Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Salem, VA

Great spot for tent camping! Loved the hillside spots bc of all the trees and the multiple levels that the spots are on. They are all built out and flat. Bathrooms are clean and campground was quiet. I had issues finding out if pets were allowed... they are! My dog and I had an awesome time and we will be back for sure.

Site 034 Loop Morr Dates of Stay: August 30-Sept 1 Average Daily Temp: 78 Average Nighlty Tem: 64 Pet friendly spot with access to firewood on site for small fee. Tent pad, fire pit, one picnic table, and lamp post on site. Close access to Lake area with a 100 yard walk through pathway off the site. Great shade for those hot sunny days. Plenty of room on the site for tents and vehicle parking. Neighboring sites offer fair amount of privacy. Site had some trash scattered around by previous visitors. Needed to do some checking for broken flashlight pieces and glass before I allowed my dog free roam.

Douthat (Doubt-that) State Park is a campers dream!  Level sites with or with out hook ups, well spaced apart, fairly private, and in the middle of a pretty good forest!

Kid and pet friendly, this park has a nice lake for Kayaking/canoeing, multiple hiking trails with views, excellent opportunities for wildlife watching, and great biking trails.

It is off the beaten path so it appears to be less visited than other Virginia State Parks.

very private, $15 a night, water, bathrooms, right on the river, pet friendly👍.. right next to the AT.. I have a German shepherd and a mini Australian shepherd and they had a blast!

We stayed at the Natural Bridge KOA for one night on our way further north and loved it!

They opened the pool a week early, and although the water was still ICE COLD (75 degrees?), the kids loved it. There is a game room in the basement of the campground store with some arcade games, pool and ping pong table, and air hockey. Each thing takes quarters so be sure to bring some.

Your site number is assigned at check-in and you are escorted to your site from the front office.

There is a fenced dog park. The playground is a bit dated. However they make up for that with the bathroom and laundry facilities, which were absolutely AMAZING.

The park is a short drive from Natural Bridge State Park (pictures included), the Pink Cadillac Diner (Elvis themed, great food, pictures included), and the Caverns at Natural Bridge (we missed the last tour by 20 minutes, unfortunately!). It’s right off of I-81 and very easy to access.

Our site was a pull through with water and electric. The site was level and had a picnic table and fire ring. Sites are pretty close to each other but not so close that you feel like you’re in someone else’s space.

The whole park was very clean. The bridge going between our area and the bathhouse was damaged but it was still a reasonably short walk around the “long” way. The camp store seemed very well stocked with basics.

This was our first KOA experience. It was a bit more expensive than most state and national parks we’ve camped at but reasonable considering the amenities.

We had a deluxe patio area. Which was on nice level concrete. Was not too close to the pool but there were rest rooms nearby. We only stayed one night but was a nice area. The kids likes the petting zoo.

We booked our stay here through harvest host. It was beautiful and a great experience! We parked near their barn, it had 50 amp hook up and water. Easy pull through area and gravel lot that was almost completely level. Horses were very friendly and loved to get pets.

I stayed at Lake Ridge RV Resort for quite a while. Great place to spend the evenings after work. Pond and surrounding area are very well maintained. Staff are friendly and shower houses were kept clean even in off season. Pet friendly; just got to scoop the poop!

This campground was off the grid and beautiful. We had site #17 but if I stayed again I would prefer site #18. Both sites were VERY spacious, secluded, and right on the lake except 18 had a little bit better view of the lake. The sites were also right near the bathrooms. This campground does not offer electric or water hookup but if you are prepared for that then this campground is a 5 out of 5. They do offer showers, and have a very small store with some essentials like ice as well as kayak and canoe rental but it closes after Labor Day.

The lake was beautiful. There is a great hike around the lake as well as other hikes offered that are accessible in the campground. Make an effort to get up and see the sunrise over the lake - you will not be disappointed at the beauty of the sky and the mist over the lake. Kayaking around the lake was fun, and there are many types of fish in the lake.

The site is pet friendly - we travel with my dog and cat who also enjoyed the spacious, secluded campsite. Jim the camp host was friendly and always around if you had a question. Site offered picnic table, fire pit, and bear hook to hang items out of reach of the black bears. We did not see any but did see deer, rabbits, red squirrels, and other little creatures roaming around. 

Bathrooms offered flushable toilets as well as showers. They were clean but did have lots of daddy long legs to keep you company. Water was hot and had good pressure. It was a push button timed shower but you could keep pressing the button if you were not done yet. 

This is off the grid and does not really have provisions especially after Labor Day. It is a stretch to call it a store but it did have ice, drinks, bait, peanut butter and few other essentials. Again closed after Labor Day. Had no cell service (Verizon) as well. Also not near town - closest was about 45 minutes. As long as you are prepared and bring what you need, this place is a beautiful campsite and made it in my top five favorite campgrounds. 

I included some pictures and follow us on Instagram @pawsfuradventure for more pictures and reviews.

Always a great time here! Just less than a mile west of the Blue Ridge Parkway on US 58 Business, Willville is THE motorcycle camping slot for me in Virginia.

thwres a community fire ring where Will has a fire most nights. There are no reservations except for either the one cabin or the bunkhouse, and there're no designated spots. However, there are great places with shade or in the open, ample grass, and picnic tables aplenty.

The bathhouse at at the top of the hill is quite clean. There's a pavilion for group events or just to hang out.

All in all, a favorite place just for motorcycles.

pets aren't allowed as far as I can tell. There are water spigots scattered athoughout along with electrical stanchions...just not at every site.

Normally we camp with our tent, but we decided to make the trip to check out Natural Bridge State Park at the end of December. Never quite sure what the weather is like we were able to get a one room camping cabin. It was perfect for our family of three plus two dogs. Our toddler was throughout entertained by exploring everything around us and we would have visits by a black cat. Can't wait to go back and check out their tent sites.

My friend recommended New River Junction to me and I'm glad that I listened to him. The campground is not far from Virginia Tech and so there were several other campers staying a few nights with plans to go to the football game. The RV sites are along the river and two sites share an electical box and the water hookup. The staff was friendly. The bathrooms are single occupancy per gender. Tubing rental and a shuttle bus are available on site. The campground is dog friendly and they offer tubes for dogs too. I think the only downside is that the campground is flanked by railroad tracks and the trains run periodically throughout the day and night. So be sure to bring earplugs if you're a light sleeper.

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.

I stayed one night at Horseshoe Point. The drive there through the mountains and backroads was pretty but make no mistake, this place is remote. There is no WiFi and my T-Mobile was useless there. There is a nice lake with trails nearby. There is a clean bath house with hot showers. The sites have a picnic table, fire ring, and gravel parking spaces. The sites are among the trees and well kept. They do not allow dogs near the beach. As a dog owner, this saddens me as I like to swim and I can’t if my dog is with me. The campground hosts were very friendly and welcoming.

Located in a beautiful part of central Virginia, this campground gives you lots of options for sightseeing. It is definitely worth a trip to the Natural Bridge. The nearby town of Lexington has many historic buildings, and the town seems very dog-friendly. The campground is kept very clean, and the staff is very helpful. However, the sites are small and not leveled well. Although my camper is only 15’ long, I ran out of shims trying to level my rig. I watched a fifth wheeler spend two hours trying to position his rig so that it could be leveled. The store is friendly, but doesn’t stock much variety. Given the beauty of the area, I would go back, but I would insist on seeing the site before trying to set up. There is a wonderful country store (Lynne’s) close buy with great produce and meats. Be sure to check out the famous Red Hen Restaurant in Lexington.

Camped out for one night, great place. Owners are real friendly, they have a store as well. The trains though! My dog did not appreciate them, but overall nice place.

So the pluses for this place: It is right on the property of the caverns. Take the tour! If you are an avid hiker, like me, it is only about 30 minutes from triple Crown access points for the A.T.

The downfall is it is near the highway and you hear highway traffic at all times. If you have dogs there's not really a great dog walking area. The spaces are very close to each other. The park has what appears to be some full time Riggs... That the properties are not well maintained. With that it doesn't make the park look appealing. If you like campfires again you are super close to each other, But not only that you have the highway noise when you're sitting outside.

This campground has the potential to be more. It is small and quaint, shaded, and limited facilities. Has a small cabin and a small bunkhouse. Owner has two dogs that ruin any privacy you may expect to have as the run the campground at their leisure. They should sell t-shirts for this campground; “Been there, got the t-shirt, and left!”