Best Equestrian Camping near Shenandoah, VA

BOTTOM LINE: 3.5 Stars. We had a fine time camping here, but probably would not stay again unless some friends were going and wanted to stay. Not bad, but not great and not my personal preference for camping. Any recommendation to stay would be dependent on what you're looking for--it might be for you, but just wasn't for us. 

Acknowledging that reviews are totally subjective, here is a brief summary of some of the pros and cons (in our humble opinion):[

PROS/CONS

Pros:

• Beautiful mountain views
• charming brook and farm (i.e. things to do for young kids), and okay hiking trails
• friendly campers and staff
• ease of check-in process
• low cost
• Can (technically) hike intro Shenandoah National Park

Cons:

• campground bathrooms and port-a-jons in poor condition
• street lights in primitive camping area
• yellow jacket nests in primitive camping area (with no warning signs)
• the gnats and flies were bad (way worse than I've ever experienced; probably due to the horse and cow poop)
• decent amount of horse/cow manure in the primitive camping area
• camping area is mixed with RVs, equestrian trailers, & tent campers
• camping area was restricted to a smaller area, forcing camps a little too close together (so much room that wasn't allowed for pitching camp and spreading out)
• few trees in camping area (more of an open field)
• 35-40 min drive to either entrance of Shenandoah National Park (then you still have to drive to the trail you want to hike)

Again, we recognize a lot is subjective; but it just wasn't for us. We'd camp here again if others wanted to, but wouldn't choose to come back.

I'm happy to elaborate on any particular bullets.

HELPFUL TIPS:

• Sites are first come, first served -- there are a few "primo" spots, but get there before noon to nab them
• There is local firewood available at the General Store/Post Office in Syria, VA (~0.2 mi from campground); about $7/bundle (you'll probably need 3-4 bundles for a night)
• Use trees to block out some of the light from street lights (only a handful of spots can do this bc few trees); or try to get a spot as far away as you can get
• For kids, there is a duck pond, chicken coop, shallow brook, disable farm tractor, and some other stuff to play with/on/in across the street near the lodge.
• Free range horses (they're penned-in) come back at dusk and head out at dawn -- fun to watch from the campground, especially for kiddos
• Bring your own water, if possible

Shenandoah is a true oasis from urban areas in the eastern U.S. Even though it is only 75 miles from D.C., Shenandoah feels like another world. Big Meadows Campground allowed us a convenient home base for exploring many of Shenandoah’s trails and overlooks.

We visited in late October, slightly past peak fall colors season, but we still saw the end of what was a beautiful leaf season.

You can’t control the weather, but if your visit to Shenandoah calls for rain, I’d avoid this campground. The drainage must be faulty because when we arrived, most of the available sites were too muddy to set up our tent. We found a higher site, but still struggled with weather woes at our campsite.

Beyond its drainage issues, this campground was a standard national park campground, providing basic but adequate amenities like flush toilets and a picnic table.

We still had a great time at Shenandoah. We were visiting with family, so we hiked a few crowd-pleaser trails: Rose River Loop and Overall Falls were two of our favorites. We enjoyed the views from scenic Skyline Drive, and also would highly recommend visiting the Byrd Visitor Center (one of our favorites in the whole NPS!)

You can read much more about our five days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Shenandoah)