Best RV Parks & Resorts near Chatham, VA

Peaks of Otter, T Loop: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer) Overall Rating: 4.5. notes are for the T Loop ONLY Price: $15 with senior pass Usage during visit: very low during our 6 week nights Site Privacy: Most sites have some privacy. More notes below Site Spacing: Most are pretty good. Study the campground map. You will see a few sites are on top of each other. I note these with a negative mark on my map included in photos. Site surface: Blacktop Reservations: Yes. Some sites are first come, first serve. Campground Noise: Very quiet. Road Noise: Lower T loop is near the road going to Bedford. Traffic is sporadic. The noise, when there is traffic, is significant but only occasional. No commercial traffic is allowed.
Through Traffic in campground: None Electricity: No Water: Scattered spigots and fill station available at dump station. Sewer: No Dump: Yes Generators: Allowed Bathroom: Flush toilets and sinks are kept clean. Showers: No Pull Throughs: And Pull Overs(No island between trailer and campground traffic.) Cell Service (AT&T). Sporadic, with 1 or 2 bars. Lodge nearby has service Setting: Deciduous Forest. Weather: Mostly cloudy. One day of slight humidity.
Bugs: Mosquitoes are just beginning. Animals: Bears, just don’t leave trash etc. out , Filter solids from dishwater.
Solar: For fixed roof, not adequate.
Host: Around and nice. Firewood: On ground.
Rig size: Some 35’ trailers/RVs in pull throughs.
Sites: See my notes on the map included in my pictures. -means not private -* means Too close to & can see the Bedford road. T means significantly terraced site Circle A means is on my favorites list Circle B means still good PO means a pull over site PT means a pull through site (has an island separating from traffic. (Almost all sites are at least a bit of a hill to get to the picnic table from the trailer. )

We stayed in site #7, in the trailer loop. It was a pull-through site with an additional area containing a picnic table and fire ring, accessible via a small set of steps up the hill. The whole campground is kind of “carved” out of the mountain, and is therefore quite terraced in appearance, so a lot of sites had a similar setup to ours (as in, a lower pull-through space for trailer and TV plus an upper “walk-up” area). I hadn’t seen anything like it before, and I thought it was really neat. The setting was heavily wooded, so the shade combined with the higher elevation made for a very cool, pleasant retreat from the July heat.

Facilities/Overall Park: Bath house was decent. On the ladies’ side, there were three flush toilets, two sinks with cold water only, and no soap. Was pretty old, but reasonably clean and adequate for our needs, since we were just passing through for one night. The CG as a whole looked kind of overgrown and neglected, but for some reason that added to its charm for me. The overgrowth made everything look extra green and lush, and I really like the heavily forested, secluded feel.

Surrounding Area/Attractions: The Peaks of Otter area seems to be a pretty popular destination on the Blue Ridge Parkway. There is a nice-looking lodge and restaurant on the (gorgeous) lake right around the corner from the campground, as well as an NPS visitor center, hiking trails, and a shuttle bus service that takes you to the top of one of the three peaks for which the area is named. We didn’t partake in any of these activities, since we were just passing through on our way down to the Smokies, but it would have been nice to explore a bit more.

Overall, I felt this was a very pretty, peaceful, and perfectly serviceable campground for an overnight stop, and would make a nice weekend destination. Not sure there is enough going on in the area to keep one occupied for more than a few days, and I know I personally would need at least electric hookups and showers for any type of extended stay. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to return for a night or two!

I have to admit that it was an amazing campsite! Double decker with picnic table, lantern pole, and fire pit up stairs and over looking your paved campsite. We were walking distance to the dumpster and public bathroom ( no showers). It also offered no hookups which was fine, there was a dump station on site… The biggest downer for us was just getting to and leaving the site! RVLife took us up and down some insane switchbacks that were just not appropriate for anything larger than maybe 30ft tip to tail?? I wouldn’t advise staying here unless you’re a class B/C, pop up, or 20ft TT. Lodge is nice and has decent prices.

MY husband and I stayed two nights in a 1 bed efficiency CCC Cabin at Fairy Stone State Park for a short weekend away from the kids. We visited in December so it was pretty cold weather but the cabin was so cozy and comfortable! We loved having the fireplace! The cabins have a bathroom, shower, kitchen with sink, fridge, oven/stove, microwave, toaster, everything you need! They have heating and a/c as well. The cabin was built in the 1930s and is so charming! Loved everytihg about our experience here.

There is no cell service or internet/wifi at the cabins though so come prepared with something to do! We found it to be very relaxing to unplug!

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

Peaks of Otter campground was built on the side of the mountain, many sites are terraced.   Your RV is on one level and your picnic table and grill are on another. Some sites are pull through and others are back in.  Few are level.  Make sure and bring your leveling blocks with you. Our 23ft. trailer and truck just fit in site T44. Once you are all set up and find a space to fit in you are good to enjoy a very pretty and shady campground.  There are no hookups so be prepared.  We stayed in the T loop for trailers, it was just up over the hill from the main road, there was traffic noise until late in the evening and then started again in the early morning.  We enjoyed the hiking trail to the restored farm stead and walking around the lake at the lodge. This is a great place to stop on your trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

It was as little off the beaten path but the roads were good. All of the sites were wooded, the outside loop sites had more privacy since your door opened to the lake/woods. You have water and electric in the RV sites and I think there are more tent sites, dry sites, which can also be used for RV's than there are water and electric. Most of the tent sites are right along the lake. The RV sites tended to be higher and a little farther from the water but in sight. It seemed that most sites required a little help to get level. Bath house was fairly close and very clean. They have a couple of nice beach areas for playing abound in the water with picnic tables and fire pits nearby. Did want to mention that they provided 30 amp service vs the 20 amp shown here.

Stayed here for 2 nights, the location is wonderful, many sites front the lake, which could be rather cold, although they provide such lovely surroundings.  Waking up to sunrise over the water, as the cold air turned to mist over the warmer water was pretty spectacular. Each site was comfortable, we had a fire ring, picnic table, and a full hook-up, although water at each site was turned off (end of November), water was still available a few hundred feet away. The site volunteers were wonderful, former park rangers, bathrooms were very clean, firewood was available and there were dumpsters to leave our trash on the way out. This is a very family-friendly campground, there were a good deal of kids riding their bikes around at all hours, so if you are planning to sleep in, this may not be the spot.

We camped here during Thanksgiving. It's a county run campground so the employees were off during Thanksgiving so they gave us a key to the gate if we needed to leave when no-one was there. The campground is primarily designed for small campers but there are a few spots that would accommodate campers in the 40 foot range. Three are two loops, one for RVs and one for tent campers. The loop for RVs has a one way curvy road to the loop. The bathhouse isn't in the loop it is at the top of the hill. The site that is closest to the bathhouse is site 27 and it will accommodate large campers. The dump station isn't near the RV loop it is near the tent loop.