Best Tent Camping near New Market, VA
Tent camping options near New Market, Virginia range from dispersed backcountry sites to established campgrounds within the Shenandoah region. Crisman Hollow Road Camp offers primitive tent sites with direct access to water, while South Fork Shenandoah River provides riverside tent camping with basic facilities. Emerald Pond Primitive Campground serves as a hike-in option for backpackers seeking more remote experiences in the surrounding forest landscape.
Most tent campgrounds in the New Market area feature dirt surfaces with minimal site improvements. Crisman Hollow Road Camp provides toilet facilities and allows fires but lacks drinking water, making it essential for tent campers to pack in their own water supply. At Emerald Pond, the tent sites are accessible only by hiking the Bird Knob Trail, with no facilities beyond basic fire rings at cleared campsites. A visitor commented, "This was suggested to me as a great starter trip for backpackers. You start at the old Welcome Center with a steep ascent to the ridgeline, but then it's mostly flat for the remainder." Campers should note that permits are required for some backcountry tent sites, particularly those within Shenandoah National Park boundaries.
The riverside tent campsites at South Fork Shenandoah River provide direct water access with sites situated along the shoreline. A review mentioned, "The site at the end of the road is beautiful. We stayed right at the end, but there are sites you can walk to all the way down the river." Tent-only camping areas often provide greater seclusion than mixed-use campgrounds, with Emerald Pond offering a spring-fed swimming spot surrounded by wild blackberries in summer. Backcountry tent sites at Hazeltop Summit and Laurel Prong Trail provide challenging access but reward campers with secluded locations and mountain views. Wildlife encounters are common at these primitive tent locations, with bears occasionally investigating campsites, making proper food storage critical for tent campers in this region.
