Best Glamping near Stuarts Draft, VA

This is a glamping site! coin operated showers, camp store open during the day. This is a much bigger campsite than the others in shenandoah and you should reserve spots a week or more in advance. This site generally has more RVs and people than the others.

We used this in the offseason as is was one of the only ones in the area that stays open for most of the year. This is not a primitive/secluded campground if you are looking to get away and spend some time in nature. It would make a great group/family glamping campsite as is has all of the amenities, including playgrounds, a pond with a "beach" and golf cart rentals to get around.

This campground is very very popular and the sites are very close together so it’s a bit overwhelming. Definitely avoid major holidays if you camp to get away from it all. But it’s perfect if you like glamping. You’ll never be at a loss for things to do: hiking, birding, Ranger-led programs, blueberry picking in July, and a Junior Ranger patch program for kids. The wayside has a sit down full service restaurant plus the most heavenly homemade blackberry ice cream. Hot showers are available ($1.50 for 5 minutes so bring quarters) and bathrooms are always close by.

I have to give Big Meadows 4 stars simply because it’s so crowded and busy.

We stayed in a yurt, and I’m gonna let the photos do most of the talking👌🏼🛖

We got here super late and we’re still able to check in because they’re at the desk 24/7.

Yurt has a full kitchen and bath. Coffee, popcorn, toiletries, linens provided.

Such a sweet little spot tucked outside of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Lovely time in the yurt! Walked around the property and saw the horses and checked out the primitive sites.

We have stayed at this campground many times! It is our favorite! The scenery is fantastic and at the foot of Shenandoah National Park. The sites are large and there is both sun and shade. Upper bathroom is so-so but there is a new one on the lower level that’s great. There are yurts to rent also!

This resort is 5 Star in amenities. Indoor pool in the lodge, restaurant, outdoor pool connected to the indoor one. Another outdoor pool area by the general store (wasn't open yet) has a large pool and kids pool. The activities center has things going on every day. They also have a large room with a large screen that you can reserve to watch movies. There is a stable for horse riding. Also, there's miniature golf. They have cabins, yurts,and a tree house for rent. The laundry is free. Our campsite, lowest level, has a table with four chairs, two Adirondack chairs, and a propane grill. The higher level has an outdoor sink. The top level has a jacuzzi. The grounds are well designed for landscaping and kept trimmed. Now, for the cons. Our back- in site isn't level. We were told that is by design so water will flow off. Maybe. Our loop doesn't have any bathhouse, while the one next door has two. We did take a shortcut that went over a clay hill. Probably not safe if it's raining. The shower looks nice. Would stay drier if people would put the curtain inside the barrier. Shelves and benches in the showers are nice. Water pressure is mediocre to good. We're still waiting for hot water. I do say the help keeps it clean. There are sanitizer bottles left in the bathrooms and showers. Overall, it is a nice place to sit and relax.

Campground Review

As a Ranger on The Dyrt, I sometimes receive compensation for reviewing campgrounds like this one. Middle Creek Campground is the perfect place to use as a base camp for all of the outdoor activities in the area. Getting here was a lot easier than expected. The campground is only 6 miles off the I-81 Arcadia exit. We were quickly in the Jefferson National Forest where the road winds through the forest along Jennings Creek. It was absolutely gorgeous. Around every turn we saw fishermen wading into the water or sitting on the banks.

Check-in is at the fully stocked camp store where you'll likely be greeted by the two resident dogs. They mostly lazed around all weekend and watched people coming and going. The RV sites are directly across from the camp store, but the tent sites were tucked back into the woods. The upper tent campground was closed for renovations during our stay, so we chose from the 8 or 9 sites located in the lower tent campground. All of the sites were roomy and featured a small fire pit, picnic table, water, and electricity. Several of them even had a pull-through site and would work well for a small pop-up. Bonus: most of the lower tent sites have direct access to the creek! There were only four other tent sites occupied the whole weekend. It was very quiet and peaceful.

We chose site #76 because the creek wound around the back of the campsite and had a gentle slope leading down to the creek. We knew our dogs would love splashing around in it! Once we got everything set up I realized that the site was bigger than I'd originally thought. There was more than enough room to set up our Kingdom 4 tent, 10' canopy, and camp kitchen to glamp in style. We brought a 15' lead for the 2yo beagle so he could go down to the creek on his own or hang out with us. Even at the end of his lead he was nowhere close to the road. Check out the video below for a 360' view!

The bathhouse was at the back of the camp store. Like the rest of the campground, the facilities aren't fancy, but they are functional and clean. Both men's and women's featured two showers where the water was nice and hot! There are even washers and dryers around the corner.

Firewood is available for purchase onsite. We paid $7 for a bundle at the camp store, and it was delivered to our site just a few minutes later. The bundle was huge! We had more than enough wood for two cooking fires.

Because our visit was so early in the year, we weren't able to access most of the amenities. There is a good-sized pool and pavilion on a hill behind the camp store. Right beside that is the swimming pond with two large slides in the middle, plus a small beach. There is another lake at the front of the campground designated for fishing. There are no trails in this campground, so if you want to hike, you'll need to drive about a mile out to where the Appalachian Trail meets Jennings Creek. Or, drive to one of many trail heads within the National Forest. There are also plenty of pull-off spots along the road if you want to wade into the creek.

During our stay, we observed the staff cleaning, fixing, and getting ready for camping season. The bathrooms got a fresh coat of paint. The roads through the campground were recently groomed with new crushed gravel. All of the picnic tables and sidewalks were being power washed. The game room was also being renovated! Downside: we didn't have water at our site the first day. About half-way through the second day one of the workers came around to let us know they were turning it on and to let it run for a bit since it had been off all winter. That made it much easier to wash dishes in a bucket at camp. There isn't a wash station in the campground for doing dishes, so we had to improvise the first night. The biggest turn-off for us at the campground was the RV section right across from the camp store. It seemed like the sites were really packed in there, one on top of the other. I've never been RV-ing before, so I'm not sure if this setup is typical, but I wanted to point it out.

All of the staff that we came into contact with were super friendly and helpful. We were immediately made to feel welcome. It felt like spending the weekend with friends and neighbors instead of strangers.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - today I am testing Nature's Coffee Kettle with Colombian Arabica Coffee. I am completely unable to start my day without coffee even when I'm sleeping in the woods. Nature's Coffee Kettle is a packable system that provides you with delicious, pour-over coffee in the backwoods. The "kettle" is a specially designed pouch with two sections. The top section holds the pre-filled coffee filter in place while you slowly pour hot water over the grounds. It features a zip-top so you can close it up while you're waiting for the magic to happen.The bottom section is the reservoir that holds all of that coffee goodness. Coffee refills are also available separately. The entire system packs flat for storage in a camp tote or in your backpack.

The directions on the back of the bag are super clear and even contain pictures. The key to making the perfect brew with Nature's Coffee Kettle is time. Don't rush it. This is not instant coffee. It is the real deal and will be worth every minute. Slowly pour 1 cup of hot water over the filter, zip up the top and let it sit for a minute or two so the grounds can soak up all of that water. This is the most important step. Then, unzip the top, and keep slowly adding the rest of the water. How much water? I used my coffee mugs to measure out the right amount of water into the kettle before boiling. After you've poured all the water into the bag zip it up again and let it sit. Then, just twist off the cap and pour!

The pouch is reusable, so don't toss it out. Dispose of the filter and rinse out the pouch. It will be ready to go the next time you need some caffeine. Nature's Coffee Kettle comes in a variety of coffee flavors as well as orange pekoe black tea, apple cider, and hot chocolate.

Great all around virginia campsite

A favorite of our for years! All types of sites and hookups plus cabins. Fishing, lake swimming, hiking, educational opportunities galore. Security is good but not overwhelming. Virginia is for lovers and camping lovers!

I grew up going to this campground. It's located in Gordonsville, Virginia. There's not much to do in the area, but the campground itself is nice.

There is a nice pool, arcade, camp store, horse riding, and the camp sites are pretty nice.

All around good place to camp.

This was a nice little campground, and my friends and I had a great time here. Originally I picked this place because most of the other campgrounds in the area were already booked up. We went in the middle of October when the leaves were changing in Virginia. It was a good place to stay overall. We stayed in one of the "primitive" campsites with no water or electric hook ups. For these you park at a small parking lot and walk a few hundred feet or so to the campsites.  The sites in this area were pretty close together, some closer than others. We stayed at site 7, which was a little closer to some other campers than I would have liked. It was flat and grassy and the woods were very nice though.  There were also some rv sites in the campground, which also seemed a little close together. 

I wold say the best thing about this place is how close it is to stuff. Crab tree falls and spy rock are both really nice hikes right in the area.  Bold rock hard cidery is about 40 minutes from the campground. All around a really awesome area with plenty to do.  I would recommend it.

We spent several days in Seneca State Forest. I want to highlight the Thorny Mountain Fire Tower for this review.

Renting and staying in the Thorny Mountain Fire Tower is a special opportunity...and I believe everyone should enjoy its uniqueness and solitude...for several reasons. One selfish reason is so that perhaps other State and National Forests would do the same thing...refurbish, but leave rustic remaining fire towers and rent them out like a campsite or cabin. There is much history and lore that is behind every fire tower.

The Thorny Mountain Fire Tower was built by the CCC sometime around 1935...and is erected at an elevation of 3458 ft. Nearly 70 steps up the structure brings you to 3507 ft (by my gps). From that height, you get to enjoy long mountain views in both West Virginia and Virginia. The tower cabin structure has 360 views...11 windows and a windowed door...so you don't miss any of the show! It is not insulated, but then again it is not available during the winter months. There are no, I repeat, no amenities in the tower...but that's half the allure..only two spring cots/mattresses...four folding wooden chairs...and two tiny nightstands. Four can stay...but only two have the beds. My back preferred the floor. At the base of the tower there is a lockable structure that houses a pit latrine on one end and plenty of dry firewood on the other end. You do have a picnic table and fire ring on a gravel pad north of the tower base. No running water...period. So all water must be acquired 15-20 minutes down the mountain at the Park Headquarters (which also has the only showers/bathrooms(2)...and laundry room...super clean!). The State Park employees that operate the headquarters there are the most kind, gracious and hospitable folks you will find. You will need to reserve a spot far in advance...so don't leave it to the last minute.

Our stay was memorable and pleasurable. While some might balk at the expense per night...it is the rare opportunity you are paying for. And...I will do it again in the future!

Watching storms roll in across the mountain tops...fog settling into the valleys like white foaming rivers...being perched beside rainbows...moonlight piercing the night through your curtainless windows...and reveling in the surreal sunrises and sunsets did it for me! Your closest neighbor is waaay down the mountain.

Note: Do not make my mistake and not listen closely to directions up to the tower. I took the first gravel road right...well...dirt road. It happens to be an unmaintained alternate service road to the tower...not good. Ordinary vehicles will be damaged...and two-wheel drive probably won't make it. My SUV survived, but I was questioning my sanity at times. The roads are gravel most the way up Thorny Mountain...and the last bit up to the tower had experienced recent washout from storms, so the going was rough but very doable.

I think eight of the windows still open, and they provide slide screens to insert so the cross breeze is amazing day and night. But they must be removed and the windows shut when the rain rolls in or you will get wet. The roof does not have enough overhang to keep the rain out...nor does it amply cover the walk-around deck...so it'll drip on your noggin'. But hey, your camping...you're gonna get wet.

Can't recommend the experience enough...who knows how long this type of opportunity will exist. Just Do It!

I selected this site. because it was near Natural Bridge and all that it has to offer. There were not a lot of options in the area so I bit the bullet and paid $30 for a site for the evening. While the facility was typical of a KOA I was not entirely impressed by the overall price to amenity ratio, especially after seeing other campgrounds in Virginia along this trip and their price being so vastly different.

Let me just give a full disclosure on this…. There are tent sites which cost less here, BUT there are only 5 of them in the entire campground so if you end up there on a weekend don't count on them being open at all. I even checked just for a reference of how booked they are and even checking some 2 weeks in advance on a random week day the same results appeared, NO BOOKINGS.

During summertime I can see how this place would attract a lot of people with the pool and various options, but in my opinion that does not offset the price point. And RV sites, which are more costly looked hard to get into with larger units.

My site was even and pretty basic despite having electricity. It was just across from the deluxe cabins and close to the restroom which I liked. Everything seemed well lit at night.

This campground being my hub only I did enjoy that it was very close to the town of Lexington itself as well as Natural Bridge, which is a pretty cool site with a lot of interesting history as well.

TIPS:

• If you want a primitive site book well in advance. These are apparently quite a difficult ticket to score at this camp.
• Call ahead about RV lengths to make sure you are booking the correct site for your size. I noticed more than a few people struggling with their units and some of this could have been avoided with proper booking.
• Check into local sites!! There is a zoo and dinosaur area as well as the Natural Bridge, hiking and a historic downtown.

We spend quite a bit of our time here, it is very family oriented. My kids love all of the activities and the lake! Can't wait until we can back this summer. They are remodeling and upgrading since SUN RV is now the new owners. If you have a golf cart, you can bring it. or you can rent one there.