Whether you're a tent camper, an RVer, or just passing through, Mineral, VA has a lot to offer. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Mineral is surrounded by family-friendly activities. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Mineral. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.
A World Away Farm LLC
50 min away
Cloverdale Farms
1 hr 2 min away
"For being a state park, Lake Anna is one of the best I've been to. Although we only tent camped, I noticed a lot of things about the campground that would welcome RVs as well."
"Good site with excellent drainage. Unfortunately, at the time we were here, the dump station was not working! Will go back!"
"The sites are large and primitive. We had no trouble getting down there in the jeep. We appreciated the dishes/kitchen set up, games, and the adorable outhouse!"
$35 - $55 / night
"Ashley here with The Dyrt, we're happy to welcome this new listing to the platform. Check them out and come back here to leave them some love!"
$40 / night
"You just set up camp wherever you feel like it on her little farmette and enjoy the peace and quiet and privacy that you don’t get in a campground."
"This historic property has gently rolling hills, with a little creek amidst a couple acres of cleared, open, secluded woodland perfect for pitching a tent and listening to nature."
"7 or 8 tent pads. Wood for sale at the site for $4 honor system. Porta pottie right next to wood pile. You’re not supposed to setup anything outside of the “tent pads”."
"It was my first hike in primitive camping experience. We hiked for a few hours and finally got to our site which was right on the Potomac River."
$21 - $60 / night
"We're so excited to have this property on our platform! These flat, well maintained sites are perfect to pitch your tent or park your RV. The sites are large and offer ample shade."
"It’s a decently private spot with the trail close by, bugs weren’t bad only gripe was bears were constantly checking out our tent during night, we had one beef stick (trash thrown in our hang bag of course"
"This campsite is another one we found on a list provided by Shenandoah’s park rangers and was listed as moderate hike and easy camping."
"Found this spot from a recommended list provided by Shenandoah park rangers, and I’m glad we choose this one."
$70 / night
"Sites have extras like fire rings with seating, swimming ponds, hiking trails, grassy playing fields, etc. but I’m not sure they all have all of these. They’re all among the trees and shady."
GuideI stayed in the tent only / non generator sites which is definitely the way to go. My site was actually a walk in. So I had to park and lug my gear up some steps about 200 feet. The site was shaded with a nice spot for a hammock. Including a fire ring and grill grate, picnic table and a bear box. You are close to the road, so you get noise and headlights in your tent sometimes. Deer and skunk walk through camp all the time. Heard some owls at night. Whooooooo
LegendLoft 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
GuideBig Meadows Campground was wonderful. Facilities were clean and well maintained. Bear box for food storage. Loved seeing the deer so close and other wildlife. Fire ring with grate was available. Large site size. We had site 23. Highly recommend!
GuideI tent camped for one night at the start of Easter weekend. Lots and lots of folks about, but still enough space to NOT feel encroached upon. Level grass spot for a tent, fairly level paved parking area if car camping, picnic table, fire ring with grill grate. I was on the no generator loop, but in a non electric site (vs tent walk in type). Warm bathrooms, utility sinks in several, pay hot showers, lots of greenery. I will visit again! NO Verizon cell service at all!
GuideWe 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
LegendPart of the VA State Park system, BCL is exceptionally well-maintained. Most of the site are RV accessible, but there are a few tent-only sites along the lake, which is where we stayed. These sites are absolutely beautiful--great lake views, and while the only swimming allowed is at the roped off beach area, there is a canoe launch and fishing opportunities right at the campsites.
The tent pads are filled with shredded tires instead of gravel or dirt, which provides a little extra cushion, but can be uncomfortable on bare feet.
All sites have fire rings, lantern hooks, and extra long picnic tables. Tent pads are of varying sizes--we stayed in site A12 and our 6 person tent fit easily, and we could have fit a second one-many of our camp neighbors had 10 person tents set up.
The water view loop was not heavily trafficked, though the water does provide a hazard if you have small children as it is not roped off in any way. Our kids loved having the water right there and we loved watching them, it just requires extra vigilance. Loops B and C have more sites that are very shady but closer together, and there is more vehicle and bicycle traffic going past campsites.
Bathrooms are clean, and have showers and electrical outlets to charge devices if needed.
The park has lots of hiking, including trails that go directly from the camp sites to the swimming area, boat/canoe rentals, cabins, fishing, and a lakeside diner that sells concessions. Campsites allegedly have Wifi though we did not test this to see how reliable it is.
Cumberland County is only at 455' elevation, so the heat and humidity in the summer is intense--we were very uncomfortable our first night because of this, so fall would probably be the best time to go as it is when central Virginia has the best weather.
LegendVery large and very open group campground situated on either side of the picnic area road back out. Each of the campsites provides plenty of tent space, a couple picnic tables, fire pit with grills, bear boxes, potable water, and a shared vault toilets in the middle of the sites and nearer to the picnic area and parking for up to five vehicles at each site. Firewood, ice, laundry, showers and camp store are available three miles north at the Loft Mountain Camp Store.
LegendPowhatan State Park is a relatively new addition to the VA State Parks system; the park itself has only been open since 2003. The primitive, canoe-in campground opened with the park, and the loop with electric and water hookups opened in 2016.
**Canoe-In Campground: **
When we stayed, we stayed in the canoe-in campground, although we hiked in the approximate 1/4 mile from the parking lot, rather than coming in by boat. This is a quiet, beautiful loop, with 8 sites, each with a picnic table and fire ring. There are composting toilets here and no potable water, so you will need to bring enough water for your trip or purification methods. Proper food storage is also essential back here; while this section of Virginia does not have the bear activity you’d find in the mountains, there are still raccoons and other wildlife who should not have access to human food. There are no bear boxes, so treat food storage as you would in the backcountry.
-Sites 7 and 8 are closes to the toilets, and back up to the woods leading towards the Turkey Trail; hikers are visible from site 8 and audible from site 7.
-Sites 4 and 5 back up to a very wooded area, and are further back from the gravel loop. Site 4 is closest to the boat ramp and is visible; site 5 is probably the most private in the loop.
-Sites 1,2, and 6 are in the center loop, but have more space between them than inner-loop sites usually have. Sites 1 and 2 are right against the River Trail however, so will have hikers walking directly past during the day.
The canoe-in loop sits against the James River; there is a rack to stow your canoe/kayak overnight, and a pay by honor-system pile of firewood. Due to the thick foliage there is no actual river-view during the warmer months, but it’s easily accessbile. When we stayed in early spring there were a lot of vines that served as “natural playground” for our kids; they used them as swings, monkey bars, and enjoyed getting their feet wet at the base of the canoe ramp, so much that they declined hiking or driving to the park’s man-made playground. This loop makes a great “trial run” site for anyone considering a future backcountry trip; the walk to the parking lot is short enough to make multiple trips if you need to, and you still have access to the park amenities if you don’t mind a walk/drive to get there.
River Bend Loop
The River Bend Loop has 29 sites with water and electric hook-ups, though very little privacy between sites. The surrounding trees give all but the first three sites decent shade and a wooded atmosphere, and this is a great loop for RVs or tent campers who enjoy being close to other sites. If you are looking for a feeling of isolation however, you would be better off minimizing your gear and walking to the primitive sites, or going to a different park altogether. The bathrooms here have electricity, flush toilets, and showers with hot water. Sites 1-14 are available for advance reservation, and sites 15-29 are first-come first-served. Site 25 offers the most privacy for tent campers, and it’s very large, but if the campground is at full occupancy all sites are going to have a crowded feel.
There are several hiking trails at this park ranging from very easy to moderate, and a couple of them are horse-friendly; our kids enjoy seeing horses on the trail with them, but be mindful if you have kids/dogs who may be afraid of the horses. The park also has a playground, picnic shelters, and ranger activities on the weekends, and there are three yurts available to book.
This is a very open, well-maintained park, and the camping options should appeal to a wide spectrum of campers, and my only reason for giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the lack of privacy in the drive-up campsites. It feels a lot like a hidden gem; the hookup campground fills up during warmer weather, but all of our visits here have been very quiet and peaceful. If you are looking for camping options near Richmond, I highly recommend this park!
RangerAs a youth I camped in Big Meadows for two weeks every summer with my parents, and this was my first trip back in nearly 30 years. We booked walk-in site number 35, which is the first site off the parking area. Despite being so close, it was secluded and well shaded. This site does not include a bear box due to its close proximity to your car, which is a minor hassle when preparing meals, but you absolutely must adhere to the rules regarding food storage when not in use within your vehicle or bear box (where available).
During the week of our stay we saw bears daily, hunting for acorns in the forested areas surrounding the sites that were slightly further back from ours. I've attached some photos I'd captured of them, as well as, some deer that paid us no mind as they meandered right through our site several times a day. The bears were active mid afternoon to shortly before sunset and are very skilled at climbing trees. When we left the site to run errands and such we would check the trees before we walked in, as one afternoon we were sitting by the fire and unbeknownst to us one had climbed up a tree during our absence. He decided to high tail it out of there after we settled in. The tree was a mere 40 yards away in a nearby site. They generally want nothing to do with us humans but if cornered they will feel threatened and become aggressive.
The showers are absolutely the best I have ever encountered in all my years of camping, so I happily paid the $1.75 for 5.25 minutes. The water is hot and the stalls are clean and much nicer than my own bathroom at home.
The laundry facility is $1.00 for each unit and the washer takes :30 minutes to complete and the dryer cycle is about the same, although I had only done a small load towards the end of our trip, and it was completely dry in :15 minutes.
The wood sold at the shower building is hit or miss, they sell two types one in yellow nets and one red. According to the attendant they were the same kiln dried wood but just from different manufacturers. The wood in the yellow burned better and sold out faster during our trip for whatever reason. The Walmart in Luray sells wood (which is okay to use in the park, provided it has the USDA symbol on the packaging) and at nearly half the price burned a lot longer and better.
The camp store is well stocked with camping gadgets, canned goods, bread, snacks, toiletries and cleaning products. There is a small freezer section with individually wrapped meats, such as, burgers, steak and chicken breast which was a plus. They also had a nice beer selection. Prices are reasonable, similar to that of a convenience store. Gas was only .10 cents more than the valley which isn't too bad considering. We had a meal each at both the wayside and the lodge and they were both good and a nice change from prepping meals at the site.
The rangers were great, helpful and informative. I was mildly worried after reading some of the reviews here, because our group included a few musicians and guitars were played and songs were sung. As long as you adhere to the quite hours you will have no issues.
Ranger programs were offered every other day at the amphitheater and there were various presentations at the visitor center
The utility sink near the bathrooms that are scattered throughout the campground is very handy for washing dishes but do not throw food out there. Scrape the food off your dishware/cookware into a bag and throw it out at the trash bins before washing. Twice over the first weekend the sink was clogged and completely unusable and had to be cleared by park maintenance. It can and WILL attract bears if left in that condition.
Overall, this is a beautiful and well maintained place to place to pitch a tent and I highly recommend it.
Tent camping near Mineral, Virginia offers a variety of scenic spots where nature lovers can unwind and enjoy the great outdoors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Mineral, VA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Mineral, VA is Lake Anna State Park Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 21 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Mineral, VA?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 tent camping locations near Mineral, VA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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