The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near North Tazewell. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in, as well as sights to see and explore. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your North Tazewell camping trip.
$11 - $79 / night
"We camped in the "primitive loop" for a long holiday weekend. Tent sites were spaced a decent distance apart. Most were treed and had some shade during the day."
"Beautiful lake surrounded by gorgeous mountains, hiking, fishing and boating, amazing staff, very clean shower houses and laundry facility! Very family oriented and pet friendly!"
"There is a shelter at the top; this location is located along the Appalachian Trail and has wodden bunks and single platforms for pads and sleeping bags."
"Don’t make the same mistake I did and tent camp outside in a huge storm - just stay inside!"
$25 / night
"You will have the whole property to yourself to fish the 1 acre pond and hike around the 76 acre land.
We want to make you feel welcome so feel free to reach out!"
"The Appalachian Trail and Virginia Creeper Trail are just minutes away, as well as some easy whitewater paddling fun on the White Top Laurel Creek."
"Only downside was the spot I set up camp was very close to the road and headlights from passing cars would light up the spot. However the road was quiet most of the night."
"Once reaching the off road trail my partner got nervous, feeling as if our Forrester wouldn’t make it up. My advice… come prepared. I got. Flat on the way up and was able to make it to my campsite."
"Nice campground outside Bland, VA. The road up needs a 4x4. Nice vault toilets and a hand pump water. There are 5 sites at this location."
"Good hikes nearby, nothing too difficult and all are beautiful. The Appalachian Trail is close to the site, find some thru hikers and make some trail magic!"
$20 - $25 / night
"Ever wake up on a foggy Virginia morning and walk only a few feet fro your tent and watch the fog rise off the water? I DID and it was AMAZING!!"
"The park is a linear park that is known for its flat-ish trails and bike/horse paths. Of the 57 miles of this park, about 39 are on the New River."
$17 / night
"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."
"Sites with full hookups: 3, 7, [8, 12, 13, 14, 15 near bath house] 18, 19, 20 Bath house was nice and clean. Canoe up camp sites right along the River."
LegendHungry Mother State Park, just a short drive off I-81 in southwestern Virginia, is an easily accessible gem offering modern cabins, yurts, and campgrounds equipped for tents or RVs, with limitless activities.
We stayed in one of the cabins after Hurricane Michael rained out our plans for tent camping. This was our first time in one of the VSP cabins, and will not be our last. There are three types of cabins; log exteriors, part of the original Civilian Conservation Corps structures; wooden frame cabins with wooden interiors, and cinderblock exteriors with tile floors. Cabins range from economy to three bedroom, and all have a kitchen with microwave, stove, and refrigerator/freezer, a bathroom with a shower, and a fireplace, as well as heating and air conditioning. Most cabins also have covered porches, exterior picnic tables, and exterior fire rings.
The Creekside Campground loop has water and electric hookups, picnic tables, and fire rings. The layout is similar to most water/electric sites in state and national parks in Virginia; not much privacy between the sites, but fairly shaded, and a quiet atmosphere. This loop is true to its name, and right on the creek running through the park. We were there during the rains from Hurricane Michael and the creek was running so high that sites 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, and 19 looked like they were in danger of flooding.
The Royal Oak campground has platforms for tents set into the mountain rather than dirt or gravel tent pads, however as there are hooks in each of the pads to anchor your tent they can only accommodate tents with a 20x20 footprint. These sites have picnic tables and fire rings on the dirt beside the platforms. The two VSP Yurts at Hungry Mother are in the Royal Oak loop, along the entrance that are set up from the road. This loop overall offers a lot more privacy for each site that I have typically seen in state parks due to the platforms, though you will still see/hear your neighbors. Both camping loops have bathrooms with electricity, flush toilets, and showers with warm water.
Amenities in the park include a lake with a swimming area, boat/canoe rentals, fishing (with license), a restaurant, hiking, biking, and ranger programs. The park office also has several cool displays of local wildlife and history of the area, as well as backpacks you can check out with books and gear for tree, wildflower, and animal identification. Hiking varies from short and easy trails with minimal elevation gain, to the difficult Molly’s Knob trail with one of the most epic sunset views I’ve ever hiked in Virginia.
I love Virginia State Parks, and this is definitely a new favorite. I’m skeptical of the comfort of the wooden platforms for future tent camping trips, but the cabins will definitely be a future stay for us, particularly during the winter months, and there is so much to do in this park even the most reluctant adventurer will find fun.
**Product Review **
As as Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time — on this trip I tested the RōM pack, from RōM Outdoors.
I was skeptical about this pack when I first received it—it felt extremely heavy for a day pack, particularly as it doesn’t have a hip belt, and while I was impressed with the removable pockets, it didn’t seem like the pack itself had a lot of cargo capacity.
After using this pack on our trip, I am a convert. We used it to pack clothes for my husband and I, knowing we would be able to leave our clothes at camp when we went hiking. This freed up space in the car that would normally go to a larger backpack, and we got to take advantage of the pack’s ability to convert to both a poncho and a blanket, not just for review purposes, but out of necessity.
The poncho’s rain resistance held up well, considering we were hiking in the outer bands of a hurricane. The first hike we took this on we started in the rain, and my husband wore the poncho—he stayed dry for the first half mile of our hike, but by end of our mile the water had started leaking through so he did get a little wet—though mostly around the the seams/openings. On our second hike he wore it as a backpack. Because it was raining when we set out and we anticipated needing the poncho feature again, we elected not to bring the detachable pockets, but the interior of the pack was enough to hold our 5 year old’s day pack once she got tired of carrying it.
It stopped raining by the time we got to the summit of our hike, and we tested the blanket feature of the pack for a picnic. It unfolds to a size that was perfect for our family of four. The canvas is thick enough to make a great picnic blanket—it protects from damp ground and sharp rocks, and the lining makes for a very soft surface to sit on. On the way back I took advantage of the poncho. By this point it had gotten extremely windy and was getting dark quickly, and the poncho was excellent at keeping me warm. It’s very heavy, which was welcome in the strong wind, though it did make it hard to hear with the hood over my ears.
Pros to this pack:
-Versatility. In one trip we used the backpack, poncho, and blanket feature, and were grateful for all three.
-Durability. This is definitely a well-constructed pack, with heavy materials that seem like they will last for a long time.
-User-friendly. The pack looks intimidating at first, but it unfolds/folds from pack to poncho/blanket very easily. Combined with the drawstring inner pack and detachable pockets it’s easy to convert while still keeping track of your gear.
Cons to this pack:
-Space. This is great to bring on a camping trip where you can bring additional packs/bags for your gear, but it doesn’t hold much on its own.
-Weight. It only weighs in at 4.6lbs, which is less than a lot of backpacking packs, but as the pack doesn’t have the hip belt it’s a high starting weight.
-Thin straps. The width of the straps is comfortable, but they could use a little more padding.
LegendAt the intersection of the North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia state lines, sits this national forest which offers multiple dispersed camping areas along Bear Creek. Opportunities for hiking, cycling, fishing, and paddling are abundant. The Appalachian Trail and Virginia Creeper Trail are just minutes away, as well as some easy whitewater paddling fun on the White Top Laurel Creek.
Most of campsites are large, very shaded, along a beautiful treelined road, and surrounded by mountains. There is no drinking water, picnic tables, or even pit toilet, so come prepared. The only major problem is that folks tend to leave a ton of trash around, so we often spend about 20-30 minutes cleaning these sites upon arrival. Please Leave No Trace!
Our site had a good fire ring, and was on the edge of a creek that we could filter water from with ease. We stayed at this camp for 3 weeks during the pandemic shutdown and it was a perfect place to ride out this crazy storm and decompress from some anxiety.
The closest town is Damascus, VA, about 12 miles away. The town is small, but draws thousands of tourists each year who are either hiking the Appalachian Trail or cycling the famous Virginia Creeper bike path. It is equipped with a decent sized grocery store, gas, and couple of restaurants, and a cute downtown area. There is absolutely no cell service at this camp, you have to go into town or hike a local mountain to get service up high.
LegendJust across the Virginia state line, this national forest offers multiple dispersed camping areas along Beaver Dam Creek. Opportunities for hiking, cycling, fishing, and paddling are abundant. Most of campsites are large, very shaded, along a beautiful treelined road, and surrounded by mountains.
There is no drinking water, picnic tables, or even pit toilet, so come prepared. The only major problem is that folks tend to leave a ton of trash around, so we often spend about 20-30 minutes cleaning these sites upon arrival. Please Leave No Trace! Our site had a good fire ring, and was on the edge of a creek that we could filter water from with ease. Would not recommend for any vehicle larger than 20 feet as the potholed road and the tight turns to get up to the camp from the road would be tough. 4WD highly recommended, especially in mud season or winter.
We stayed at this camp for 10 days during the pandemic shutdown and it was a lovely place to ride out this crazy storm. Some road noise from the motorcycles that cruise the road, but only occasionally. The closest town is Damascus, VA, about 5 miles away. The town is small, but draws thousands of tourists each year who are either hiking the Appalachian Trail or cycling the famous Virginia Creeper bike path. It is equipped with a decent sized grocery store, gas, and couple of restaurants, and a cute downtown area. There is absolutely no cell service at this camp, you have to go into town or hike a local mountain to get service up high.
GuideNice spot to stop for a night on our way north - level private spot for our rooftop tent. Sites 38-45 have the most privacy. Check website as we were there during a fire ban.
LegendWe stayed at Dusty Trails Outfitters (in Crumpler NC) last week and it was fantastic! He was recommended to us by a nearby campground and we were thrilled with our new riverfront go-to!
We met Dustin as he was packing up near his boat launch area. If you drive down Garvey Bridge road (past the bridge), you will easily see the shuttle bus labeled Dusty Trails Outfitters. Dustin rents out single canoes and kayaks, tubes and luxury fishing kayaks as well. We paid for our site and drove a few miles to get to a beautiful, spacious, quiet, remote campsite- our favorite kind!
As we pulled down the gravel road, we noticed each site had their own port-a-potty, hand washing station(with soap), campfire ring, picnic table and trash can. The port-a-potty was very clean- not even spiders inside! Dustin delivered our firewood to our site, did a quick once over to make sure everything was set and reminded us that we were in bear country and bears had been spotted on this road days earlier. As we unpacked, the only other group we could see over 150 feet away- at a site 2 away from ours. It was fantastic. We never heard them and could hardly see them through the brush that separates the campsites. The dogs were happy wandering around our site, the kids were happy playing in the babbling brook through our site and the river was GORGEOUS! Our site was both shaded and sunny- so if you were wet from river play, you could warm up and dry easily. Yet our tent was in the shade and we stayed nice and cool.
Aside from the great breeze off the river, the darkness with no artificial light and the size of our campsite- nothing could beat the fireflies. As darkness set in, the fireflies across the river began to light up, like festive lights. Not just a few hundred, but thousands of them, in the most amazing natural light show I have ever seen. This is our new solid go-to spot!!
Advice for this spot: Bring water(or a pump) - and camping chairs. The picnic table is perfect - but we like to sit around the fire and being so close to the river, the terrain is uneven as the area suffers from periodic flooding.
This is my ideal campsite - even with your own port-a-potty for social distancing! The firefly show and the sunrise over the river were breathtaking - I highly recommend it! (Please keep in mind all of these photos are JUST from our campsite :) It is that awesome!)
LegendGrindstone campground is a large, primitive NF site that will only have a single loop(Opossum) open with no water or electricity for 2021 and the foreseeable future. I spoke with volunteers who stated there are extensive infrastructure needs and no funds to complete the repairs. So, if you have a tent or smaller RV, bring your own drinking water, and enjoy this quiet, wooded campground. There are portable toilets. Some of the site drives are sloped. The dump station is unavailable. For a site without facilities, the price seems a bit steep ($24 for a single,$48 for a double site).
If you have kids, there’s a play area, as well as a basketball and volleyball courts. There is also a small stone pool along the creek. I camped here with friends the weekend we decided to hike Mt Rogers. The trail leaves from the campground with some switchbacks. The summit of Mt Rogers, VA’s high point, is wooded, but there are some open fields and the potential to see wild horses as you approach the final ascent. There are easier trails than this, but you can enjoy relative solitude for most of the trail until you join the madness that is Grayson Highlands with the crowds out for a quick ascent.
GuideWe've made this hike several times with our dogs. It is a great shorter hike with great views over Burkes Garden (nicknamed God's Thumbprint). At the top is a clearing where camping is possible. There is a shelter at the top; this location is located along the Appalachian Trail and has wodden bunks and single platforms for pads and sleeping bags. There is also a fire pit located outside the shelter.
RangerLocated in the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests this campground was a nice find.
Not crowded at all, maybe 5 other campers. Extremely quiet & relaxing stay.
With 26 sites no one was stacked on top of each other.
We grabbed site 19 I believe. Had a great parking area for the bikes and a small walk to the site.
Nice open fields, which were well maintained. Close enough to the brook. Sadly, water level was very low so no fishing.
Fire ring, picnic table, pole to hold a lantern, and even land to pitch a tent.
All grounds were well maintained, spigot area and toilets were clean and well stocked.
LegendWith 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!
North Tazewell, Virginia, offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for a peaceful retreat in nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near North Tazewell, VA is Cavitts Creek Park with a 3.7-star rating from 3 reviews.
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