Best Dispersed Camping near Draper, VA

Located in the Mount Rogers Recreation Area, there are multiple free national forest camping spots along the creek, just off Hwy 58. The sound of the creek seemed to drowned out all road noise.

Sites are first come, first served, have no picnic table or toilet, but all seem to have an established fire ring and access to the creek for water. Bring your water filter and portable potty!

Within 3 miles of these spots along the creek, you will find the famous and gorgeous Virginia Creeper Trail, the Whitetop Laurel Creek, and the Appalachian Trail. So bring your bikes, fishing poles, kayaks, and hiking boots for a full week of adventure. We couldn’t get enough of this gorgeous area and hit the early spring weather spot on for some fun in the sun!

The closest town is Damascus which are filled with companies that will load your bikes on a trailer and haul you and your bike to Whitetop Mountain where you can hop on the Virginia Creeper Trail for 17 miles of easy downhill coasting (or 34 miles if you choose to go all the way to Abingdon). Or, for more of a workout, you can hop on the trail at various access points and ride uphill and coast down. For whitewater fun, consult the American Whitewater website for the runnable area/range of the Whitetop Laurel Creek.

Free spot, right next to a gorgeous creek. It was totally empty in March - we didn’t see a single soul. Got a beautiful campsite right on the creek. There’s lots of gorgeous spots on this stretch of road.

Variety of types of campsites. Amazing sights and wild ponies! The AT provides some great hiking.

The campsites are absolutely great in the park . We enjoyed every moment of being here . There is lots of water as well as wonderful nature spots .

Went to site Dyrt said on pro trip selection. Read reviews looked good. See photos I give. It is the headquarters bldg. Free sites are from Damascus up mtn to bear creek campground

I stayed here two nights because it was so beautiful! It is a little close to the main road, as others have mentioned, but it was still removed enough for me to feel remote. The creek is loud and the trees offered privacy. It is a pull-thru so it would be convenient for trailers, too.

This listing is for the main office for the forest. There are no camping sites near here. The sites are all located in the area listed as Washington and Jefferson camps sites down to the south west on HWY58, about a 45 minute drive toward Damascus VA.

We were very lucky to obtain a perfect spot on the top of Mount Roger's during our section hike of the AT. It provided amazing views for both sun up and sun down and was a great place for pictures. A wonderful breeze swept through our tent at night to keep us cool. It is a very popular camping destination so there's no privacy and plenty of noisy neighbors but it was fine by us. The night sky was one of the most memorable moments from our trip. I've never seen so many stars! Also has quick access to running spring water for drinking and a quick wash up.

This is a wonderful area. It is highly recommend . We had a great time at this park . The views are amazing.

Currently closed as of January 25, 2021.

Beautiful spot right by a babbling creek that will lull you to sleep.

I stayed at this AT shelter when I was doing a section hike with some friends. It's not bad as far as shelters on the AT go. There is not a water source too close to the shelter. The closest one is about 3 miles North. The sites aren't bad though, pretty flat. There is also a wooden shelter maintained by the AT, but those aren't my favorite to sleep in. Seemed nice as far as they go though.

I was hiking a little section that includes Mcafee Knob, one of the most photographed spots on the AT. This spot is really awesome. It can also just be done as a day hike, so I recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind a 8ish mile hike. Another cool thing about this area is that there's some fairly nice bouldering to be found near the top. Some of the routes are a little under maintained and mossy, but there are some fun ones. Lugging a crash pad all the way to the top isn't the most fun, but worth it if you want to get some cool bouldering in.

As far as AT shelters go this is pretty basic, except for the lack of a good water source. However, it's a decent spot to stay the night especially if it's not crowded! There's a few other shelters and stealth sites in the area that are also great options though.

The road in is...."rocky". High clearance 4wd needed. Not ADV friendly, unless you're very adventurous. Access by horseback would be my #1 pick.