Best Dispersed Camping near Charlottesville, VA

Nice camping spots on the pedlar river in Amherst county. Multiple spots along reservoir rd.

The James River WMA is primarily used by hunters and fishermen throughout the year. However, one of the benefits of this place is that it is also open to dispersed campers! You simply need to purchase either a daily or annual access pass from the DWR website and then report which days you will be staying at the WMA--it's currently $23 for the annual pass.

After turning onto Midway Mills Lane from the northern end (route 626), there is a gravel access road about .5 miles down the road that is well-maintained. It almost immediately opens up into an open field where large rigs of any size can fit. There is another site further down the road, but it is smaller and primarily used for truck campers and tents.

This is where we stay any time I need to work in-office down in Lynchburg, VA. It is 20 minutes from the closest grocery store (Food Lion), liquor store, gas station, and propane supplier (Foster Fuels).

I had great T-Mobile service, but no ATT service--even with a powerful LTE antenna. I do not have Verizon so I cannot comment on their service.

This isn't a campsite for the best "scenery" or anything (though it is pretty in the morning), but it is quiet (you might sometimes hear dogs or gunshots from hunters who are near the water-fowl impoundment at the very end of the road by the river), secluded, and convenient. If you need a place in central Virginia to camp for (almost) free, this is it.

I brought my boys out to camp this past weekend, and this place was perfect for our first dispersed campsite experience. The day use area is close enough to use the bathroom (just an open pit toilet, nothing fancy). The pond is stocked with trout, so small groups of fisherpeople came and went. In spite of it being a weekend, we were one of two occupied sites. There are fire rings, firewood, and enough room to pull in, pitch a large tent, (ours was a 10-person) and hang hammocks. There are also trails along the pond’s edge. we didn’t explore too in depth, so there may be more hiking available. Though you can’t swim in the lake, we did wade the stream, which was cold and clear and beautiful. We’ll be back!

The views from atop Spy Rock are some of the best in Virginia, and the campsite is one of my favorites. You hike in and there is a decent sized area to set up tents. There are few amenities, but a few fire pits, etc. I've heard it can get pretty crowded, but it was not when I was there in October of 2015. Scramble up to the top for amazing sunsets and sunrises.

A little research ahead of time can help, as well. You can hike from Crabtree Falls, which is longer, but alternatively, you can park at the Fish Hatchery in Montebello and make a much shorter hike to Spy Rock, a quick (though admittedly steep) 1.5 miles. There seems to be an occasional debate about whether the trail that connects the fish hatchery road to the Spy Rock trail is open, as it passes through private property, but last I check it WAS.

This a US Forest Service site. Campsite is primitive: no facilities aside from vault toilets. Bring water treatment system. Site itself is mostly good for fishing but tons of other good hiking in the area.

In terms of free sites, i havent had trouble dealing with the grounds being busy like i have in WV. I've only visited here twice. We had an issue with a tick or two, but otherwise it was comfortable and well placed primitive spot.

we went on a Tuesday night and we were the only people there and got the best spot right next to the creek. it’s free and you are allowed to camp unknown. they already had large logs for fire prepared and the site was clean, we love this spot and will definitely be coming back. there’s bathrooms in the picnic area and it’s easy to access.

We took our conversion van and had no problems parking and pulling through to turn around when we left. Plenty of places to park or set up a tent along the road or at the end near the bathrooms and information center. A few nice hikes, and plenty of privacy. We did have to clean up after the last campers in our spot though, but other than that it was well taken care of

Sites had plenty of space with fire rings built out of rocks. Loved exploring the area and pond. Pond had a lot of trash along the shoreline and vault toilet was rather full. Otherwise, a great place for a night of camping.

This place makes it seem as if youre alone

Stayed here during the week and we were alone. Picnic/ pit toilet area separate from the camping area. Two things to note: this area is fairly low, and the road snd sites can easily be soaked, if not underwater after really heavy rains; there is no cell signal here (at least with Verizon as of 3/2020). Perfect for hammock camping. No fire rings just rocks others have arranged, plenty of hiking trails around as well.

the pond has a great little trail you can walk around and at night the stars are gorgeous. the water is also stocked with fish!

First come first served, no host, no plumbing, no electricity, no cell or data signal. No fees, no check-in. Great place to leave behind civilization. Pond is stocked with trout in season, check DGIF site for dates.

I was the only one here on a Saturday night. Very quiet and it was great to have the place to myself. I took advantage of the trails in the morning. It was pretty muddy even though it was in the low 30s so wear applicable footwear. The stars were amazing! There was plenty of wood scattered about to use as firewood.

Only stayed one night due to complications with my cooking stove, but I'll be back.

Went in August and it was very buggy, also had someone park pretty close which when I drive down a really long dirt road that is questionable for my van, i want it to be private and this was about 5 miles of dirt road to get to it.