Best Campgrounds near Blue Grass, VA

We found this campsite well-maintained and just as it is described on the Dyrt booking website. There’s no running water or facilities but as long as you come prepared it’s an easy one or two night campsite. It’s super close (only an hour drive) to Shenandoah NP! Host is super responsive to questions/concerns that arise but it’s not necessary to communicate with them if you prefer the privacy. The site is located off of a road in a quiet neighborhood. Not very well marked but if you follow the directions after booking you’ll find it no problem. The houses as well as the road in the vacinity produce noise but nothing out of the ordinary. We hiked up the hill that the site is on the base of which was a fun excuse to explore/stretch our legs and watched the sunset from up there. Great little spot for our 2p tent! Anything bigger might be a tighter squeeze but you could probably manage with some creativity.

KOAs have a standard formula that you can count on: clean, full RV hookups, easy in and out etc. This one has all that - and more! One of the features I look for in campground is hiking trails right out of the campground. Most KOAs don’t have that - but this one does! Great hiking trail info the hills and woods at the back of the property. Gave me and my pups a chance to run, walk & stretch. Also, many KOAs are right near highways or big roads. Not this one. It’s about 3 miles off highest 81, and no highway noise at all. So peaceful. We will return!

I camped out there for 5 days in my tent, which included a Friday and Saturday night. During the weekdays, it was quiet and lovely. Sure, the occasional dog barking, though typically from a distant farm.

But then came the weekend crowd .... It immediately became a very unpleasant experience. In spite of the posted rules about the number of vehicles/people per site, and in spite of the rules about being quiet after a certain reasonable hour (I can't remember if it said 9 PM or 10 PM), the place turned into party central with one of the sites within 50 feet of my own campsite suddenly blasting music, lots of loud yelling and laughter, at least 6 vehicles. Even with earplugs, I could not make it quiet enough to sleep.

What annoyed me is that there is in fact an on-site camp host who surely would have heard the same unruly volume, but did nothing to tell them to stop or be quiet or even to disperse since they were above the limit per campsite. 

So if I ever return here, I will NEVER do so on a weekend. The spots are just too close together if the camp host isn't going to do anything about party-central campers.

We strolled up the mountain in our 39ft skoolie. It snowed and we had a really good time!

Every year we my family does a "friends and family" camping trip.  We always try to stay somewhere where there are a lot of activities and the campsites are spaced far apart.  (My family tends to be loud).   Jess Judy fits this build.

We have camped at Jess Judy at least a half dozen times and I aways enjoy it.  We normally go in August so that we can swim, fish, hike, go tubing, rock climbing or just go exploring.  Our last trip was in late September and even though it rained the entire time, it was still a nice trip.  

Jess Judy is:

Remote - Jess Judy is in the middle of nowhere, in order to get to the campsites you have to drive 3 miles down a gravel road that tends to wash out into the river.   In addition to the access road, there is no cell service with in a 20 min drive.

Small - Jess Judy only has 3 group camp sites and there isn't too much separating them from each other. 

Primitive Sites - Jess Judy doesn't offer any running water, or other amenities besides two latrines that may or may not be clean.  Be prepared to bring in all of you water and be ready to clean a latrine. 

Tent Camping Only - Jess Judy only offers tent camping for groups, works for us but not for everyone.

Lots of Activities - Jess Judy offers a lot of outdoor activities including fishing, hiking, kayaking, rafting, river swimming, star gazing, rock climbing, etc.

In short, we love Jess Judy, but I know that it really isn't for most people.

There are numerous disbursed camping sites at this location. We arrived on a Sunday and found all the sites near the vaulted toilet empty.

The campsites are boarded by boulders. The toilet was one of the cleanest I have seen. Most sites have good shade while still open to the sky.

Sites are level and have good back-in driveways. Fire rings are large. We removed lots of trash from our fire ring, mostly aluminum cans.

My Rv sustained damage from a tree. The staff were awesome but the owner wasn’t. She wouldn’t even acknowledge me or say how sorry she was. Then she had me assigned to the worst site in the park. I have never been treated so terribly. She was only interested in her revenue and not the people.

That's the best way to describe this park. It has the primitive feel, campsites are in the natural woods as opposed to a pristine tent pad. I love how open and natural it feels.

However, the plus is that there are lots of little amentities, a coffee pavilion, wood to buy, portapots, and an incredibly kind "staff." I'm mobility impaired and it was just my dog and I. The guys were super helpful bringing the wheelbarrow of wood to me, which would have been difficult for me.

The river is beautiful, but you do have to go down a bit of an incline to get there. On the beach there are rafts, paddleboats, chairs, and across the river there is a ladder to climb up on the rocks.

The property was clean and quiet other than the occasional diesel truck going down the road.

It was dead when we arrived; only saw two other vehicles. Very quiet and secluded. Easy to navigate and find a spot.

Very quiet, beautiful views, amazing drive from VA. Multiple campsites and they all have beautiful views. I have T-Mobile and had signal only by the first campsite for some reason. I had no signal for almost two hours heading towards VA.

The resort is beautiful. Pulling up and checking in, a host takes you to your site. Sites are spacious and there's lots to do! We loved our site because we are the only one on the right side of the hill. I did not get any info email though which I had to contact about. Other than that, everything was great. Drove around the campground to see which other sites I would like to try and get! I def would return.

I liked this campground -- most RV sites have electric, and water fill stations are easily accessible.  Sites weren't too close together, and they were clean and well kept.  Staff was also quite friendly and available.  Note:  It's in a valley, so there's no cell service.  The wash houses have wi-fi, but it's not great and you have to be either in the building or sitting at the bench outside to use it.

Clean, comfortable campground with spacious sites. Some of the sites are very private, others are a little less. Some have bear boxes and some are a lot closer to bath house than others. There is a large overflow lot available and set up for campers. However, we went on a Monday night and only shared the campground with 4 other groups of campers. Hosts are on site and both friendly and informative. Hiking trails nearby and some start at campground. Lake is low but still good for swimming or floating. We had a very peaceful night, even with the rain. Recommend!

I’ve stayed here at least a dozen times over the years. Nice sites for tent camping. Clear skies and a decent bathhouse.

This was our first KOA experience. I liked the pool, camp shop, and proximity to Massanutten water park. I also liked the size of site.

My wife didn’t care for the lack of grass (mostly gravel) or the guy who took us to site that worked there talking over her when she was helping me back in.

Most people know this but if a couple is backing in just let them figure it out.

Other than price and backing in annoyance, I thought it was good place and would go back.