Best Cabin Camping near George Washington & Jefferson National Forests

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!

This park is in one of my favorite parts of VA. Very beautiful area with plenty of off grid seclusion! It’s a nice scenic drive getting to the park on a quiet and well maintained back road.

The rangers at the park are very knowledgeable and kind and have no problem answering questions. There are many camping areas in the park, Some near creeks and on the lake as well. There are also cabins here! Plenty of picnic areas and great fishing as well!

It’s $8 a day for a fishing pass and you can rent John boats or kayaks here as well, In season the lake and creek are stocked with plenty of Rainbow trout. You can keep them for dinner if you like! Just follow all DNR laws on size and amount!

Some spots include clean bathrooms, hot showers, soda machines, fish fillet tables, Picnic tables, fire pits and so on.

I highly recommend this park for your next getaway or along your way!

In our opinion this is the best campground in Shenandoah National Park. Sites are large and many offer privacy. Sites include fire ring and picnic tables. Some of the sites have a mountain view where you can watch the sunset. The campground has great facilities including flush toilets, hot and cold running water, indoor showers ($1.75 for 5 minutes), laundromat, camp store with groceries, camping supplies, wine and beer, sandwiches, and morning coffee. The sites are $15 per night in this campground, and there is an entrance fee into Shenandoah National Park (we paid $30 for a week). The Appalachian Trail runs thru this campground and offers some great hiking.

We spent several days in Seneca State Forest. I want to highlight the Thorny Mountain Fire Tower for this review.

Renting and staying in the Thorny Mountain Fire Tower is a special opportunity...and I believe everyone should enjoy its uniqueness and solitude...for several reasons. One selfish reason is so that perhaps other State and National Forests would do the same thing...refurbish, but leave rustic remaining fire towers and rent them out like a campsite or cabin. There is much history and lore that is behind every fire tower.

The Thorny Mountain Fire Tower was built by the CCC sometime around 1935...and is erected at an elevation of 3458 ft. Nearly 70 steps up the structure brings you to 3507 ft (by my gps). From that height, you get to enjoy long mountain views in both West Virginia and Virginia. The tower cabin structure has 360 views...11 windows and a windowed door...so you don't miss any of the show! It is not insulated, but then again it is not available during the winter months. There are no, I repeat, no amenities in the tower...but that's half the allure..only two spring cots/mattresses...four folding wooden chairs...and two tiny nightstands. Four can stay...but only two have the beds. My back preferred the floor. At the base of the tower there is a lockable structure that houses a pit latrine on one end and plenty of dry firewood on the other end. You do have a picnic table and fire ring on a gravel pad north of the tower base. No running water...period. So all water must be acquired 15-20 minutes down the mountain at the Park Headquarters (which also has the only showers/bathrooms(2)...and laundry room...super clean!). The State Park employees that operate the headquarters there are the most kind, gracious and hospitable folks you will find. You will need to reserve a spot far in advance...so don't leave it to the last minute.

Our stay was memorable and pleasurable. While some might balk at the expense per night...it is the rare opportunity you are paying for. And...I will do it again in the future!

Watching storms roll in across the mountain tops...fog settling into the valleys like white foaming rivers...being perched beside rainbows...moonlight piercing the night through your curtainless windows...and reveling in the surreal sunrises and sunsets did it for me! Your closest neighbor is waaay down the mountain.

Note: Do not make my mistake and not listen closely to directions up to the tower. I took the first gravel road right...well...dirt road. It happens to be an unmaintained alternate service road to the tower...not good. Ordinary vehicles will be damaged...and two-wheel drive probably won't make it. My SUV survived, but I was questioning my sanity at times. The roads are gravel most the way up Thorny Mountain...and the last bit up to the tower had experienced recent washout from storms, so the going was rough but very doable.

I think eight of the windows still open, and they provide slide screens to insert so the cross breeze is amazing day and night. But they must be removed and the windows shut when the rain rolls in or you will get wet. The roof does not have enough overhang to keep the rain out...nor does it amply cover the walk-around deck...so it'll drip on your noggin'. But hey, your camping...you're gonna get wet.

Can't recommend the experience enough...who knows how long this type of opportunity will exist. Just Do It!

Montebello is a lovely campground. There are tent, RV sites and cabins with campground bathroom. There are showers, slop sink and laundry. The pond at front has stocked trout and a small lake in the back has bass and crappie. Suitable for paddle boats or kayak. There was also a playground for children. You check in at the cute store across the street.

I stayed in the tent area. The site has a fine gravel pad, picnic table and fire ring. I was in site 2 near the lake. A crowd with chairs sat above my site on the hill that were rather noisy. But biggest drawback was distance to bathroom which I had to drive to.

Lots of good trails nearby and a small one around the lake. I plan to return in the fall.

We did not have a reservation and were lucky to get a site. It is a large campground with 200 sites for RV's & tent campers. The site we had was primitive, no water or electric, but had a picnic table, fire ring, & a bear box. Although the sites were close, they were situated to maximize privacy. The campgrounds had plenty of restrooms with flush toilets & sinks. The camp store has laundry facilities and showers that you must pay for, $1.75 for 5 minutes. The grounds and facilities are very clean. An added bonus, you can access the Appalachian Trail right from the campgrounds that provides amazing views

Loft Mountain was the third stop on our tour of Shenandoah National Park. First stop traveling south on Skyline Drive was Mathews Arm and second was Big Meadows at about the halfway point. Loft Mountain is at about the 3/4 mark. These parks are well spaced for viewing and hiking in between each campground.

I'm a big fan of campgrounds in national parks. Why do I like this one? Pretty much the same reasons as I liked the other Shenandoah campgrounds:

• All the basic needs are available in a scenic setting.

• Generator-free sections (because I hate noisy generators)

• About 75% of the sites are first-come, first-served sites so you should always be able to find a site if you arrive early.

• The $15 price is a bargain and our Lifetime Senior Pass cuts the fee in half.

• Hiking: There's a lot to keep you busy in the entire national park, but rainy, foggy weather kept us from exploring as much as we'd like. We'll be back!

Things to Know About the Sites

• Some sites have food storage boxes. Use them as an alternative to keeping food locked in your vehicle.

• Walk-to tent sites: It's not a long walk to your site from a designated parking spot.

• I was surprised to see that most sites (other than walk-to tent sites) have long, pull through parking pads, and most have a grass buffer (and possibly a few trees) separating the site from the road. These asphalt pads can accommodate RVs of all sizes and have a spacious area behind the pull through with a picnic table, fire ring and room for a tent. Great sites!

• Generator-free sites in loop F and part of G are reservable sites. If you want one of these sites, I recommend a reservation. See the site map photo.

Amenities

• Restrooms with a utility sink outside some of them

• Potable water and trash/recycling stations are spread throughout the park. These are all shown on the site map photo.

• Camp store with ice, wood and limited food choices is a short walk from the campground entrance.

• Showers: $1.75 for 5.25 minutes. These are located in a restroom near the campstore and look new. There is a handicapped accessible shower/bathroom combination.

• Laundry facility near the camp store

I’ll admit, I was slightly skeptical booking this place. I don’t really dig large group areas and car camping much anymore... but this place was pretty cool. We got a walk in site, so our tent was way far away from cars and other people. The site included a fire pit w/grill grate, picnic table, and metal bear box. We did have any neighboring campers that we could see or hear, just a few groups off in the distance. There was a convenience camp store that came in super handy. It also offered showers (for $1.75), laundry, and hot coffee, among other things. The campsite was tucked between some really nice hiking areas, so we didn’t have to go far to check stuff out. I absolutely approve of this place. Recommended.