Best Tent Camping near Roanoke, VA

Dixie Caverns is a privately owned campground, slash tourist site ( dixiecaverns.com ) located at the outskirts of Salem, VA.

Warning: In the website, they do state the campground is "directly off I-81," and it is. The fact is, you are surrounded on three sides by roadway...and the actual Dixie Cavern is at the base of a mountain, so all the road traffic is above the campground and the noise reverberates off the mountain and surrounding walls 24/7. Trust me when I say, semi-truck noise is loud during the twilight hours when the din of the day has disappeared.

We spent two different multiple-day stays at Dixie Caverns in the Spring, partly out of necessity and partly because of its close proximity to a desired venue in Salem. So I can attest to the traffic noise never letting up.

The Positive: Dixie Caverns Campground serves a need...a campground close to Salem. The next closest campground is an hour's drive and in heavy traffic...longer. It is also one of the closest campgrounds to several of Virginia's most popular hiking trails (AT) and scenic overlooks (Dragon's Tooth, Tinker Cliffs, etc). So people will use this as a "base camp" of sorts.

The personnel that run the Dixie Cavern Gift Shop, are also those you see to pay for a camping site...and I found them very friendly and helpful.

If you are visiting there to tour the Dixie Caverns...you are a hundred feet away from the mountain doorway.

The campground is tiny, as in footprint, but they have carved out a number of RV/Camper sites along the mountain base and the inner loops...and during our stays very few openings were observed. Water, electric and cable is provided at each of those pull-through sites. They are of adequate size for the largest of RV's, but they are side-by-side the length of the loop. No vegetation exists between or on those sides but some grass and some spaced large trees. Perhaps the RV/Camper clan camp there out of necessity and convenience too. Though there is a limit on the days of your stay, it appears that some are exempt from this rule. Some campers are permanent fixtures...others that were not, were still in the same location from the first visit to the next visit 30 days later. Several employees live full-time on site.

Tent camping is in the grass along the creek that runs down to the Roanoke River across the roadway. During the heavy rains we received, I had concerns that this raging creek would overflow its banks, but it did not. Trash was visible washed along its banks. The sites are marked only by a picnic table and rock fire ring...no other designation, so you chose a side of the fire ring to pitch your tent. Even with the heavy rains, I did not notice low, soggy areas. There is several large hardwood trees that provide a nice canopy, but no foliage between tenting areas...so the entire campground is line of sight. I believe there were only six tent sites (technically), but overflow tent sites are also along the grassy field across from the Gift Shop. Important note: If you are considering a good night's sleep in a tent (not sure of the sound dampening qualities of RV/Campers), ear-plugs are a must!

The showerhouse/restroom are located at the beginning of the campground, which is just the other side of the day use picnic area and the Gift Shop/Attraction parking lot. The doors are locked 24/7 and only campers receive the "push-button" door code (which the code did not change from both visits...not a secure safety protocol). The showerhouse/restroom has running water, flush toilets and several showers, and an electric outlet. It shows its age and looks like a heavily used campground facility. For tent campers, its the only potable water source.

There is both cell service and free wifi...which is amazing! I can count on my one finger how many campgrounds in W.VA and VA that had cell service.

The Negative: You must leave the campground for anything you'd like to do, other than the Caverns...and sitting in your camp chair.

There are no trails or other amenities...and the trails closeby...are still a 20-30 minutes drive on a good day.

Whether or not tenters are in the tent area, this is the dog walking area. They are required to pick up...but it is aggravating...because if it doesn't pour, the smell remains.

Did I mention the truck traffic noise? The overall condition of Dixie Caverns appears dated, a bit run-down, and dirty.

Would I stay there again? Odds are I will spend one more collegiate softball post season and World Series staying at Dixie Caverns Campground next spring, purely out of convenience and necessity.

Campground Review

As a Ranger on The Dyrt, I sometimes receive compensation for reviewing campgrounds like this one. Middle Creek Campground is the perfect place to use as a base camp for all of the outdoor activities in the area. Getting here was a lot easier than expected. The campground is only 6 miles off the I-81 Arcadia exit. We were quickly in the Jefferson National Forest where the road winds through the forest along Jennings Creek. It was absolutely gorgeous. Around every turn we saw fishermen wading into the water or sitting on the banks.

Check-in is at the fully stocked camp store where you'll likely be greeted by the two resident dogs. They mostly lazed around all weekend and watched people coming and going. The RV sites are directly across from the camp store, but the tent sites were tucked back into the woods. The upper tent campground was closed for renovations during our stay, so we chose from the 8 or 9 sites located in the lower tent campground. All of the sites were roomy and featured a small fire pit, picnic table, water, and electricity. Several of them even had a pull-through site and would work well for a small pop-up. Bonus: most of the lower tent sites have direct access to the creek! There were only four other tent sites occupied the whole weekend. It was very quiet and peaceful.

We chose site #76 because the creek wound around the back of the campsite and had a gentle slope leading down to the creek. We knew our dogs would love splashing around in it! Once we got everything set up I realized that the site was bigger than I'd originally thought. There was more than enough room to set up our Kingdom 4 tent, 10' canopy, and camp kitchen to glamp in style. We brought a 15' lead for the 2yo beagle so he could go down to the creek on his own or hang out with us. Even at the end of his lead he was nowhere close to the road. Check out the video below for a 360' view!

The bathhouse was at the back of the camp store. Like the rest of the campground, the facilities aren't fancy, but they are functional and clean. Both men's and women's featured two showers where the water was nice and hot! There are even washers and dryers around the corner.

Firewood is available for purchase onsite. We paid $7 for a bundle at the camp store, and it was delivered to our site just a few minutes later. The bundle was huge! We had more than enough wood for two cooking fires.

Because our visit was so early in the year, we weren't able to access most of the amenities. There is a good-sized pool and pavilion on a hill behind the camp store. Right beside that is the swimming pond with two large slides in the middle, plus a small beach. There is another lake at the front of the campground designated for fishing. There are no trails in this campground, so if you want to hike, you'll need to drive about a mile out to where the Appalachian Trail meets Jennings Creek. Or, drive to one of many trail heads within the National Forest. There are also plenty of pull-off spots along the road if you want to wade into the creek.

During our stay, we observed the staff cleaning, fixing, and getting ready for camping season. The bathrooms got a fresh coat of paint. The roads through the campground were recently groomed with new crushed gravel. All of the picnic tables and sidewalks were being power washed. The game room was also being renovated! Downside: we didn't have water at our site the first day. About half-way through the second day one of the workers came around to let us know they were turning it on and to let it run for a bit since it had been off all winter. That made it much easier to wash dishes in a bucket at camp. There isn't a wash station in the campground for doing dishes, so we had to improvise the first night. The biggest turn-off for us at the campground was the RV section right across from the camp store. It seemed like the sites were really packed in there, one on top of the other. I've never been RV-ing before, so I'm not sure if this setup is typical, but I wanted to point it out.

All of the staff that we came into contact with were super friendly and helpful. We were immediately made to feel welcome. It felt like spending the weekend with friends and neighbors instead of strangers.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - today I am testing Nature's Coffee Kettle with Colombian Arabica Coffee. I am completely unable to start my day without coffee even when I'm sleeping in the woods. Nature's Coffee Kettle is a packable system that provides you with delicious, pour-over coffee in the backwoods. The "kettle" is a specially designed pouch with two sections. The top section holds the pre-filled coffee filter in place while you slowly pour hot water over the grounds. It features a zip-top so you can close it up while you're waiting for the magic to happen.The bottom section is the reservoir that holds all of that coffee goodness. Coffee refills are also available separately. The entire system packs flat for storage in a camp tote or in your backpack.

The directions on the back of the bag are super clear and even contain pictures. The key to making the perfect brew with Nature's Coffee Kettle is time. Don't rush it. This is not instant coffee. It is the real deal and will be worth every minute. Slowly pour 1 cup of hot water over the filter, zip up the top and let it sit for a minute or two so the grounds can soak up all of that water. This is the most important step. Then, unzip the top, and keep slowly adding the rest of the water. How much water? I used my coffee mugs to measure out the right amount of water into the kettle before boiling. After you've poured all the water into the bag zip it up again and let it sit. Then, just twist off the cap and pour!

The pouch is reusable, so don't toss it out. Dispose of the filter and rinse out the pouch. It will be ready to go the next time you need some caffeine. Nature's Coffee Kettle comes in a variety of coffee flavors as well as orange pekoe black tea, apple cider, and hot chocolate.

Thunder BRidge is a unique property tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Near Natural Bridge State Park in Virginia, the campground was once a CCC camp. Now it is home to many quiet tent sites, screen cabins, log cabins, and even some fully furnished rental cabins.

The campground is about 60% wooded, the rest is open ground with buildings from the camp's earlier days. The open area includes  several artists' studios.  At one edge is a forest creek, great for wading. 

The campground is mostly tenting sites and rustic cabins, but there are RV sites in the open area.

This is not a "resort" but you won't find a more beautiful, quiet campground!