Best Dispersed Camping near Salem, VA

We had the absolute best time. It was so peaceful being by the creek and just relaxing. You are off the road of the national forest so cars come by but nobody bothers you and it stays quiet. Will definitely be back soon!

Unexpectedly found this site after planning on doing some primitive camping off the road. There's 2 sites that I saw on the road with pits.

There's access to the App Trail on the road so you might see some hikers but it was real quiet otherwise. Pretty nice scenery (you're smack in the middle of the forest) so if you want to get out and away from people this is a great site.

Nice camping spot in George Washington NF. There are multiple spots along the road - some are drive in and some require you to park and walk in. Definitely get there early to get a prime spot. We didn’t arrive until late afternoon but we were able to snag one down toward the end of the road. The spot was nice and flat, backed up to a little creek and had an established stone fire ring.

My only complaint - that whoever used it last decided to walk a few yards down the trail and use the bathroom right in the middle of the path, leaving their mess and a pile of used wipes on the ground. Gross.

Other than that disgusting discovery this is a very nice woodsy campsite close to Natural Bridge!

I was originally looking for a different camp site earlier on the road when I stumbled upon this one. It is a very rocky path, about 50 feet long, to get into the campground, but then it is smooth and well laid out. There is a giant fire circle in the middle and enough room to fit about 10 vehicles/groups if people don't mind being next to each other.

No cell service(T-Mobile), but if I drove towards the main road, Route 501, I could get some service.

August 31, 2024, Labor Day weekend camping trip. Spent a night here camping with my younger sister.  She could only do one night, as she lives up north and had to be back up by Monday to go back to work on Tuesday. We arrived around 10:30am, we got everything set up before we ventured out. Very nice spot we found, very quiet except for nature. Best sounds ever. We visited the Natural bridge, which was about 20 minutes or so from the camp site. It did some light rain from around 8p til sometime after midnight, but stayed comfy and dry.

I stayed at this AT shelter when I was doing a section hike with some friends. It's not bad as far as shelters on the AT go. There is not a water source too close to the shelter. The closest one is about 3 miles North. The sites aren't bad though, pretty flat. There is also a wooden shelter maintained by the AT, but those aren't my favorite to sleep in. Seemed nice as far as they go though.

I was hiking a little section that includes Mcafee Knob, one of the most photographed spots on the AT. This spot is really awesome. It can also just be done as a day hike, so I recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind a 8ish mile hike. Another cool thing about this area is that there's some fairly nice bouldering to be found near the top. Some of the routes are a little under maintained and mossy, but there are some fun ones. Lugging a crash pad all the way to the top isn't the most fun, but worth it if you want to get some cool bouldering in.

As far as AT shelters go this is pretty basic, except for the lack of a good water source. However, it's a decent spot to stay the night especially if it's not crowded! There's a few other shelters and stealth sites in the area that are also great options though.

Went with our little teardrop trailer (13ft), no issues with the road and enough space at the spot for both car and the trailer. Quiet place with a creek and fire ring. Previous folks left us some firewood, thank you! No bear encounter.

We came for this site specifically but it was already occupied so we kept going down the road. Luckily there were 4-5 additional site & we got one for 3 nights. They are all lovely & creekside with fire pits & there is a hike at the end of the road that takes you to a gorgeous summit & links to AT!

I stopped here for a night while traveling across the country. It is a hilly drive down back roads off of 81. You loose cell service a couple miles from the site. The site itself is nice, perfect for car camping. Fire ring and river are right there, no toilets. I didn’t see anyone else near this site when I stayed.

Nice and peaceful. First time camping there and had a nice time. Nice trials.

Happened to pull up and snag this beauty. Had one other person later on drive by while I was scorching a fire, felt bad snagged it from them but hey oh well. Yeah so not sure how popular it is but I bet you’ll be good. Anyways, did one night here and really enjoyed, just wish all the spray paint and whatnot wasnt put on the trees, kind of a shame. Also, if someone is at the spot with the big rocks. You could park next to them and ask if its cool to set up a little into the woods. If you keep walking you’ll find other areas with stone pits and whatnot.

Multiple road sites that fit my van with room to spare - 80% were full on a beautiful fall Friday evening around 6pm but still snagged one

Large open space with several flat areas for tents. There are several spots on this road, maybe 6 but this is the furthest off the road. There are hiking trails and easy access to the stream.