Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Ripplemead, VA
Walnut Flats dispersed camping area provides free sites with fire rings and picnic tables for pets and their owners. Located along the Appalachian Trail, this primitive campground features five established campsites with level gravel pads and lantern poles, perfect for tent and RV camping with dogs. Nearby, Eggleston Springs Campground welcomes pets with riverside camping along the New River, where dogs can cool off in clear water. Whitt Riverbend Park offers pet-friendly tent and RV sites with basic amenities including picnic tables and trash service. New River Junction Campground allows dogs on both tent and RV sites, even offering special tubes for dogs during river activities. Most campgrounds require pets to remain leashed when outside vehicles or tents, with owners responsible for waste cleanup. The only campground with recent negative reviews is Eggleston Springs, where flooding damaged facilities and created poor conditions.
Hiking trails accessible directly from several campgrounds provide excellent exercise opportunities for dogs, including the Appalachian Trail crossing near Walnut Flats. The New River offers water access for pets at multiple campgrounds, though pet owners should be cautious of the rocky, slippery riverbed at New River Junction. During summer months, early morning or evening walks help prevent paw pad burns on hot surfaces. Train noise affects camping experiences at multiple locations, with New River Junction campers reporting frequent loud train horns throughout the night that disturbed both humans and pets. White Rocks Campground provides remote wilderness camping with no cell service, making it ideal for pets who react negatively to crowds, though water issues have been reported in recent years. Travelers should pack extra pet water, especially when visiting more remote sites where water systems may be unreliable.
