Sherando Lake Campground

This campground is located in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest. We stayed for 6 nights here and had a nice private site. With the lifetime senior National Park pass the cost was $21 a night. The sites are big and many with shade. I think we had one of the best sites at this campground Site# C05. We like the C loop better the sites have more privacy. The B loop is nice too yet C loop better. The A loop is for tents it’s harder to drive through it. Our site was more level than some yet we still needed to raise one side. Nice shaded sites in the C loop are C05, Co8, C10, C12, C13 and C 14, C16.If you want a site in the sun C01, C02, C04.

We had a great view of sunset. Nice stars at night the park is darker than some. Each site has small pebble in the site which is raked and makes it nice no dirt. There is a regular picnic table, fire pit, bear box and a wooden table with a cement base you could place where you want it. We set our grill on it. The camp host Wes & Jackie were so nice and helpful. They gave us great ideas for things to do. 

Restrooms are nice and very clean, the park is maintained very well. There is a dump station onsite. Easy to access but the wash hose doesn’t have any pressure so check that out before you head to dump out.

We had song birds, hawks and rabbits at our site. Early evening the lightning bugs were fun to watch. 

The sites are not on the lake which we prefer yet is all worked out well. The lower lake is spring fed so it holds a nice temperature. 

There is a local guy that will deliver a good amount of wood for $20.00. Good burning wood. He also brought kindling in a paper bag which was nice. They park will call him for you and he comes right out.There isn’t any cell service so they will call him, the host called for us. There is an upper lake and a lower lake. The campsites are between the two. You can hike to the upper lake. 

You have to fill with water there is a fill station across from the beach parking area. Our site had electric. The lake is beautiful and refreshing. You can swim out to an Island if you want to.  The beach is big with plenty of room for everyone. Nice sandy beach and shaded in some areas. To the left of the beach is a picnic area with grills and tables. There’s a dock over that way too.

There is a fishing area that you can drive to and park your car to fish. You do have to walk up and down some steps.Canoes and kayaks are welcome yet no motorboats allowed.

The campground is located very close to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Skyline drive. What a beautiful drive on the parkway. There are a lot of look outs with amazing views. We spent days driving each way on the parkway. My favorite overlook is Ravens Roost. You can walk up a wall where there is one lone neat tree to get a real special view with the tree in it. Watch out for the lone Turkey who likes to be out in the road and when you slow down it comes to your vehicle and stand in the way so you can’t move. The Parkway didn’t have much traffic at all but do pay attention to the speed limit they police do sit throughout the park. There is a few NP stores on the parkway and Skyline drive we found some good Souvenirs.

There is a small store and gas station not far from the campground yet it is limited with what they sell. Waynesboro is not that far and it has a Walmart, grocery, hardware stores and more. We stopped at Weasies (home cooking) and had lunch. It was delicious.

Wow! What a beautiful area near the Blue Ridge Parkway. You might not leave the campground, but you should check out the Blue. Ridge Parkway. This campground has 3 loops; 1 with no electric hookups and 2 with electric. The non--electric loop is larger than the others with parking pads and then raised tent areas for most of the sites. The electric sites can vary size wise so double check before picking one. We saw sites that would fit Class A and sites that wouldn't fit more than a small Rpod type camper. They all seemed level and were spaced nicely apart with shrubbery or trees between. The view from Meadow Loop sites 1-4 was of the mountains! The day use area has an incredible swimming beach (unguarded) and was refreshing.  There is ample picnic tables and areas to spread out. Parking was limited and you do need to drive to this area from the camp areas. You can walk it but it's a little far. You can kayak and canoe in the lake and also fish from the other end where there is parking and a dam to fish off of. Overall, a beautiful campground to spend a few days or a week! Also a short drive to many wineries and  breweries!

We've been traveling around to different campsites since I was diagnosed with Small Cell Lung Cancer and reviewing them for you all to enjoy. 

This is another great campsite that we've had the pleasure of staying at. This one was closer to us than our last one was. Had we known this one was so close we would have camped here before now. 

One thing I didn't get a chance to talk about was the two lakes that are considered the Upper and Lower Lake Sherando. You can see deer roaming around the Upper Lake. I was able to do some fishing at the Upper Lake and did catch a small mouth bass which was fun. Not sure how deep the lakes are but you can definitely see the bottoms in some places. Hopefully we'll just get more rain. 

Check out my YouTube review of this site at  https://youtu.be/2DTQrgN5ZGI

Hope you enjoy the clip. Remember to Like, Comment, and Subscribe to my channel and follow me during my battle with this nasty sickness and check out some great campsites.

Thanks in advance!! 

Scott E. Fowler

It is rare that a campground is close to all the amenities it has to offer without moving your vehicle but Sherando Lakes is one of them. You can access two lakes and multiple hiking trails from any of the three loops. One lake (Upper Sherando) is for fishing only and the main lake is for swimming (in season) and fishing. We were there in October and the fall foliage was stunning. 

This campground gets five stars because of the awesome volunteer hosts. Ron started a fire for us while we were waiting for our firewood to be delivered (yes, you read that right!) and the next night, came over to our site bringing additional wood to keep our fire going long after we expected it to last. Gene and Deb were awesome in describing the trails to us. 

I was surprised to find showers and flush toilets in a National Forest Service Campground but Sherando had both. Also, if you stay in the B or C loops, there are electric hookups, something else I was surprised to see in a NFS campground. We stayed in the A loop (no hookups) and this loop is more suitable for tents, but we were fine in our 17-foot campervan. The tent pads are large and flat. These spaces might be tight for larger RVs. If you have young kiddos, the C loop is closest to the playground. Sites are generously sized and have good separation. Firepit, large picnic table, lantern hook and what I’m guessing was a food prep “counter” This was awesome to be able to put our camp stove on and something I have never seen before. 

LOVED this campground, the hikes, and awesome volunteer hosts.

Sherando Lake is a well-maintained, popular campground located in the George Washington National Forest near Lyndhurst, VA. Convenient to both Richmond and Charlottesville, it brings people in for camping and day-use alike.

There are three camping loops here; a standard non-electric loop (loop A/White Oak Loop), and two RV loops (B and C). Both of the RV loops are very flat and open, with little shade or privacy between sites. They have electric hookups and drinking water available, but do not have water hookups. The tent loop is the oldest loop in this campground, and is heavily wooded, with sites along both meadow and backing up to the mountain. These sites do not have any hookups, but most have driveways large enough for campers and RVs 28' in length or under. All tent sites have fire rings, utility poles, and large picnic tables, and tent pads that are raked clear by campground hosts between guests.

The biggest benefits of this campground are its location, and the recreation area. It's about an hour and a half west of Richmond and only thirty minutes from Charlottesville, making it a great weekend trip without having to take time away from work. And as for recreation, it's wonderful. There are two lakes--the lower lake is the largest at 25 acres, and and while the beach can get crowded during peak season, it's an easy walk from the campground, with a large swimming area roped off. Canoeing is available at the lake, and there are several hiking trails, ranging from the easy lakeside trail, to more difficult trails that connect to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and other trails in George Washington National Forest. Fishing is available at both lakes with the proper licensing. There are several large picnic areas right on the lower lake, and a few smaller creekside spaces with picnic table and grills.

All that said; for RV campers this is an excellent campsite. While the loops with hookups are lacking in shade and privacy, having an RV or camper will afford you what the site itself lacks, and the location and activities make this a great basecamp.

For tent camping, it's good if you live in one of the nearby cities and want the shorter drive time, or if you like tent camping but still want all the benefits of front-country camping. As a place to set up camp and enjoy spending time near your tent, Sherando is exceptionally maintained. There is not a lot of opportunities for foraging for firewood, which means purchasing heat-treated wood nearby, and while the sites are very shady, there is little underbrush between sites to offer a privacy barrier. Many of the sites are staggered, with one or more levels of steps leading from the driveways. Because of all there is to do this is a great site for older kids, but we learned that, especially with toddlers, the steps around the campsites can turn a relaxing trip into one of constant vigilance.

Enjoyment of this campground will largely depend on what type of camper you are. If you are mainly looking for a place to get outside of the city, where you can set up for the night and have easy access to hiking, fishing, swimming, or boating, this is a great campground. This is where we typically chose to take friends if they were new to camping, as the bathrooms are well-lit, the road is paved, and the sites are so well-maintained. Plus at $20 a night, while it's more expensive than its neighbors in Shenandoah National Park or Cave Mountain Lake, it's a shorter drive from the neighboring cities, and doesn't have the additional NPS fee. However, if you want something that feels more rugged, or with campsites that offer a greater feeling of privacy, it would be better to skip this one.

This is a pretty neat little camping area in George Washington National Forest. Some friends and I stayed here for a couple of nights when we wanted to get away from school for the weekend. The campground is really cute. You can swim in the nearby lake, there is a little beach, bathrooms are nice with showers, and there's fresh water. It was the perfect place to take my less outdoorsy friends who had never camped before.

Also, nearby is one of my favorite hikes in the area, Humpback Rocks. This hike is super short, only about a mile, but there is a lot of elevation gain, so it can still be pretty strenuous. The view from the top is awesome though. It's also the perfect place to see a sunrise. I highly recommend this hike, and the area in general.

If you get bored with camping, you can always visit Charlottesville, which isn't too far of a drive away. The city has tons of history (go TJ!), great sports at UVA, and amazing food. I never miss a chance to talk it up.

Really amazing area!

A perfect place for family small rv and tent camping. The area is located in the George Washington National forest, has a small swimming, kayaking and fishing lake and log pavillion that was created as a CCC project. The tent only loop dates to this time. Two additional loops have been added with electric sites. All the sites are well spaced, essentially level and have large pads with better than average fire pits and tables that can seat a family reunion. The shower houses are at the center of each loop and have been rebuilt to ACA standard with in the last five years. There are family friendly hiking paths around the lake and upper fishing pond. There are also some kickass trails that climb to the Blue Ridge Parkway and intersect with the AT. While it is close to Waynesboro, Charlottesville and Roanoke, it is sufficiently remote to require a car ride to find cell and internet access. Half the sites are first come-first serve and half can be reserved. The only drawback is that many people love this park and it is difficult to get reservations. The window opens six months out and are usually booked for the high season summer months.