Douthat State Park Campground and Smith Mountain Lake State Park provide unique glamping experiences within Virginia's scenic mountain region. Both parks offer cozy yurts equipped with proper beds, electricity, heating and cooling systems, and outdoor decks that elevate the camping experience beyond traditional tent sites. The yurts at Smith Mountain Lake feature lockable doors, screened windows, and convenient proximity to modern bathhouse facilities. "We camped here annually with my wife's side of the family. We love it," shared one regular visitor about their glamping experience. Natural Bridge-Lexington KOA and Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park complement the area's glamping scene with canvas safari tents and fully-furnished yurts that include comfortable mattresses, private fire rings, and picnic areas for outdoor dining.
Seasonal considerations affect availability at these eco-friendly glamping destinations, with most operating from April through October when weather conditions are optimal for outdoor experiences. The Greenbrier River Campground provides unique waterfront glamping sites where guests can step directly from their luxury canvas accommodations to enjoy river activities. According to a camper, "The tent sites on the river offer a perfect balance between comfort and nature." Guests staying at these glamping locations benefit from easy access to the Blue Ridge Parkway's scenic drives, Jefferson National Forest's extensive trail system, and Lake Moomaw's water recreation opportunities. Most glamping sites maintain a balance between providing modern comforts and preserving the natural setting, with many utilizing solar lighting, composting facilities, and environmentally sensitive design elements that minimize impact on the surrounding landscape.
$37 / night
"We use a teardrop camper so we appreciated the water and electric hookup (although we disconnected the water at night to prevent freezing)."
"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."
$35 / night
"We had a gravel pull through spot with a picnic table on a wooden deck, fire pit, and full hook up. There is a pool and a playground, however they were both closed due to Covid."
"This campground is open year round and is right off the highway. There is a gas station right next to it as well as a safari park. "
$16 - $85 / night
"Our spot was right there on the water, there are bathrooms at the top of the hill. Campsites are drive up and can fit 2 vehicles. The spot also has a fire ring and picnic tables."
"I stayed on campground 1 on a lake side site with access to the lake, the views from my tent were breathtaking! The campground is clean, it has shower and flushable toilets."
$20 - $85 / night
"All of the sites were roomy and featured a small fire pit, picnic table, water, and electricity. Several of them even had a pull-through site and would work well for a small pop-up."
"It was early season, mid- may, so there were few other campers around. We took a site up their gravel road away from the main campground area."
$18 - $65 / night
"This is a great camp located near lake Moomaw! Right off the road with easy access to the sites. First come first serve but this particular camp has a lot of sites!"
"Morris Hill campground is located in Alleghany County, Virginia, in the George Washington National Forest. This campground does not have Water/Electric hookups... It is semi primitive."
$39 - $241 / night
"There was a carnival for the kids, trick-or-treating, hiking, tons of bike riding, campfire watching, hammock swinging, laughing, loving, and hanging out!"
"If that isn’t enough, there is a lake with a big blow up slide and more in the center and also has river access. You can get free life jackets to use and can rent out boats for the river."
$27 - $144 / night
"The tent (non-electric, non-hookups) sites are at the back in their own section. They are the farthest from the bathhouse, but also the most private."
"I have camped here for 15 years most in tents, each site contains all you need a table pole for light and fire pit. Bathhouse is open,clean showers are hot."
$7 - $45 / night
"Right next to river. A bit noisy since the RV sites are next to the road & railway is across from river. Pet friendly & nice size bundles of firewood for $10."
"Bath house was so clean and amazing. Was super chill even this there was a lot of ppl."
$24 - $413 / night
"Site had a picnic table, large fire ring, electric and water hook up. Sites were private due to trees around each site. Our site was #35 which was a lovely end spot. "
"Our spot included a grill and campsite. There is also a camping manager type person who drives around and sells firewood and helps answer any questions."
"This KOA was a very nice surprise given that it was right off the highway. We only were there for 1 night and we didn't hear any highway noise."
"Big patios, bbq grill, tables, fire pit. It was a quiet, well laid out and easy to manage in our 36 ft trailer. Wished I was staying much longer at this campground."
GuideClean and right beside the safari park in Natural Bridge, cave mountain is few extra miles but is nicer in my opinion if you want nature and peace. This place does have hookups and sites are on top of one another not spaced out. It does have WiFi available and your phone will work here. Has a gas station right in front of it’s entrance and is directly off interstate
GuideSite 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.
LegendCampground Review:
We stayed in Yurt#4 for 2 nights at Fairy Stone State Park, about a 4 hour drive from where we live. The Yurt overall was very clean and cozy. The outside of the Yurt looks like it needed a powerwashing, but that didn’t really affect us at all, just kind of unsightly. They have a nice large deck that is great for hanging out on while the kids were asleep. The inside of the Yurt has a full size bed with a twin sized trundle bed that rolls under the full. It also had some rocking chairs inside, a small table and chairs, and a couch. We ended up eating and hanging out inside the Yurt or on the deck most of the time.
There are 4 Yurts to choose from. Two of them (Yurts#1 & 2) do not have a parking spot right in front of them, they are a short walk from a parking area, so I made sure to get one that did since we would be arriving after dark. The Yurt we stayed in was a little weird because the Fire Pit and Picnic table is behind and almost under the yurt, down a decently step slope and the yurt sits on stilts on the back side. The Yurt next to us#3 had the fire pit and table right up front next to the parking spot which would be better I think. I would try to get Yurt#3 next time! Overall Yurt camping is so fun! We have done it once before, and it is such a great mix between cabin and tent camping. You get the protection from the elements, a real bed to sleep in, and it’s quick to pack-up- but still a bit rustic since there’s no ac or electricity.
There are hiking trails right across the street from the Yurt, which was awesome! The bathrooms and showers were fine and in close walking distance. They could probably use some updating but didn’t have any major issues with them. Overall the campground is pretty big and a bit of a maze getting around, we needed to use the park map a lot! Probably due to the park being so old there are a lot of old buildings not in use that are pretty cool.
The park is big and there is lots to do! There is a beautiful lake for swimming Tons of hiking trails. They had a great playground for the kids nearby. They had a concert going on somewhere at the park so we had some beautiful orchestral music playing as we were winding down for bed one night. We saw lots of deer roaming around. Note that there is not great cell service in this area.
The place to find the Fairy Stones are outside of the park, down the street a little bit beside a gas station. It was tricky knowing exactly what to look for, but once we found a few Fairy Stones, they were everywhere! So fun searching for them with the kids!
It was such a fun trip, very peaceful, beautiful scenery everywhere!
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Product Review:
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - we tested out the Banner& Oak Men’s Nebo Hat– Olive
The quality of this hat is great. Nice and thick but breathable fabric, durable construction. We’ve put this hat through the ringer so far with sweaty hikes, long beach and lake days, and everyday wear and tear and it has performed spectacularly. The adjustable snapback makes fitting easy. Has a nice shape, looks great! Love this hat’s patch with well-designed graphics and the neutral olive color– goes with everything. Will definitely purchase again! Also appreciate the fact that the hats are made in the USA! It is my husband’s new go-to daily hat and I think it will last for a long time.
GuideA friend and I stayed here 3 nights while visiting Marlinton for the annual Roadkill Cook-off. Facilities are decent however Wi-Fi is extremely weak if you are more than a couple hundred feet from the restrooms. Because this entire area of WV is in the National Radio Quiet Zone, there is zero cellular service with 1-2 hours drive in any direction. If you can't get the weak WiFi service, you won't be using any data services. (Not necessarily a bad thing, but don't expect to notify family that you have arrived or are ok. Also, make sure any electronic devices you will be using for navigation have offline maps loaded before visiting.) One huge gripe is that technically you are limited to 1 sleeping unit per site, even if you only have 2 or 3 people sleeping in individual 1-person tents or a hammock. This either is not listed in the reservations information or is buried in the small print. The person checking us in told us about this, but allowed the 2 of us to camp in the same site. Being strictly a motorcycle camping person, neither I nor any traveling companions would be packing s large tent that could house all of us. The same thing could be said of 2 or 3 backpackers traveling together. For the nearly $30/night charge, this would become FAR too expensive and I'm not likely to stay here again simply because of the fear that the campground's silly rule might be enforced the next time.
RangerWe had a great weekend with the whole family! There was a carnival for the kids, trick-or-treating, hiking, tons of bike riding, campfire watching, hammock swinging, laughing, loving, and hanging out! We had a campsite with electric and water close to the bathhouse which is great because we have a popup camper with no bathroom and six kids. There were plenty of decorations for Halloween and the kids had a super time. Great for families. There are also a couple of playgrounds, two bouncy pads, basketball court, and gaga ball. During peak season there is also a water play area with a waterslide and mini golf. It is located on the James River. We had a great time.
TravelerLovely campground. Not too noisy and gorgeous nature. Campsite 2 is across the path from the check in point and you are quite on display but on the other hand you have WiFi signal and are close to water and perfect distance from the campground.
Firewood and ice is available for purchase and there is a soda machine and laundry facilities on site.
Perfect combo of shade and sun with deers grazing right next to your tent!!
RangerThis weekend was a great adventure in SW Virginia. We stayed in a Yurt. It has no electricity or water but the bath house was close. The yurt has a double bed, a twin trundle, a couch and some chairs, and a table and chairs. It also has a large wrap around deck with rocking chairs. A picnic table, lamp post, and fire ring are also provided at the site. We hunted and found fairy stones which made the trip that much more fun. It was just after covid 19 started and lessening restrictions began so the beach was closed and there were few people at the campground but we had a great time riding bikes and hiking. We even went to the Creeper Trail and rode our bikes from White Top to Damascus.
LegendMY husband and I stayed two nights in a 1 bed efficiency CCC Cabin at Fairy Stone State Park for a short weekend away from the kids. We visited in December so it was pretty cold weather but the cabin was so cozy and comfortable! We loved having the fireplace! The cabins have a bathroom, shower, kitchen with sink, fridge, oven/stove, microwave, toaster, everything you need! They have heating and a/c as well. The cabin was built in the 1930s and is so charming! Loved everytihg about our experience here.
There is no cell service or internet/wifi at the cabins though so come prepared with something to do! We found it to be very relaxing to unplug!
LegendSited on an old CCC camp, and former juvenile detention center, this private campground is a few minutes from convenience stores, has water, cold showers, toilets, fire pit, community room, and picnic tables. Close to the Appalachian Trail, and National Forest. Resarant, grocery, and AT hostel and shuttle in nearby Glasgow. Rock Bridge and waterfalls just minutes away, by car. Minimum two-night stay for $100 is a little pricey, for me, but they do have Wi-Fi, and they don't have T-Mobile coverage. Some road noise and barking dogs in the distance. Adjacent to National Forest land. Cabins also available.
As you leave Glasgow turn left at the cow, and go past the big blue propane tank. Host texted us a good hand-drawn map. Some of the turns were a little precarious in the campground itself, but the road was overall good and flat.
Jefferson National Forest provides a variety of glamping options near New Castle, Virginia, with elevations ranging from 1,700 to 3,500 feet creating diverse microclimates for campers. The region experiences moderate temperatures averaging 55-75°F in summer, with higher elevations being 5-10 degrees cooler than valley locations. Winter camping is limited at most locations, with only select sites offering year-round access.
Paddling Lake Moomaw: Bolar Mountain Recreation Area offers excellent water recreation on the 2,530-acre lake. "We rented kayaks at the marina/camp store down the road and explored a little cove that was really cool. We blocked out 4 hours, but only lasted 2 hours before we got tired and returned the kayaks," shares one visitor to Bolar Mountain Recreation Area.
Hiking trails: The area surrounding New Castle features extensive trail networks. "We did a decent amount of biking here, the main road is nice for road biking, we rode out about 15 miles and back, saw a black bear. Beautiful country roads. And the trails are great for mountain biking. Bring your legs, lots of climbing!" notes a camper at Douthat State Park Campground.
Trout fishing: Several locations offer stocked fishing opportunities. "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!" advises a visitor to Douthat State Park.
Riverside glamping: Waterfront sites provide direct access to river activities. "Tent sites on the river, RV sites, RV and cabin rentals and float trips. Lots of space for kids to play," notes a visitor at Greenbrier River Campground. The tent sites right on the riverbank offer easy water access.
Lake views: Some campgrounds feature premium waterfront locations. "We had site #76 because the creek wound around the back of the campsite and had a gentle slope leading down to the creek. We knew our dogs would love splashing around in it!" explains a camper at Middle Creek Campground.
Wildlife encounters: The forests around New Castle support diverse wildlife. "We were quickly in the Jefferson National Forest where the road winds through the forest along Jennings Creek. It was absolutely gorgeous. Around every turn we saw fishermen wading into the water or sitting on the banks," describes one visitor to Middle Creek Campground.
Site selection matters: Campgrounds vary significantly in privacy and layout. "White Oak Campground is larger, wooded, and has a significant elevation change between different sites. Caution should be used with large rigs as the low-water bridge to White Oak has steep approach and departure angles," warns a camper at Douthat State Park.
Weather conditions: The mountains create variable weather patterns. "We stayed here 4 days and 3 nights in November. We use a teardrop camper so we appreciated the water and electric hookup (although we disconnected the water at night to prevent freezing)," explains a visitor at Douthat State Park.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near New Castle, VA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near New Castle, VA is White Oak Campground — Douthat State Park with a 4.5-star rating from 27 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near New Castle, VA?
TheDyrt.com has all 20 glamping camping locations near New Castle, VA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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