Best Campgrounds near Ripplemead, VA

I think this was described on some maps I looked at as being "dispersed" camping. But being familiar with many dispersed campsites out in the western US, this ddid not feel very dispersed at all. Sure: it is dispersed in the sense that it is way off thhe beaten track, far down into the national park that  requires traveling a long way on a dirt road to  get there.  But thee sites themselves in the camp spot are not dispersed. You are essentially going to be right next to, annd right within sight of, every other campsite. This was not a problem for me since I was there on a weekday and off-season (mid November), so I haad the place to myself. In that sense, it was quite peaceful and had some nice views being that most of the sites were within ssight of the river, or within a few feet of it.

One  thing to keep in mind, a thing that would be true for pretty much any camping area next to the river here in the national park is that there is a train track on the other side of the river thaat is definitely active, several trains going through per day. So it won't be one of those places you would go if all you want to hear is the sound of birds chirping.

But given that it is a free campsite, it's absolutely adequate, and has clean restrooms (at least the day I was there) with pit toilets inside.

General: Mash Fork is one of three campgrounds at Camp Creek State Park and is the developed one. It is small (18 sites) with a mix of 30-amp, 30-amp with water, 50-amp with water and electric, and FHU sites. 

Site Quality: All camper pads are paved, have a generous camper pad length, and most are spread a decent amount of space apart. 

Bath/Shower House: was very clean. Instant hot water was appreciated at the tap (it was in the 30s when we were there in mid-October) Hooks and shelves for toiletries were appreciated. Did not use the shower.

Activities/Amenities: Playground, basketball, volleyball, laundry (but there was water on the floor so not sure if there was a leak), several hiking trails including trails to two waterfalls, and an ADA-accessible short trail. The waterfalls were very sparse when we were there so not sure about other times of the year. There is an office with a small store. 

This was only an overnight stay for us but very enjoyable. We'd definitely come back.

Absolutely loved this park! We camped near the end of October for 5 days, so there weren’t a ton of other people, but the park was clean and quiet. The bath house was pretty nice and had three showers. The water had some issues while we were there (as in the sink was so hot it physically hurt to wash your hands) but seemed to be a fluke and was fixed by the time we left. We camped at site 21, which was the middle of a loop and it was space and flat. It had another site next to it but it was further apart than other sites. Some of the edge site, like 19 had some sloping issues Roads through the park from the campground to the main part of the park are really narrow and seem like you aren’t supposed to be there but are well maintained. Hiking was great and my young children hiked all of it with us. Overall, highly recommended.

This campground was pretty much washed out by Hurricane Helene.  It apparently was owned by the family that owns the gas station on site.  The gas station was flooded out and will need to be completely rebuilt.

The dirt under the campground remains and there are a few campers here still despite there being no more services available.  Two tents were set up.  One had a generator.  One trailer was here.  The water level is down now but there's still debris that needs cleaning up.  The roads were not washed out so this is still a fairly easy to access site being it is right off I-81.

All 12 non-electric sites appeared to have fire ring, picnic table, trash can, flat parking area. They did vary a bit in size. I was there on Friday and Saturday and there were no more than 4 other sites occupied. I was surprised that the bathrooms had running water! Overall, everything was quiet and relaxing. Some traffic from people driving by, but not bad at this time of year. It was delightful falling asleep and waking up to the sound of the creek! There are miles and miles of trails, I hiked 16 and only encountered 1 couple. The other campgrounds in the park have more amenities, too.