Best Equestrian Camping near Fries, VA

This is a group equestrian camp that can be reserved via Recreation.gov for$50/night for up to 25 people. There is no potable water available, so plan to bring your own. There is a stream at the site where the horses may drink. There's enough space for a number of trailers, including large ones, and up to 25 horses. There's a fair amount of grassy area and it's lined with rhododendron. Dumpster provided. No cell service.

There are a number of horse trails that connect, starting with the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail nearby, so you don't need to trailer your horses to get to the trailhead

This equestrian campground in a beautiful state forest allows for other campers to make reservations no more than 30 days in advance; priority is for campers with horses. This state park has wild horses of its own, but has numerous multi-use and equestrian trails and connects with additional trails in the area for up to 66 miles of riding. Chestnut Hollow is distinct from the Hickory Ridge campground.

The campsites are back-in along a single spur with turn-around at the end. There are  bathrooms with showers and a sink for laundry. Fees are $20-23/night, slightly higher for out of state campers. There are open and closed stall options for an additional fee. These were clean and in good repair. Although the official season runs May - October, it is open for primitive camping March, April, and November.

Site are long, gravel, relatively level with water/electric.

Campground Review:

We stayed in Yurt#4 for 2 nights at Fairy Stone State Park, about a 4 hour drive from where we live. The Yurt overall was very clean and cozy. The outside of the Yurt looks like it needed a powerwashing, but that didn’t really affect us at all, just kind of unsightly. They have a nice large deck that is great for hanging out on while the kids were asleep. The inside of the Yurt has a full size bed with a twin sized trundle bed that rolls under the full. It also had some rocking chairs inside, a small table and chairs, and a couch. We ended up eating and hanging out inside the Yurt or on the deck most of the time. 

There are 4 Yurts to choose from. Two of them (Yurts#1 & 2) do not have a parking spot right in front of them, they are a short walk from a parking area, so I made sure to get one that did since we would be arriving after dark. The Yurt we stayed in was a little weird because the Fire Pit and Picnic table is behind and almost under the yurt, down a decently step slope and the yurt sits on stilts on the back side. The Yurt next to us#3 had the fire pit and table right up front next to the parking spot which would be better I think. I would try to get Yurt#3 next time! Overall Yurt camping is so fun! We have done it once before, and it is such a great mix between cabin and tent camping. You get the protection from the elements, a real bed to sleep in, and it’s quick to pack-up- but still a bit rustic since there’s no ac or electricity. 

There are hiking trails right across the street from the Yurt, which was awesome! The bathrooms and showers were fine and in close walking distance. They could probably use some updating but didn’t have any major issues with them. Overall the campground is pretty big and a bit of a maze getting around, we needed to use the park map a lot! Probably due to the park being so old there are a lot of old buildings not in use that are pretty cool. 

The park is big and there is lots to do! There is a beautiful lake for swimming Tons of hiking trails. They had a great playground for the kids nearby. They had a concert going on somewhere at the park so we had some beautiful orchestral music playing as we were winding down for bed one night. We saw lots of deer roaming around. Note that there is not great cell service in this area. 

The place to find the Fairy Stones are outside of the park, down the street a little bit beside a gas station. It was tricky knowing exactly what to look for, but once we found a few Fairy Stones, they were everywhere! So fun searching for them with the kids! 

It was such a fun trip, very peaceful, beautiful scenery everywhere!

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Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - we tested out the Banner& Oak Men’s Nebo Hat– Olive  

The quality of this hat is great. Nice and thick but breathable fabric, durable construction. We’ve put this hat through the ringer so far with sweaty hikes, long beach and lake days, and everyday wear and tear and it has performed spectacularly. The adjustable snapback makes fitting easy. Has a nice shape, looks great! Love this hat’s patch with well-designed graphics and the neutral olive color– goes with everything. Will definitely purchase again! Also appreciate the fact that the hats are made in the USA! It is my husband’s new go-to daily hat and I think it will last for a long time.

With a wide network of multi-use trails in this area, Fox Creek Horse Camp provides a nice base for exploring on horseback. Sites have a gravel/grass pads, picnic table, and fire ring. Portable toilets available. Bring your own water. No hookups provided. Hitching posts at sites. Manure collection available. At $5/night, it's hard to beat the price.

Campers are frequently referred to Grindstone campground for potable water and showers, but as of 2021, the dump station and bath houses/water are off; if you need services plan to travel about 15 minutes to Hurricane Campground instead.

We stayed for one night only on our way to Dreher Island SP. We didn't get in until after 4 pm, but there was still enough daylight to see how pretty the campground was. We had site 60 for the night. We tow a 19' a-frame camper with a Toyota Tacoma and had lots of room on the pad. The pad was pretty level so set up was easy. The site also had a huge area for the picnic table and the fire ring is far away from your camper. There was a huge grassy area behind our site with a creek, lots of space for our dog. We were in campground B (electric) and the sites were decent. There wasn't a lot shade for us, but up in the tent area they were surrounded by trees and it looked like they all had tent pads, some better than others. The shower house was nice, clean, flush toilets, and good showers. By the shower house they also had an outside sink to wash your dishes. We didn't get to hike, but everyone said we should if we ever go back. It's on our list to visit again.

This weekend was a great adventure in SW Virginia. We stayed in a Yurt. It has no electricity or water but the bath house was close. The yurt has a double bed, a twin trundle, a couch and some chairs, and a table and chairs. It also has a large wrap around deck with rocking chairs. A picnic table, lamp post, and fire ring are also provided at the site. We hunted and found fairy stones which made the trip that much more fun. It was just after covid 19 started and lessening restrictions began so the beach was closed and there were few people at the campground but we had a great time riding bikes and hiking. We even went to the Creeper Trail and rode our bikes from White Top to Damascus.

Jotting down my thoughts about Stone Mountain State Park won't do it justice...my photos will speak louder and clearer...but being there in person and experiencing this wonderful park will convince you to return time and again!

I've only stayed at Stone Mountain State Park twice, but plan on making it a yearly venture. So we did not hike all the trails, but the one's we did were stunning and memorable.

The campgrounds are super clean and neat, the showerhouse/bathroom a positive too. When car camping, even though their sites are clean and tidy...I personally don't like the "tent pads." Most (as in this case) are gravel...which is rough on tent floors, even with a ground cloth or footprint. It is quiet, even though there is no real foliage or barriers between sites. The RVing crowd really seemed to gravitate here.

We drove down to the meadow, where there is another newer, very nice restroom, with drinking fountains out front...that's the trailhead for both the waterfall trail and also the summit of Stone Mountain. It is a loop, if you are adventurous and ambitious...and in good physical condition. The elevation changes are dramatic and it is a lengthy trail.

The waterfall is spectacular and runs a distance over the smooth rock, pouring down into the ravine below. A remarkable wooden staircase/boardwalk will take you from the top of the falls to the bottom, if you are willing to climb it. Remember, what goes down, must go up.

The trails along the stream below are equally impressive and enjoyable and they meander. Innumerable photo opportunities.

If you decided not to go down the "endless" staircase, you can return to the fork in the trail where a lone fireplace remains...and start heading up. The grade is not overwhelming and is slight at first, but it gets tougher and steeper...switchbacks are the norm. The trail opens up on a couple of occasions to give spectacular views, but you must venture out onto the stone face.

You ultimately reach a signpost that lets you know you are on the summit and gives the elevation of 2306 ft. Seems higher. To see the surrounding mountains, you must walk out onto the bald. Sit and take it all in. If you decide to wait out a sunset...remember to bring illumination to light your path back down...it gets dark quickly and navigating in the woods can get sketchy.

What you don't see from the summit is an impressive homestead below...which I highly recommend you take in. The homestead is in remarkable shape, well-maintained and numerous info placards to bring you up on the history.

You just don't get tired of visiting wonderful places like Stone Mountain State Park.

I went back and forth on whether I should give this rating two stars or three. In the end, I chose three stars because the mountain itself is so amazing. Geologically this was great place to visit and the trails were well marked and maintained. Beautiful hike. The campground was beautiful but the facilities were run down and dirty. It had, by far, the nastiest park/campground facilities I’ve seen in Kentucky, North Carolina or Virginia this year. I know this park is mobbed on the weekends, but I checked in on a Tuesday and stayed for two nights. The facilities, including the campground bathhouse and the park’s “comfort stations” were dirty, smelly and had bugs in them. The trash in the bathhouse was not emptied in the two days I was there. There was not a single exterior light to the bathhouse, not even something as reasonable as a motion sensor light that would be more energy efficient than a constant lighting option.
Compared to New River State Park, despite the giant Stone Mountain, this was the bottom of the barrel.