Elizabeth Furnace Campground

First come first served.  $14, but they had a sign up that said it might be raised to $20 in 2024.   Only 2 America the Beautiful passes include discounts to this campground: Access (handicapped) and Senior.  And I must say, after going all the way up to Wolf Gap (on the other side of I-81) to check out the free USFS campground up there and finding a bunch of unstable homeless people, I was glad to pay to have upkeep and hosts. 

In October (2023) I arrived to EF at 3:30pm and about half of the spots were taken by a mix of tenters and RVs.  The campground is well-cared for, and there were hosts present. 

Please do enjoy the drive to the CG, as it is quite beautiful.  And although the winding road attracts some car & driver types, by nightfall, it was completely quiet.  I slept in my jeep condo and put up a privacy tent because I am tired of campground bathrooms.  I am not sure the hosts really understood the concept.  But they didn't say anything other than to inquire about my strange lodgings (they thought I was sleeping in the privacy tent!)

Campground Review:

What a great find, so close to a town….though feels like you are deep in the forest! We stayed 2 nights at this campground and it was the perfect place to prepare for a week-long backpacking trip in Shenandoah National Park. Each site has a picnic table, firepit, and lantern stand. The creek running through the campground drowns out most noise from the road or other campers. Sites are private and well-shaded, but with plenty of sun for our solar panel too.

Showers and running water are available during the main season, but arriving in April meant pulling out the pocket shower and using water from the handpump. Pit toilets were immaculately clean and available during the off-season though. There is a group camping area just down the road, too.

This campground is situated just 15 minutes from Strasburg (adorable town) and is about equal distance to Front Royal, which sits at the northern end of Shenandoah National Park. Both towns have everything you need from grocery stores to gas stations to restaurants. Cycling, hiking, fishing, and boating are all things you can get up to in this lovely recreation area.

Great price of just $10 per night during the off-season, normally $20 during the main season.

Product Review:

As Rangers for The Dyrt, we’ve been testing out this product for the past couple of weeks. While preparing for a week-long backcountry adventure in the Shenandoah’s last week, we were running behind with our packing and used this lantern to light up our campsite as we stuffed the last few bags of food and gear.

What we like about this product:

• Lightweight and compact.
• Gives off a great amount of light for its small size.
• Adjustable light control, from very bright to romantic candle light.
• Ignition switch seems to fire up the lantern every time.
• Built-in hanging wire is handy to have when you want to hang it from a tree or lantern stand.
• Gas powered, so no batteries to recharge or replace.
• Storage case is robust and keeps the glass lantern from breaking.

What could be improved:

• It only comes with one mantle. Two would be great because they aren’t easy to find in stores.
• The instructions are overwhelming for such a simple piece of gear. They could be trimmed down quite a bit.

Product Link: https://primus.us/products/easy-light-4?variant=17262695685

Product Video: https://youtu.be/uJeL9-wkFgk