Best Equestrian Camping near Chilhowie, VA

This is a group equestrian camp that can be reserved via Recreation.gov for$50/night for up to 25 people. There is no potable water available, so plan to bring your own. There is a stream at the site where the horses may drink. There's enough space for a number of trailers, including large ones, and up to 25 horses. There's a fair amount of grassy area and it's lined with rhododendron. Dumpster provided. No cell service.

There are a number of horse trails that connect, starting with the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail nearby, so you don't need to trailer your horses to get to the trailhead

This equestrian campground in a beautiful state forest allows for other campers to make reservations no more than 30 days in advance; priority is for campers with horses. This state park has wild horses of its own, but has numerous multi-use and equestrian trails and connects with additional trails in the area for up to 66 miles of riding. Chestnut Hollow is distinct from the Hickory Ridge campground.

The campsites are back-in along a single spur with turn-around at the end. There are  bathrooms with showers and a sink for laundry. Fees are $20-23/night, slightly higher for out of state campers. There are open and closed stall options for an additional fee. These were clean and in good repair. Although the official season runs May - October, it is open for primitive camping March, April, and November.

Site are long, gravel, relatively level with water/electric.

Lot s of wildlife! We camped at an equestrian campgrounds, chestnut ridge perhaps? Saw a Family of black bear about a mile from camp then a bobcat in camp later that day! Great facilities and located very close to Wilbur ridge where the wild ponies are! The AT is very close and waterfall hikes can be accessed from camp.also lots of great bouldering in the area

Way up the road! It's a nice place once you get here on the narrow country road. Nice clean bathhouse. Cabins, RV spots mostly level, paddocks for horses. Lots of exploration in the woods potential.

This is a small quite camp ground with horse stables. Husband and wife working there were very nice. Campground consist of a fire ring in the middle with benches and tables surrounded by back-in camp sites. There was a nice clean bathhouse with showers. Free firewood. No pool or playground, but still a nice peaceful campground.

With a wide network of multi-use trails in this area, Fox Creek Horse Camp provides a nice base for exploring on horseback. Sites have a gravel/grass pads, picnic table, and fire ring. Portable toilets available. Bring your own water. No hookups provided. Hitching posts at sites. Manure collection available. At $5/night, it's hard to beat the price.

Campers are frequently referred to Grindstone campground for potable water and showers, but as of 2021, the dump station and bath houses/water are off; if you need services plan to travel about 15 minutes to Hurricane Campground instead.

I went back and forth on whether I should give this rating two stars or three. In the end, I chose three stars because the mountain itself is so amazing. Geologically this was great place to visit and the trails were well marked and maintained. Beautiful hike. The campground was beautiful but the facilities were run down and dirty. It had, by far, the nastiest park/campground facilities I’ve seen in Kentucky, North Carolina or Virginia this year. I know this park is mobbed on the weekends, but I checked in on a Tuesday and stayed for two nights. The facilities, including the campground bathhouse and the park’s “comfort stations” were dirty, smelly and had bugs in them. The trash in the bathhouse was not emptied in the two days I was there. There was not a single exterior light to the bathhouse, not even something as reasonable as a motion sensor light that would be more energy efficient than a constant lighting option.
Compared to New River State Park, despite the giant Stone Mountain, this was the bottom of the barrel.

This park has some nice campsites, which can make your camping experience an awesome time, but that’s not why you should go there. Like a lot of state parks, it’s got the usual wooded picnic table, fire ring, the electrical hook-up thing if you need it (or BYOS - bring your own solar), even nice bathrooms with showers and everything. What it offers in terms of a get away from it all makes it the go to destination for everyone who’s just about had enough of everything average.  

First of all, where the heck is it?  About 200 miles from anywhere you’ve ever heard of, unless you’re lucky enough to have been born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains, or you’ve just nursed along a love of two-lane winding roads, it rewards the traveler who says“let’s take a road trip.” The closest town is Haysi, Virginia, which offers a selection of small regional grocery stores, gas stations and a few restaurants...but not much more. 

The park sits atop an ancient canyon cut through time by the Russell Fork River some 1000 feet below. The trails wonder through sandstone formations laid down some 250 million years ago when the area was covered by a shallow inland sea. The views as well as the geological significance instills awe in the best sense. 

The park offers a short scenic drive loop with a dozen or so stops all offering some look into the amazing scope of natural science. But in case that doesn’t inspire your 10-year-old, the mountain bike trails near to the campground will sure take some energy out of them. And in case they want to just go to the outdoor pool, or sit in the well-appointed cabin or guestroom, these are also available at this park offering a widely diverse accommodations for nearly anyone willing to make the drive to get there.  The Russell Fork is also a world class river offering everything from class 2-3 fun to serious Appalachian creekin’ paddling. But don’t tell anyone about this place, because I don’t want anyone else to find out about it.

This place is by far the windiest place I've ever camped in. We couldn't get a proper fire started due to the wind! It was blowing up all over the trails at some points! But it's all worth it. The views are amazing! The ponies are great, they're come right up to you and check you out. There isn't many places to get water so come prepared with enough. The windchill was a serious issue for some in our group so bring lots of layers and gloves. I'll be going back, hopefully when it's a little warmer!

PS tons of pony poop everywhere. I would imagine it would be a real bummer if you step in it. Avoid at all costs.

I've been here in each season, my favorites being fall and winter. There's a cool large festival in the fall with tons of local vendors and the best apple butter any where. In the winter, it is definitely COLD but absolutely stunning with snow falling. There are 96 campsites available, some with hookups and some without.

The Appalachian Trail can be easily accessed here and there are several backcountry camping options along the trail. Sites in the main park area have gravel pads, picnic tables, fire rings and some have posts for lanterns as well.

As other photos suggest, there are wild ponies here (notice the adjective wild) that are not intimidated by people. Do everyone a favor and keep your distance, please. I experienced a negative interaction with the ponies here that resulted in several backpacks being chewed to bits. The photos of the ponies posted in this review were taken with a zoom lens. This is their home and they should be respected and treated just as you would a bear.

Couldnt have asked for a better birthday gift. The ponies were awesome and the hike was even better. We stayed on the campgrounds at night and we were able to watch a beautiful sunrise while making breakfast. Definitely have plans to go back in the near future.

Wild ponies, endless blueberries, spectacular view of wildflowers make this on of my go to spots to introduce someone to backpacking.

This camp ground is very small and on the side of a very quiet road next to beautiful fields with breath taking views it has no paved roads so bring a truck or suv sedans will get stuck easily there is no cell service and it is very clean of trash perfect quiet getaway

This site should not be confused with any other sites in area by similar name. You have to make a reservation with the park office for your site and drop by the ranger station to pick up your permit. The sites have NO vehicle access at all, you have to hike a mile into the campsite. The hike in is excellent, as it follows the river along the way.

There is NO clean water source, you have to bring a filter system with you. There are no picnic tables but each site does have wood logs as seats. There are fire pits and food storage lockers on site. 

The site is surrounded by excellent hiking trails and is a great place to set as "base camp" for day hikes.

Easy hike in, but far enough that you won’t find High-maintenance campers or crowds. Maybe some horseback people. Campground has tent pads, picnic tables, fire pits, pit toilets, water pump. (I doubt the water pump will be working in the winter.) Near a creek as well. Just follow the basin creek trail for about a mile and then cross bridge. The campsites are well spread out so there is enough room for privacy, but keep in mind that a lot of hikers pass through morning-midday. The trail is amazing—but some spots may be very difficult to cross in the spring. (PS The mike to the campsite is on a gravel road closed to cars/motorized vehicles.) May be accessible for some basic wheelchairs with special wheels that can deal with sand and gravel and shallow fording, but unfortunately not a good option for more high tech wheelchairs.

Campsite is right next to the creek—fun to hear the water at night. Stars are amazing!

Had a great camping weekend with a buddy at Cliffhanger Ranch. The cabin we stayed in is very cozy and good size for two people. We were able to have a few nice fires at the top of the hill with great views. What makes this place great is that the entrance is directly across from the Jefferson National Forrest. There we were able to kayak at Bark Camp Lake which was not busy at all and hike at Little Stoney Falls. Plenty to do and see in this area. Would highly recommend!

Jake from the Dyrt here!  Staying at The Cliffhanger Ranch places you in a quiet area surrounded by forests and a small downtown nearby, perfect for adventuring around a new area.  Check them out and share of your favorite parts of the trip on the Dyrt!

This campground is located along the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway. We saw wildlife when we woke up in the mornings and before we went to bed in the evenings. The bath house in the tent only loop has private bathrooms with showers. The bath house is also cleaned daily.

Gorgeous campgrounds w lakeside Mountain View. Spacious campsites and moderate hiking trails around the lake.

My wife is new to camping, so I took her tent camping here to see how well she would adapt to being outside and away from her blow dryer. She did amazing and this trip kicked off our adventure of moving on to a tear drop trailer and then to a class c motorhome. As I do, she loves camping and we are having the time of our lives. Thank you to this great campground, the trails, kayaking, and the waterfalls. Wonderful campground. I highly recommend you give it a try.

https://vimeo.com/280421297

My husband and I have camped at Julian Price three times, most recently in July. Obviously we like it. We’ve always been in the RV section in our camper van so I can’t comment on the tent section other than to say it’s well away from the RVs and looks quite nice. The campground is right on the Blue Ridge Parkway just five miles from Blowing Rock. Lots of hikes nearby including a loop from the campground. Bathrooms are fine. Showers are located in the tent section—private, nice. Sites are nice sized and most are private. One negative is all the moss growth on picnic tables. Most RV sites are heavily shaded plus the campground just reopened so I realize lack of humans resulted in the moss flourishing. ;)

Great family campground, with enough separation from other tent sites. Camp here every year with the family and always have a great time. Never have issues with neighbors, bath house is new, and close to plenty of hiking/recreation activities.

This campground is minutes from Blowing Rock NC, which makes it super popular. There are restaurants and grocery stores nearby. There are two sides: the A-side is next to the lake but has no showers, just flush toilets, water spigots, and a food storage area. The other side has newer bathhouses.

RV spots have electric hookups, tent spots do not. Many on lakeside have to be reserved in advance and are not as isolated as they may appear on the recreation.gov website. If you are thinking the “first come first served campsites” that are lakeside will be up for grabs at any given time you will be disappointed. I would recommend reserving one if possible. Tent pads are decent and will have some small gravel in them, they will for a standard six persons tent but that’s about it. Fire rings are standard size and sites have a lantern post, along with a cement top picnic table.

Note that if you are towing a trailer and tenting you may have issues finding a place to park. Solid campground with friendly staff.

This campground is located right on the Blue Ridge Parkway with a nice lake for fishing, boating, and SUP. No swimming.

The campground has a wide variety of sites some are great, some leave a lot to be desired. Research your site carefully. It is a National Park and alcohol and dogs are allowed so things can get loud at night. Pack your earplugs.

Lots of good hikes nearby, right off the Parkway. They are often busy on the weekends especially during Fall Leaf color season. Boone and Blowing Rock very close making it easy to get provisions.