could be on the other side of the rig. This could be an inconvenience if your hoses are not long enough to reach under your rig to the hookups. The even numbered sites appear to be the best with all hookups on one side. 

One of the best parts of this campground is you can just walk to the main compound, which houses the brewery restaurant, distillery, two outdoor bars, fire pits and fire places, and chairs/seating. This area was amazing and nice to eat, drink, and relax. There is also a large stage area for the bands that regularly play. The food and drink were very good and reasonably priced. The price of the campground site was only$55 per night for full hook-ups within walking distance to the main area! 

Additionally, the campground is a prime location for exploring the other numerous wineries, cideries, and breweries in the area. We loved Devil’s Backbone and can’t wait to return!

Important RV directions!
DO NOT follow your gps. There are signs that actually say “gps navigation not recommended”. There are sharp turns, steep (15%) grades and low, narrow overpasses. Best entry is to take 64 to 151 south, then turn in Beach Grove Rd.

Newish campground.  22 ( I believe) full hook up sites, lots of tent sites.  You can walk to the brewery.  

Devils Backbone picks up hikers on the AT, brings them in for free camping and showers, also offers a hikers breakfast.  Your bar mate may be a little rank but they have some stories,

Stopped in for a quick overnight stay. Our site was a full hook up pull through which was decent sized and did not feel cramped. We were able to stay connected to our tow vehicle as the site was long enough to do so. The park had a clean pool and very welcoming staff. We wish we were able to stay longer to take in the sights as it is in a great location.

This campground is really new but is well run. The sites are new, clean and fairly level. The power posts are shared between two campers so that took a few folks by surprise. You do have to think about which way you want to pull in in order to accommodate full hook up needs. The brewery is an easy walk and the food and brew are good. The AT is near so hiking is abundant. One of the negatives is that it is not clear where the campground is in relation to the brewery. When you do locate the entrance, it has a tall stone entry that is barely wide enough for big rigs. Most folks had to pull both mirrors in to get through. We loved it there and met some really neat folks. Very peaceful.

**Campground Review: **

Devil’s Backbone Camp is a unique outdoor retreat that includes a campground at a large brewery complex. This was the best of both worlds, because we are beer enthusiast and avid campers. The campground includes 75 sites split between primitive tent sites, non-electric RV sites, and full hookup RV sites. All site types included a picnic table and fire ring. Check in for all camping is at the brewpub. I’ve included a picture of the map in my pictures for you to get a better understanding of the layout. 

We stayed on site 4 on this visit, which was a full hook up site. All the full hook up sites are pull thru and in an open field so limited shade. The hookups in this area where different than I have ever experienced as the hookups were shared between two sites. If you were on an even number site, this was no problem. However, if you were on an odd number site, you either had to hope you had the length on your water and power lines to run to the opposite side of your rig or you had to pull into the site the opposite way to get the connections on the standards side of your rig. The non-electric sites were back in and had a little more shade. The tent sites were in the woods so full shade. 

The camp is also just miles from the Appalachian Trail, so they provide a free shuttle to the camp, as well as group tent area for registered AT thru-hikers. 

There is single bathhouse in the camp area that is near the tent area and a good walk from both the RV areas. The bathhouse was clean and functional. 

Firewood is available at the camp host.

A short walk through the tent area brought you to the large brewery area. This area includes a brewpub, large outdoor seating area with fire pits and an outdoor stage, a distillery, cigar and cocktail lounge, an additional outdoor bar and grille, a breakfast building with craft coffee, and a gift shop. They also have their own green house to grow vegetables and source local farms for ingredients that they use in their brewpub kitchen and grille. 

The property also included two large cabins to rent and two hiking trails (one 3km and another 5km). 

We found good cell phone service with Verizon throughout the property. The camp area did have Wi-Fi, but it was a little bogged down on this Fourth of July stay (full campground). 

While we camped, we also had the opportunity to check out a few of the local attractions. Being at the base of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest, there are many outdoor activities to take advantage of. We hiked to Humpback Rocks which is a decent climb, so be prepared, but once you summit, the views are amazing. The area around the camp also had many other breweries, ciderys, wineries, and distilleries. One cidery is right across the street from the campground, was fun to visit, and has lots of outdoor seating. We did enjoy our visit here and do recommend this campground. 

The main reasoning for the 4-star rating instead of a 5-star is due to the single bathhouse that is a good walk from the RV areas and the very unique water and power hookups in the full hookup area.

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**Product Review: **

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At this campground, I tested the Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier. The variety pack from Liquid I.V.  includes powder packs in the flavors of lemon lime, acai berry, and passion fruit. The packets are very easy to use (just mix one packet with 16 ounces of water) and are small enough to pack in your backpack, purse, or even your pocket so you have it with you when you want to use it. With the hydration multiplier, drinking one 16-ounce bottle of water is equivalent to drinking three bottles of water. I found that I enjoyed all three of the flavors in the variety pack. I am not a big regular water drinker, but having a little flavor made me drink the water quicker and more frequently. Having this while hiking in the area and after enjoying the large selection of adult beverages in the area made me feel rejuvenated and ready to get out and see more of the area.

We stopped here overnight on a trip from Chicago to Virginia Beach. We had reserved a pull through but were just short in length and had to disconnect the tow vehicle for the night. They had longer sites so if this is important I would discuss when making reservation.  Site size was decent and definitely not on top of our neighbors giving us some space to enjoy. Campsite hosts were very friendly and recommended a swimming hole just a few miles down the road on the Blue Ridge Parkway that locals go swimming. Some nice amenities for the kids included jumping pad, nice park, pool and a few table games. Campground was quiet at night and we enjoyed a nice fire that evening. We found some time to drive the parkway. We did not think we would be able to squeeze it into the visit but it’s hard to pass up and they are literally right next to it. We did not get a chance to check showers or bathhouse as we had full hook ups and showered in our trailer. I would definitely recommend this campground and would stay again

We enjoy our visits to Misty Mountain. While close to home, it's like a mini-vacation when we're interested in swimming, playing pool, or participating in special events. We always stay on top of the hill where it's generally less crowded. Sites # 49 and # 50 are next to the woods (a bit more private), though it's a longer walk to the bathroom.

We're usually in the smallest trailer in the campground, as there are numerous motor homes and large trailers here. Water/electric hookups are sufficient for us, though many sites offer full hookups. We especially enjoy staying mid-week when it's less crowded.

While more privacy in the lower section of the campground would be nice, I think many people stay here for the amenities on site (pool, game room, playground, small fishing pond, etc.), as well as being close to all the vineyards, breweries, and historical attractions within a 10-15 mile drive.

Bathrooms are always clean, staff is always helpful.

When this is the type of "camping" we want to do, we always have fun!

Very clean reasonably priced park. $42 full hookups Friendly helpful staff. Seasonal weekend activities. Some seasonal campers. Playground swimming pool very pet friendly.

We stayed in a Pull Through, Full Hookup site on the hillside. It was surprisingly very level. We just used this as a base for visiting Natural Bridge State Park, so it was only an overnighter. The bathrooms & private showers were amazing & clean. The laundry room looked just as nice, but we didn’t use it.
We didn’t use the pool, but the kids enjoyed the Gameroom! Of everything we used there, the only thing to mention that was dirty was the game room. But I’ll take that, we were very impressed with the playground, dog park & they even had chickens & a petting farm upon entry.
This KOA seriously restored my faith in KOA’s. I will renew our membership, (which is about to expire), based on this visit. There are great ones out there!

Located within minutes of I81. We stopped for 2 nights to see the Shenandoah National Park on our way to NC. Called last minute and got a site. Very nice customer service. Grounds were very well kept. Our site 112 had water, 50amp and cable. Dump station on premises. Nice dog park for our fur babies and doggie duty stations with bags in several locations throughout the park. Also had a cute playground for kiddos. Didn't use the pool so can't comment. A little highway noise but when windows and door were closed couldn't hear a thing. We'd stay here again. They honor Good Sam discount. Paid $38 with discount.

PRO 

Good Sam Club discount saved $10.60 

Reserved 138 days prior to arrival 

Very friendly check-in staff 

Entrances exit gates controlled with key card given to registered campers with return box at the gate 

Shady site 

Gravel site surrounded by grass with a concrete patio 

Moveable wooden picnic table 

Concrete pavers with metal wheel rim insert for the campsite fire ring 

Clean toilet/shower building 

Mostly quiet except for road noise and distant train whistles 

2 laundry facilities;$3 wash and$2.75 dry 

Lake and a pool! 

Appomattox Court House National Historical Park 10 miles from Park

CONS 

Horribly low water pressure. Staff reported park has only well water not city provided water so only 35 psi.  We removed all our water filters to get slightly better pressure 

Park WiFi out of order to be repaired in June according to staff 

Site unlevel side-to-side 

Pull-thru site too short to leave tow vehicle hitched 

One of the laundry buildings locked the entire 2 days we were here 

Most sites occupied by seasonal campers so many not at their sites during the week 

No privacy from neighbor sites 

Absolutely no TV reception 

2 bars Verizon

We've stayed here several times, most recently in June 2019.  Large, level sites with electric hookups.  Potable water is available at various spigots around the campground loops as well as on your way in (to fill up your fresh water tank).  Cell service is very limited, though this time I had intermittent service (for texting) with AT&T 4G.

Only C loop allows you to make site-specific reservations, and these fill up quickly.  B loop is first come-first served, but that is often full, too.  We're close enough (25 miles) that we'll sometimes drive over to claim a site in B loop then drive home to get our trailer.  Wish there was a better system re: reservations!

But the lake is nice, bathhouses are clean, and we always enjoy being at Sherando--when we can get a site!

More pics and information about Sherando Lake Campground is on my blog:

http://www.art-rageous.net/artrageousblog/?p=4311