Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Bristol, VA

Quiet, secluded little gem in the woods! Sites and facilities are well kept and clean. Camp hosts are wonderful. Friendly and helpful! Lots to do while you're out here. Long way from Bristol, so don't forget anything.

Campground sites are a bit close together but it is well maintained and has friendly staff.  Wifi works well.  Nice dog park.

This campground was pristine - from the moment we turned the corner, until the moment we left!  

We met Kimberly within seconds of pulling on the property.  She was incredibly kind and made us feel at home immediately.  As tent campers, she told us our best choices were a 30 amp site on the river ($50) or a 30-amp site off the river ($44).  These prices are steep for tent camping, but include 2 adults, kids and pets.  Additional adults come with a fee, but we were happy the kids were included.  Not only were the pets included, but they have a dog park area that they can run free and stretch their legs!  

We came into the cute little office where Kimberly gave us a campground map (which was painted by a resident camper glass blower) and told us about her property. Several items were on sale inside the store, including many shirts, sweatshirts, hats, etc. They also sell kids fishing poles, stickers and even a fresh coffee cup machine.  They have recently renovated the bathhouse (wait until you see it!) they have a library with books and games, an outdoor sink to wash dishes etc. and even a laundry room that operates on the honor system.  How great is that!  I thought it was wonderful that we could wash a wet sleeping bag or a quick load of stinky hiking clothes if necessary!  Kimberly explained that they have a pretty good mix of short and long term campers (primarily RV's) and even a cute little cabin that can be rented.  

Kimberly said that they choose not to allow on-line bookings to maintain the atmosphere that they desire.  You can call, or submit a request, but they want to have a conversation with you before booking.  The campground was calm, friendly and so so clean.  Campers were friendly, the campground host was as kind as could be, and so proud about her new bathrooms.  (See below).  This is the kind of campground we would feel good about our kids biking around in the evening as they chase fire flies and meet new friends!  

The campground was located on the river, but the slope was challenging from several sites.  With kiddos, I may prefer a site closer to the road because it was nearly a flat walk out to the river.  We will surely be back!

Great campground! We are tent campers and loved our time here! There are A LOT of spots in a small area. That would be my only complaint if you want to call it that. The campgrounds clean and the owners are super nice and helpful. We have a dog and love the dog park! The bathrooms are very clean and nice! I would definitely recommend this campground!

I’m not even sure you can call this a campground! A majority of those staying here were in top of the line campers. It truly felt like a community. There are two bath houses, a dog park, an activity center, and a river flowing behind the sites. It was beautiful and had a cheery atmosphere. They even had WiFi! I was definitely spoiled here.

This was my third visit to the NTSP - I really enjoy the camping, and the pool and Natural Tunnel are great fun.  Each time I've camped in Lover's Leap, and all the sites are well spaced.  Have stayed in #3 and #5, and #12 which is even more private.  The restrooms and showers are always clean, and there is a nice laundry area as well.  This trip we took a car ride to Big Stone Gap, a thriving little town about 30 minutes north of the park - it's a nice quiet but interesting town, with a nice dog park.  Took a car ride to Gate City, south of the park - wouldn't recommend it.  It's a city on it's way down.  The short ride to the Blockhouse in the park is interesting, with nice views of the mountains.  The ride and hike up and down to the tunnel is always fun.  In the summers they light the tunnel one Saturday night each month, so it's worth trying to plan for that.

Mostly level gravel spots. Sites are close together. Block bathhouse that the spiders enjoy. Beautiful river. Lots of open space pets. This is very country setting. Friendly host.

There are 2 main campgrounds here for rvs and tents. Is it a nice safe place for families. Pets welcome. 30 and up a night with a good security faculty.

The views are spectacular, Camping with electric, water and showers was just a bonus to all the beauty around us and pet friendly. Great people all around and we felt so welcomed.

This was a heart site! Very well kept and clean! The owners were very friendly. Has a Dollar general for any last minute needs less than 1 mile away. Pet friendly!

Our site and bathhouse was clean. I just wish we had camped closer to the river. However it was rice to have a fire and just sit under the stars. Also they have a pole there to hold your pets while setting up. I think we will go back.

We have been staying at Mtn River for about 3 years now and it’s become ‘home away from home’. You have your choice of river or mountainside sites. We prefer the river sites personally for the views & fishing. 

The campground owners are fantastic people who’ve become friends. They live on site and take great pride in the property. The property is always impeccable. They are always working. Such a gorgeous place!! The pond is in the center of the property- yes you can fish(catch& release). 

Areas setup with hammocks, corn hole, seating, etc. The new playground has been a big hit! Oh, and there’s also a dog park area. 

The bathhouses are super clean and have air conditioning. The laundry room is brand new with great units and also A/C. 

They incorporated additional activities this year over at the pavilion which our family has loved! Bingo, tie-dye t-shirts, food trucks, live music, and more! Our grandson loves to join us. Lots of kids and a great area for them to all play. 

Tubing the river is always a fun treat! You can bring your own tubes or rent from the campground. 

The camp store has expanded and features a mix of items- t-shirts, hats, hoodies, koozies, and more. As well as local jams, rubs, and other treats. They’re in the process of building a new office/camp store so we’re excited to see this complete. 

We have a 40’ fifth wheel. No problems every getting in. They accommodate all size rigs. All sites have a concrete pad, fire pit and very nice large picnic table. Sites are spacious and do not feel cramped like we've experienced at other campgrounds. 

Wi-Fi is generally pretty good. We’ve been able to work remote on some of our trips. We even had phone service our last trip(AT&T)! 

Lots to do in the area! Hiking, Linville Winery(yum!), Linville Caverns, Grandfather Mtn and so many other great places. The office staff can certainly provide plenty of recommendations, too. 

There are 2 grocery stores in town about 15min away. There’s also a local dollar store about 5min away. 

We cannot say enough good things about MRFC. We’ve met some great campers there who we now call friends. We truly love this place and already have bookings for next year!

This is a park well worth a visit! Lots of hiking opportunities. Great views! The ponies are extra cute. Please respect the distance advice and don't feed them. We witnessed a lady attempting to pet the stallion of the herd, not respecting his signs to make her back off. Eventually HE will get into trouble for being protective of his herd, because of some disrespectful visitors. That is just dangerous and sad. As a general information: my photos of the ponies were all taken with a telephoto lens.

Great experience! I was car camping with my cat and found a great flat area to park at site #9. Hiking was very close by and the wild ponies were so cool! Camp hosts offered ice and firewood. Bathrooms were clean and had showers. We had a wonderful time.

Build by the Civilan Conservation Corps In the 1903s- Hungry Mother is state park planning its historical peak! The amenities cannot be missed - beach with bath house and snack bar, interpretive center with children’s activities, on-site restaurant with wonderful lake view, $8 kayak rentals, well-kept paddle boats, and wonderful hiking. We loved the kayaks - if you only have 1 hour, power right out of the boat slip (past the beach) up and around the far part of the lake. Utter solitude among the hills! 💗

For hiking, we especially enjoyed Lake Trail - easy but quiet and lovley vegetation. We stayed in one of the old CCC cabins (pups and cats allowed!), and while simple and rustic - it was perfectly maintained and clean. we hope to go back during fireplace season! The loss of one star is as due to the number of white supremacist bumper stickers, t-shirts, and tattoos in the day use parking lot and on the beach. We ended up not sticking around due to concerns about our safety - clearly a genderqueer same sex couple was not welcome news among the locals.

Our site is beautiful! But, we don't know the number. Miles from the State Park. Hungry Momma ain't too thrilled. People are hooked into our electric, because they blew their breakers. People walk their dogs through our site, because we pick up after our dogs.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog