Best Tent Camping near Marion, VA

Recent Tent Reviews near Marion, Virginia

724 Reviews of 38 Marion Campgrounds

• 

  Michele F.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 5, 2018

  Boone KOA

  Nice KOA. Clean and has everything you need.

  We really like camping there. We tent camp and it is clean and has a handful of things for the kids. The only down side is that the tent sites are road side…so when the campers pull in and out you hear them hitting the gas. Every now and again people will peel out on the road. 😕 Otherwise 👍🏻 and enjoy the friendly staff, CLEAN bathrooms and campground.

• 

  Rachael H.

  Ranger

  

  Jun. 11, 2020

  Stone Mountain State Park Campground

  Loved it

  Primitive tent camp site. Water but no electric. Nice grassy area around the gravel tent pad. We had one tree for shade. Fire ring and table. Clean showers and bathrooms. We stayed here specifically for the sliding rock at widow creek falls. But we did hike Stone Mountain falls trail. There are 432 steps going up to the parking area from the bottom of the falls. Beautiful shaded trail. Mountain to sea trail runs through for a little bit. Dogs welcome leashes. Fairly busy trail.

• 

  Heather K.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 31, 2018

  Riverside Campground

  Wonderful amenities - family place!

  We have been to this campground numerous times. The people and the place bring us back. There are mostly RV's here but we tent camp and there are plenty of spots available. There are about 8-10 sites that are right behind the pool and more sites down a short hill all along the river. This campground accommodates tents, pop ups and RV's comfortably. There is a small pool, but very clean and nice. The showers / restrooms are close by and nice. There is a store to purchase extras and firewood. Great family place to camp. The 5 mph speed limit is strictly enforced! The river is perfect! It's not too deep so the kids can play in it. Fairly easily accessed from many areas at the campground. Tent sites behind the pool have water and electric. If you go on any holiday, there are usually holiday related activities for the whole family. October was great for costumes, trick or treating, fall activities and parties! Many sites were decorated. Summer at this campground had plenty of water activities fun for all ages.

• 

  Jody K.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 25, 2018

  Stone Mountain State Park Campground

  Woody for Tent Campers and Sunny for RV'ers

  The tent sites are built into a hill that provides an abundance of trees to hang hammocks and to keep well protected from the sun. The RV spots are located out in the open area and one loop sits right on a creek. The RV spots are sunnier with limited trees to shade from the sun during the summer months. For a NC state park, the bathroom and shower amenities are clean, warm and well stocked with toilet paper. The tent spots are a perfect place to hang hammocks and the tent pads are pretty sizable!

  I am giving this review a 5 based on 2 different elements: 1) cleanliness of the camp site was beyond expectation. Not all campground hosts clean out the fire pit on a daily basis. When arriving, there was no trace of the former camper at all. No micro trash, no left over spikes and the campsite was freshly raked and all coals/ash were swept out of the fire ring. 2) welcoming personalities of the camp ground host and and employees. The campground host stopped to ask if we needed anything and to remind us the program that was taking place the next morning.

  For tent camping, choose the following sites if you need to park 2 cars at the campsite: #7, #9, #14 and #18. The other campsites have enough space for one car at each site.

• 

  David M.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 22, 2024

  Cavitts Creek Park

  Not suitable for motorcycle tent camping, wouldn't stay again

  Most campground reviews are from the RV crowd.  This is from the tent camper perspective, particularly motorcycle tent camping.  The roads/lanes in the park are paved, but otherwise where you would ride are lousy for motorcycles.  The "gravel" parking lot from the road to the office and in the RV/electric loop is more like rocks, and you stand a good chance of dropping your bike.  Park your bike on the asphalt drive and walk up to the office.  In addition, the tent parking spots are sloped upwards with some very slick crushed rock and are challenging for a motorcycle.  The office closes at 5 (4 on Sunday and probably Saturday) and there is no campground map posted to see where the tent camping area is. They have copies of the campground map in the office and I suggested they put one on the outside of the office door so people arriving after they close have a map to view.   The tent camping (primitive) is off a paved lane a lot further down the hill past the office.  The sign for the lane says primitive.  Straight up at the top of the hill for that lane is site 6 which is somewhat acceptable for motorcycle parking although you are not going to get good enough of a cell signal there to use any internet apps. You might get one bar to make calls or text.   At the top of that hill, take a left and go up a steep hill to the shower house and where sites 1 &2 are at.  At sites 1&2 and outside the shower house you can get a good enough signal (2 bars) to use internet apps.  The campground does have an open wifi, but it doesn't reach to the tent camping sites.  They should add some directional antennas to extend to that area.  Sites 1&2 are best for motorcycles if you can reserve one of them.  2 has a wide enough turn around that you could easily park a group of motorcycles there.  When you check in you are assigned a 4 digit code to unlock the shower house doors.  If you arrive after hours you'll have to ask another camper if they'll share their code with you like we had to.  Don't bother trying to call the campground number after hours to check in or ask for a code because you'll just their voicemail.  Bring a hammer or find a rock to hammer your tent stakes in because the ground where you would want to pitch a tent is mostly rock.  Being primitive there is no electric at the tent sites.  There is an outlet by the sink in the shower house if you need to charge your phone.  There aren't any external outlets at the shower house.  There is a spigot outside the shower house, but I did not open it to make sure it worked.  We got our water using the shower house sink.  The rate as of July 2024 is $10.50 PER TENT per night.  There is no discount for only using one site with several tents.  We (four bikes with 4 tents) stayed there four nights.  We would have left after the first night, but had paid for all four nights and also didn't want to have to pack everything up to look for a different campground.

• 

  A B.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 24, 2024

  Riverside Campground

  Infested

  The place is crawling with Venemous Copperheads.  Do not recommend tent camping here.

• 

  Andrew U.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 20, 2020

  Aca Southeastern Section

  Non existent

  I lived under mellow mushroom and know for a fact that there is no tent camping here. There are paid parking lots on king and queen street, and have seen campers be able to stay there. But NO tent camping here in downtown Boone. Be better off trying to camp at local park or greenway I think, but there’s so much to offer around, find a nice tucked away spot like trash can falls less than 15 away from there.

• E

  Eric W.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 17, 2020

  Mountain City Campground

  Hidden Gem

  This campground is run by the city visitors center and like most other things in Mountain City has very little social media presence. Most residents of the city don’t even know of its existence.

  Great little affordable campground with nice accessible trout stream. Has 30 amp and 50 amp service along with tent camping. (Tent camping is currently closed due to recent bear sightings as are the toilet facilities due to COVID-19(Aug 2020))

  Aug 2020 prices for 30 amp full hookups $25 /day $85 /week $300 /month

• 

  Lucy P.

  Ranger

  

  Mar. 22, 2024

  Chestnut Knob Shelter, Appalachian Trail

  Very nice shelter

  Very nice and comfy! Don’t make the same mistake I did and tent camp outside in a huge storm - just stay inside!

• S

  Steven H.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 5, 2019

  Riverside Campground

  Quiet on the river

  Great spot with tent camping on the water. We stopped in on short notice for one night. Would definitely stay again.

• S

  Scott M.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 5, 2018

  Fancy Gap Cabins and Campground

  Fantastic Campground

  Fancy Gap CC is a great small campground with a rustic hotel, cabins, tent camping, and RV/Trailer hook ups. I've stayed here before tent camping, which was nice. This time I was caught in traffic and they had a cabin available, better than pitching a tent in the dark and rain. The cabins are sturdy, very clean, pet friendly, and complete with a refrigerator/microwave and coffee maker. The bath house is relatively new and kept very clean. The whole campground is tidy. You can tell tell the owners love the place. If Fancy Gap is relatively close to your travel plans, I highly suggest you visit for yourself.

• C

  Chad Z.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 14, 2021

  Blue Bear Mountain Camp

  Beautiful views and clean bathrooms

  We have tent camped and RV camped here. Great site with lots of space and kept up well. Views are great and area is beautiful.

• A

  Andrew R.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 13, 2022

  Fancy Gap Cabins and Campground

  Campground

  Tent camping or small cabins, quite and clean with water and power and bathroom/ showers and a few hiking trails , great for moto camping or bike camping

• 

  Eli E.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 24, 2020

  Utts Campground

  Great Place

  Needed a campsite quick and Utt's really helped us out. We tent camped but this also looks like a great place for RV's. Friendly people and pretty property.

• J

  JORGE

  Guide

  

  May. 27, 2021

  Raccoon Holler Campground

  Hidden Gem

  Located on the Blue Ridge Parkway this campground is a great out of the way destination. Offers full hookup as well as tent camping. Quiet and very clean. Highly recommended !

• 

  Betsy W.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 2, 2024

  Little Tumbling Creek

  Beautiful and peaceful

  Laurel bed lake at top is beautiful. Waterfalls on way up and good fishing along the way in tumbling creek. Flat field area for camping on way. Several spots by creek for van or tent camping.

• 

  Keri P.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 3, 2023

  Flintlock Campground

  Small spots but pretty place

  If you're staying in a tent, it has to be site 9. Every other site is super tiny, and the tent camping in general is very crowded. It is a nice Campground and very friendly but they are definitely trying to conserve space.

• 

  Todd T.

  Scout

  

  Jan. 3, 2022

  New River Alleghany Access Primitive Paddle-in — New River State Park

  Wonderful find

  My family went to tent camp and enjoyed our stay. We discovered others with campers that had wonderful campsites. The bathroom facilities are new and very clean. We enjoyed hiking. The location also had four bars of Verizon LTE. Amazing!

• M

  Megan M.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 8, 2020

  Cedar Rock Campground

  Quiet setting beside of a beautiful trout stream

  We have tent camped here many times and it is always a great time.
  Nothing beats falling asleep and waking up to the sound of the creek. Small playground isn’t much to look at but my kids (10 and under) always use the heck out of it. They love riding their bikes along the gravel road and grassy hillside. If you’re tent camping the best spot is the far end, I believe number one and two. So secluded and private.
  There’s a small beach area that you get kids can use as access to swim and rock throwing.
  This campground is only a few miles from Stone Mountain state park. Lots of great hiking. In the summer you have to check out Widows Creek. Sliding rocks and waterfalls and a swimming hole only .2 miles off the road.

  We love camping at this clean, simple campground.

• 

  Denise

  Guide

  

  Oct. 3, 2020

  Royal Oak Campground — Hungry Mother State Park

  Nice park

  We tent camped here in the Royal Oak section. Campsites in this section are tent only and very nice and have platforms. Rv sites are crowded. Clean bath houses, and plenty to do. The lake is beautiful and has boat rentals and a swimming beach! Great place to kayak! This place stays booked up, so reservations are suggested during the summer/fall months.

• 

  Douglas P.

  Scout

  

  May. 9, 2022

  Blue Bear Mountain Camp

  Family friendly

  Everything a small family with very young kids could need. We tent camped for two nights on the lower back end of the campsite, then rounded out our stay with one night in the cabin. The owners were extremely accommodating, since technically the cabin required multiple night's stay.

• 

  Kirsten J.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 9, 2019

  Twin Rivers Family Campground

  Remote, riverfront, primitive, FIREFLIES!

  Twin rivers campground is located in Crumpler NC on the river.  It is a primitive campground with both RV and tent sites.  The tent sites are found by following a dirt road around the base of the mountain, at river level, which left us a little wary that the road could wash out.  We followed the path a bit to a private site down a ways, just past a porta potty.  There is a bathhouse up in the RV section of this campground, but we were camping in primitive tent land. 

  The site we were on was fantastic!  It was steps from the river, we had a flat, grassy spot with shrubs creating some privacy between us and our neighbor.  Our next neighbor was as far down as we could see!  

  The campfire was perfect, our site was superb and we had a great night sleep!  

  (PLEASE NOTE!  THE CAMPGROUND HAS SINCE CHANGED OWNERSHIP AND SITES ARE NOW MUCH MUCH CLOSER TOGETHER)

• 

  Nick

  Scout

  

  Aug. 31, 2020

  Julian Price Park Campground — Blue Ridge Parkway

  Love this place

  Great family campground, with enough separation from other tent sites. Camp here every year with the family and always have a great time. Never have issues with neighbors, bath house is new, and close to plenty of hiking/recreation activities.

• 

  Stephanie J.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 31, 2018

  Hickory Ridge Campground — Grayson Highlands State Park

  A beautiful basecamp for hikers and horseback riders

  With camping just a moderate day hike away from Mount Rogers, the highest point in Virginia, this campground is a hiker's paradise.

  There is little to no cell signal here, so coming to Grayson Highlands is one of the few state parks in Virginia where you can truly go "off the grid" during the length of your stay--and you won't miss technology, because there is so much to do at this park. From the aforementioned Mount Rogers--an 8.5 mile out-and-back, to the 1.5 mile but difficult Cabin Trail that takes you to a waterfall, to the wild ponies who will approach hikers along the Rhododendron Trail, any fitness level will find hiking they can enjoy. When we stayed the outer bands of Hurricane Michael brought so much fog and rain that we were not able to see any of the ponies, but we did hear one a couple of times, very near Massie's Gap!

  As for camping there are two frontcountry campgrounds. All sites have picnic tables and fire rings, and bathrooms with electricity and flush toilets*

  Chestnut Hollow Campground:

  -There are 23 sites here with water and electric hook-ups May-October, and this loop is available as primitive camping March, April, and November. *During this time bathrooms are pit toilets only

  -Horse-friendly; there are stables located adjacent to this loop

  -These sites are very small; if you are in a tent I recommend no larger than a 4 person.

  -Not a lot of privacy between sites, especially near the back of the loop. Most sites are right agains the road and have little space to move around; I would not recommend this loop if you have small children who are going to want space to run and play

  Hickory Ridge Campground

  -This is the larger of the loops at GHSP; there are 64 campsites ranging from standard tent sites without water or electric, to full service sites with water and electric hookups.

  -Tent sites 1-18 are the furthest from hookup sites and will therefore be the quietest; they are mostly small sites and very close to the road. Sites 10, 12, 13, and 14 are set back furthest from the road. There is a path behind sites 2-14 leading to the bathhouse behind site 14. Site 13 is easily the most private--and arguably the only truly private--tent site in this campground, with the driveway going behind a cluster of trees that shields the site from the road. We stayed in site 12 which easily fit our 6 person tent.

  -Sites 31 and 32 are on a meadow the campsite loops around; they have no privacy and little shade, but ample room for kids to run around, and there is a set of swings near these sites. They are however right on the road so it may be easier to just walk to the swings and keep littles in a site without as much traffic. There is water right across from both of these sites.

  -Even-numbered hookup sites 60-70 are also right on the meadow with very little shade

  -All other sites are heavily shaded, although you'll be close to your neighbors

  The camp store near the Hickory Ridge Loop sells ice, firewood, and just about anything you may possibly have forgotten to pack--firestarters, first aid supplies, marshmallows, and has as a gift shop with blankets, outerwear, and kitschy souvenirs.

  Normally I would take off a star for lack of privacy of tent sites, however there is so much hiking here that your campsite can really be more of a basecamp than a place you want to sit and hang out all day long!

• 

  Charles H.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 29, 2022

  Washington County Park

  Beautiful lakeside campground

  Most camp sites are right on the lake, and there were even some spots that had docks. All hook ups included, and some tent camping as well! There were several shelters that can rented as well to have parties and cook out. Only complaint, the sites are all back in and are on small roads so they're right fits, even with travel trailers.

• 

  Brad U.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 27, 2018

  Fancy Gap-Blue Ridge Parkway KOA

  Nice little campground

  there's a lot of camper spaces... and about 6 or 7 tent sites. all have electric but not all have running water. pool is good sized cool little camper kitchen. excellent staff, very friendly and attentive to your needs and feedback... we will definitely go again!

• A

  Allen F.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 9, 2019

  New River Canoe and Campground

  Best camping and floating on new river!

  Great place for camping, plenty of tent camp, also plenty sites for campers with 30 & 50 amp service with water, dump station available onsite also. Best canoeing and kayaking on new river, class 2 & 3 rapids on the 10 mile float, worth the $20 shuttle to take you up river to float right back to camp ground. Also have have cabins/apartments , and store available