Best Equestrian Camping near Marshall, VA

BOTTOM LINE: 3.5 Stars. We had a fine time camping here, but probably would not stay again unless some friends were going and wanted to stay. Not bad, but not great and not my personal preference for camping. Any recommendation to stay would be dependent on what you're looking for--it might be for you, but just wasn't for us. 

Acknowledging that reviews are totally subjective, here is a brief summary of some of the pros and cons (in our humble opinion):[

PROS/CONS

Pros:

• Beautiful mountain views
• charming brook and farm (i.e. things to do for young kids), and okay hiking trails
• friendly campers and staff
• ease of check-in process
• low cost
• Can (technically) hike intro Shenandoah National Park

Cons:

• campground bathrooms and port-a-jons in poor condition
• street lights in primitive camping area
• yellow jacket nests in primitive camping area (with no warning signs)
• the gnats and flies were bad (way worse than I've ever experienced; probably due to the horse and cow poop)
• decent amount of horse/cow manure in the primitive camping area
• camping area is mixed with RVs, equestrian trailers, & tent campers
• camping area was restricted to a smaller area, forcing camps a little too close together (so much room that wasn't allowed for pitching camp and spreading out)
• few trees in camping area (more of an open field)
• 35-40 min drive to either entrance of Shenandoah National Park (then you still have to drive to the trail you want to hike)

Again, we recognize a lot is subjective; but it just wasn't for us. We'd camp here again if others wanted to, but wouldn't choose to come back.

I'm happy to elaborate on any particular bullets.

HELPFUL TIPS:

• Sites are first come, first served -- there are a few "primo" spots, but get there before noon to nab them
• There is local firewood available at the General Store/Post Office in Syria, VA (~0.2 mi from campground); about $7/bundle (you'll probably need 3-4 bundles for a night)
• Use trees to block out some of the light from street lights (only a handful of spots can do this bc few trees); or try to get a spot as far away as you can get
• For kids, there is a duck pond, chicken coop, shallow brook, disable farm tractor, and some other stuff to play with/on/in across the street near the lodge.
• Free range horses (they're penned-in) come back at dusk and head out at dawn -- fun to watch from the campground, especially for kiddos
• Bring your own water, if possible

Looked forward to camping at Graves Mountain and enjoy the festivities. The campsite is very very small. They say dispersed, but it is a small field as you can not access the others fields. Horse trailers, rvs, tents, and overland trailers all park right next that to each other. We set up away from everyone to properly distance ourselves due to their covid protocols. They told us to move next to others but there was no space. We got our money back and moved to another site. I would avoid this campsite. If you want to visit it for the apple or Fall festival just camp somewhere else and drive to it. No amenities. No cell service.

We camped several nights in our 23ft. travel trailer.  Our site A85 was just long enough to fit our trailer and truck. We were able to use our generator at this site.  The bathroom  was just a short walk away.  There are no hookups in this campground.   We did drive to the shower house and paid a fee to take a shower.  They were clean and even though the campground was nearly full we never had to wait in line.  We also did our laundry one evening. The machines were all working and it was quite reasonably priced.  Big Meadows campground is so conveniently located to the Visitor's center and many local trails. The horse stables were just down the road.  The lodge/restaurant was near the campground and we enjoyed a special dinner out one evening on the deck overlooking the beautiful Luray Valley.

We have lived in northern Virginia for over 30 years and never been to this campground until this month! Very nice campground with friendly staff and friendly campground hosts. Sites are comfortably sized and provide privacy as well as allow socializing. Restrooms are extremely clean and the showers are well designed. Only real drawback is the shooting range but honestly it’s not that loud and becomes background noise you don’t notice pretty quickly. The weekend activities were a nice surprise, especially the pancake breakfast. We will definitely be back and anticipate that the campground will be our local go to for future trips.

We have found municipal campgrounds in Northern Virginia are a bit spendy for being government sponsored.  Not as bad as South Carolina, but way more than Florida.  Fine.  Comes with the territory.  But Bull Run manages to goose you even more.  There are occupancy AND transaction fees that really add up if you're only there a few nights.  But the real kicker is a 2-night minimum stay.  Even mid-week.  In APRIL for gosh sakes!

While we were here, there was a fairly heavy day of rain.  Couple inches, I suppose, but nothing Biblical.  The mouths of the metal culverts in our loop were bent downward from campers driving over them, which obstructed the flow.  Result was lots of standing water at our campsite.

We're done with NOVA Parks campgrounds.  Better cost options exist with Fairfax County Parks.