Big Meadows Campground — Shenandoah National Park

Reservations are made through the National parks service "recreation.gov" website. Arrived for tent camping for 2 nights and found that my original planned site wasn't very hospitable to tent camping due to the slope, Conferred with park ranger who easily changed my site to a better one with no fee. My stay was quiet and the bathrooms were clean and well stocked. This is a great base camp for getting out to hike the Appalachian trail and the local water falls in the area. Firewood and some camping supplies can be obtained onsite and there is a park wayside store and cafeteria a short distance away (i highly recommend the honey breaded chicken).

We loved our 4-night stay in Big Meadows. I definitely recommend booking a site on the outer part of the loop, or one of the walk-in sites, if you are tent camping. A lot of the interior sites seemed very close together, but the farther out you get, the more spaced out they seemed to be, we could see a couple of other campsites from ours but generally felt we had plenty of space and privacy.

Campsite facilities seemed pretty clean and well-maintained, and there is the campstore at the front of the campground with necessities, laundry and shower (for a fee). And if you need more the Big Meadow visitor center, and Wayside souvenir store/snack bar are just a mile or so from the campground where it meets Skyline Drive. They even have a gas station there. We went and did several hikes, including Dark Hollow Falls, and spent a late evening in the Big Meadow on a picnic blanket stargazing, all very close to the campground.

Bear boxes are big and sturdy, fire pits are on the smallish side but fine. Honestly this place is pretty tough to beat in terms of facilities, value, and proximity to a lot of beautiful and fun national park hikes and sights.

Campground with tables, fire rings, running water bathrooms, utility sinks. Store has showers and laundry for $1.

Shenandoah is such a beautiful park.  Hiking trails leave right from the campground.  If you're lazy and don't feel like cooking there's a nice restaurant in the lodge.  There are bears so make sure you don't leave any food out.

Surprisingly, recreation.gov had excellent campsite descriptions and photos for this campground(very unusual in our experience), which made it possible for us to choose the perfect site for our 30' travel trailer. We would not have been satisfied with the slope of more than a few of the sites here, so be sure to do your due diligence before choosing your site. 

This is a large campground with lots of sites, many of which(like C129) are quite large. The entire campground was clean and well-kept, including the bathrooms and showers. Keep in mind that showers are$5 for 10 minutes but we noticed that shower#4 worked on just$4. Shh! Don't tell anyone!;-) 

This is boondocking(no water, sewer, or electric hookups), but there are plenty of potable water spigots and there is a dump station nearby that is convenient, in good working order, and also has potable water. One complaint about the dump would be that there is no threaded hose to flush out a black tank. 

Generator hours are 08:00- 10:00 and 16:00- 19:00 but are extended to 21:00 from opening until April 14 and again from October 15 through closing. Quiet hours are 22:00- 06:00. 

The campground has a good laundry facility and a small store. A short walk takes you to Big Meadows Lodge with a full-service restaurant, pub, coffee bar, and gift shop. Take in the sunset from the great room, the deck, or a short hike along the Black Rock trail. A little longer walk takes you to the Wayside where you will find a well-stocked store with food, beverages (adult and otherwise), camping supplies, a quick service restaurant, and a nice gift shop. Definitely try the blackberry cobbler at either Big Meadows Lodge or the Wayside! 

Ticks are a big issue here(at least they were when we visited in mid-October). Be sure to check your pups constantly for ticks, and make sure you take preventive measures such as sprays and chews to make sure your pups stay safe. Check yourselves, your kiddos, and your bedding too! 

We had mixed feelings about the staff here, many of whom were quite nice and helpful. We did feel that the person who checked us in seemed a bit haggard and, perhaps as a result, was relatively short with us when we asked reasonable questions. We also felt the campground hosts were more than a bit inconsistent in rules enforcement. For instance, they are adamant about not having even a millimeter of tire off the pavement(even when trying to keep the tow vehicle off the roadway) but didn't care at all about campers who ran their generators all day long outside of generator hours. 

Verizon was nonexistent. 

T-Mobile was good. 

Starlink was great for us, but keep in mind that many sites have a canopy of trees that will obstruct Starlink. 

Solar was so-so, partially because of the tree cover and partially because of clouds and fog.

Beautiful place. Lots of deer! No hookups but you can run a generator if needed. Large sites. Great weather!

In the description of the Big Meadows camping on The dyrt it says the campground is currently closed. 

Actually, it only closes in the winter. According to the Website it closes NOVEMBER 26–MARCH 23

Check khttps://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/big-meadows-campground.htm

Well kept campsites and good bathrooms and water. We arrived after the information center closed, and it was easy to check in and find our site. Overall, I would stay here again. Be prepared to see a ton of deer!

Big Meadows ( Shenandoah NP): (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer) Overall Rating: in the generator loop: 3.5. Most sites are pretty on top of each other. Non generator sites have more sites that are private ( Our site in the generator loop E is spectacular 4.5). Pics included of the absolute best sites in the generator area.

Price: $15 per night w senior pass Usage during visit: high Site Privacy: ours good . Most in the generator area have nonne Site Spacing: close Site surface: Black top Reservations: You better for peak season. First come first serve campgrounds nearby. Lewis Mnt is nice Campground Noise: Not bad for so many people Road Noise: None Through Traffic: Minimal Electricity: No Water: Most restrooms have a water source for filling. Fill at the dump station when you enter Bathrooms: Flush toilets and clean. They are a bit awkward to get to from the sites in our area Sewer: No Dump: Yes Generators: Allowed. Quiet hours are 10pm to 6:00 AM Showers: $5 for about 10 mins. Clean and nice Laundry: Available and reasonably priced. Pull Throughs: Some Cell Service (Verizon): Available from our area most of the time.
Setting: Open forest. Looks to be more underbrush in tent and non generator areas.
Weather: Clear and 10 degrees cooler than the valley below. Bugs: Not bad. No mosquitoes, at least yet! Solar: Fixed panels will not work. Host and Rangers: FRIENDLY Rig size: Site specific. 45’ RVs work in some sites. Sites: E175, 177, 178, 180,183,185, and 187 are along forest edge with a valley below, though through the trees. These are the sites to have in the generator area. (During our stay, generators were used sparingly.)

Parking space is nice and even if car camping. Tent pad had several tree roots so a sleeping pad is recommended. Site is very shaded. Sites are quite close together so the privacy isn't great. Short 2 minute walk to showers and toilets. Shower location has laundry, ice and wood for sale. Showers are coin operated and it costs $5 for 10 minutes but the water was very hot. There are no sinks for washing dishes, rinsing, etc. Cell reception with ATT & Verizon was non existent at the campground. You could get reception at the lodge, amphitheater or on the overlooks. Out stay was the weekend of 5/26 & it was cold and windy; 43 in morning warming to 70 by 3pm. The Wayside was great. It had supplies, food, drinks, ice cream, gift shop and restaurant. We didn't cook at all. There are recycling receptacles everywhere, including for propane. Pretty sure a bear visited one night but can't say for sure. Deer would walk right through our site un-bothered by us drinking our coffee. Relatively quiet. Would definitely stay again.

Loved camping here for a week with my husband and our small child. We were only 2 hours from DC. The night views are amazing. There is no electricity or water at most sites!

I stayed in the tent only / non generator sites which is definitely the way to go. My site was actually a walk in. So I had to park and lug my gear up some steps about 200 feet. The site was shaded with a nice spot for a hammock. Including a fire ring and grill grate, picnic table and a bear box. You are close to the road, so you get noise and headlights in your tent sometimes. Deer and skunk walk through camp all the time. Heard some owls at night. Whooooooo

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 campground is not only beautiful but we’ll maintained. There are showers, ice, wood, and a small store on site. Wayside cafe is at the entrance to Big Meadows off Skyline Drive. The food is good and they are dog friendly. The ranger programs at Big Meadows are very good. I went to a session on bears, another on the flora and fauna of the park, and my favorite - the Star Party! My dog and I laid under the stars on a blanket and listened to the Ranger tell us the stories of the constellations! Awesome.

Our favorite campground in the park! The location of this one is top notch, close to a great deal of trails, a well stocked camp store, Big Meadows Lodge and dining just a short walk away, even a gas station on Skyline Drive at this mile marker. There are several loops, loaded with a great deal of site, plenty of clean restrooms located throughout and then central shower facility is well kept and clean. We stayed in the A loop, near lots of walk ins tent sites, if you can try to book a site in the E loop, although older and with some crumbling parking pads, the views from this part of the campground cannot be beat! Wood, ice and other basic supplies are available in the campground and the camp store/wayside a few miles away are fully stocked!

We got there about noon and it sold out an hour later. A+ for walk in sites... would have been crowded otherwise. Look for deer. :) They're everywhere.

Camped the last weekend the grounds were open in the fall. It was cold, but still very beautiful.

The logs sold by the camp store were wet. And all sites were first come first serve, so that was a stressful situation en route.

It was a pain to have to go way out of the way to exit the park to do the Old Rag hike.

I wish I had more time. The Ranger (a man) was so helpful. I loved every minute of being there.

Camped for one night in a tent. Bear boxes for each site. Lodge and restaurant are nice if you aren't looking to "rough it". Dog friendly. Easy access along skyline drive and near to hiking spots.

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.

Fairly spacious sites situated in a partially forested area. That said, the actual parking are of each site is relatively small. We booked a big site but barely had room for our travel trailer and van.

Plenty of amenities (laundry, showers, nearby lodge, etc.) to make camping easy but possible to “really camp” without hookups.

Beware that generators are allowed five hours per day so you will get some noise.

Staff is friendly, but strict. This can be a good thing or course, but can also be annoying if it feels like a nanny is watching over you.

Clean bathrooms, readily available (overpriced) wood, and plentiful wildlife are bonuses.

Of course, the huge draw is the magnificent NP surrounding this campground. Beautiful, stunning views are available with a five minute hike or five minute drive.

Worth every penny.

My partner and I stayed here on a National Park road trip. Other than patchy cell service (which we only needed occasionally because of work), it had everything we needed. The bathrooms and showers are nice, and there are multiple utility sinks. There are also multiple hiking trails nearby.

My wife and I love coming to the big meadows campground. They are awesome. They get full quickly so make sure you reserve your campground wayy in advance! I recommend the D loop campgrounds they’re more into the nature I would say. Very quiet at night and very relaxing.

Everything you need for a mountain camping experience.

This was our first time camping and we couldn’t have asked for a better place to start. The campsites were well kept and it looked like each site was a close walking distance to a bathroom, dumpster, and potable water. Bathrooms were clean as well.

Beautiful campground, with easy access to great hiking. Showers, and toilets were nice, and well maintained. Staff was friendly and helpful. Highly recommend.....I was in a pop up tent in my truck, and it was great.

This is the second time we have taken the grandchildren camping at Big Meadows in SNP.  They absolutely love to camp, and really enjoy Big Meadows!

Emmy is 6 and Nathan is 3, which are excellent ages to camp.  Our site this time was in a better spot and they were able to ride their bikes in front of the campsite.

With the ability to access beautiful hikes (some along the AT) through fields of wildflowers and down to waterfalls this is a great hikers campground. Simple walk over to the lodge if you do want some of the nicer things like a nice restaurant meal with a view. Read site description before booking as many are walk in only accessible but plenty are park at and good for RVs.

We came the first weekend in April and it snowed. Being that you are at the top of the mountain, it gets COLD so be prepared. Otherwise, we had a wonderful time. Sites were great (bear boxes at each site), friendly rangers and wonderful views. I recommend getting a site in advance because the reservable ones are on the outside and have a better view.

Huge number of sites situated in an open area with some trees. Our reserved site, E172, was on a sloping, crumbling  asphalt pad and we couldn't get our 17' travel trailer level. We almost left but heard by word of mouth that C loop is first come first served so we ended up in C130 on a relatively level asphalt pad close to clean bathroom. No services at the site but clean water spigots are sprinkled around the site. Easy access to lovely hike to falls including stint on Appalachian trail. Clean showers in central location plus inexpensive laundry facility. We ate dinner at the lodge one night and enjoyed our food and the accommodating staff on an extremely crowded evening.