RE: Skyline Drive

[aw738]

 
I ve been thinking about camping at one the the campgrounds along Skyline Drive. Has anyone camped anywhere alone Skyline Drive? If so any suggestions would be apreciated.

[P-MAN]

 aw738
The DW and I have camped many times in Shenandoah National Park along the skyline Drive and love it.  You can gets lots of information at the NPS website by typing in Shenandoah National Park, but I can give you a few particulars.  
 
 5 total campgrounds, only one though takes reservations and that is Big Meadows.
 
 Big Meadows is at Mile Marker 51, approximately midway between Thornton s Gap at mm 32 and Swift Run Gap at mm 65.  It has approximately 245 campsites and is the second biggest in the park.
 
 We always camp there because you can get a reservation.  The other 3 campgrounds (Mathews Arm, Loft Mountain and Lewis Mountain) are on a first come basis only.
 
 No water, sewer or electric anywhere in the park.
 
 Drop me an email at:  Eagle148@aol.com and I can give you a ton of information on the entire park.  We love it there!!!
 
 

[Gone-Camping]

 aw738
I ll echo what P-Man says, and add in something he left out...
 
 Skyline Drive and The Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) are bascially one and the same road. Skyline runs from Front Royal south to where I-64 crosses at Rockfish Gap on Afton Mountain. From I-64 south, the BRP meanders all the way to the Great Smokie Mountain NP. Skyline Drive is only about 105 miles total, where the BRP runs for 469 miles. Their is little difference between the two, except for the fact Skyline Drive is located totally within the Shenandoah National Park. The BRP by contrast runs through several different National Forest s, & the Cherokee Reservation (down in NC). Also, Shenandoah/NPS charge a fee to access the park, and the speed limit through the entire park is 35mph max. BRP on the other hand, is free, speed limit 45mph, and both are equipped with scenic overlooks, and other interesting features. The Appalachain Trail criss-crosses the entire thing.
 
 With all that in mind, you might want to consider staying at [link=http://www.gonecamping.net/reviews/va/sherandolake.html]Sherando Lake Campground[/link] (USFS/George Washington National Forest). This campground doesn t take reservations, but they have three loops, two of them with electric hook-up s, an excellent swimming beach on the lake, hiking trails etc. This is located off of the BRP down in the Shenandoah Valley and is accessible from either I-64 on the west side of Afton Mtn, or from the BRP at mile post 16.
 
 The reason I sort of push this campground (aside from the fact I love the place), is you can visit BOTH Skyline and the BRP from this location. Having traveled both rather extensively, I ve found the BRP actually has more to offer. Both have scenic vista s and overlooks, but the BRP has some interesting displays along the way like the old logging rail road, the early settlers farm (very interesting stop), James River and the locks, Mabry Mill and more.
 
 As for Shenandoah, I ve been through Big Meadows Campground but never stayed at that one. I ve stayed further south at the Loft Mountain Campground. Nice place, plenty of deer running through the campground, not uncommon to have deer right there in your campsite. Then again, they have bears too, sometimes also in your campsite! Bear Rules apply at all NPS campgrounds along Skyline Dr.
 
 One last thought, and that is the showers. In the NPS campgrounds on Skyline Drive there are no showers located in the rest room faclities. There are shower facilities only at the campstore near the park entrance. At Sherando Lake, there are hot showers in each of the loops inside the restroom facilities.
 
 More details on both the [link=http://www.gonecamping.net/drives/skyline.html]SNP[/link] and [link=http://www.gonecamping.net/drives/blueridge.html]BRP[/link] are on my website...

[aw738]

 aw738
Thanks for the info. After I get all the bug out of the new engine in my TV I m going to head tward either Skyline Drive or BRP. Decisions; decisions, maybe both if time alows. As for the bears, I ve had experiance with black bears before while tent camping. Wouldn t have been so bad if the bear had not opened my unlatched rear sliding glass in my TV and got my Doritos, and woke me up at 1 am in the process. If I had known it was getting my Doritos I would have had to do something about it. [:@]

[vjm1639]

 aw738

In the NPS campgrounds on Skyline Drive there are no showers located in the rest room faclities.

 I think Cliff meant on the Blue Ridge Parkway there are no showers...there ARE in all (Big Meadows, Lewis Mountain, and Loft Mountain) except for Mathews Arm campground on Skyline Drive.  They re pay showers....a quarter for 5 minutes...but there are showers with hot water. There are even laundry facilities at the three that have showers. DH and I are members of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club that  maintains the trails in the area and the Shenandoahs are like our second home.  
 
 If you re interested in doing both Skyline Drive and some of the Blue Ridge..then YES..Sherando Lake (where Cliff mentioned...check his web site for gorgeous pics)  is a beautiful campground with at least electric hookups.  I actually got my fall camping trip suggestions for a lower portion of the BRP from Cliff.  ;>  
 
 This is a beautiful area...if you have questions...ask away! We ve got tons of pics of the parkway too.
 

[Zooey]

 aw738
Check out my website...  We were just there in June.  It is one of my favorite places, it s just a little too far for us to go all the time!!
 
 http://tubbyonepa.tripod.com/www/index.html
 
 Zooey[&:]

[HersheyGirl]

 aw738
We just got back yesterday from Shenadoah NP for a week of camping.  We stayed 3 nights at Big Meadows campground, it was nice, but very crowded and very noisey.  There were showers at the campground, one dollar in quarters for 5 minutes.  It was nice enough, but I am glad that we found Mathews Arm campground and transfered our reservation to that one.  We had a very nice pull through site there on the A loop.  It was very quiet and NO ONE was there.  Maybe 10 campsites were occupied.  Our site backed up to the woods, we had lots of deer passing by, and I believe that bears came to visit one night, as something was making alot of noise back there, and it sounded very big.  We had no trouble with food and bears, just kept everything in the van.  We also checked out Lewis Mt. campground, which was nice too.  Some of the pads were very large and the sites were good size too.  It was a very small campground and very quiet and not many campers were their either.  I did not get a chance to check out Loft Mt, but the rangers said that it was a great campground.  It was farther south than we were.  We were the support team for the boy scouts who where hiking the AT for 50 miles in a week.  We did food drops and shuttling of cars around.  It is a beautiful park and I would love to go back.[8D][8D][8D]

[Gone-Camping]

 aw738

I think Cliff meant on the Blue Ridge Parkway there are no showers

 Not exactly, re-read my post. Showers at the NPS campgrounds on Skyline drive are NOT located at the restrooms, they are located at the campstore near the entrance. Not having stayed at Big Meadows I could be wrong on that one, but definately the way Loft Mountain is set-up. Found the same thing at the NPS campgrounds at Acadia up in Maine...

[vjm1639]

 aw738
ahh...sorry for the misunderstanding Cliff..I read yours as saying they don t have showers.  Big Meadows has a central shower place, they aren t in every bathroom but there is a large shower area at the beginning of the campground (not by the campstore/restaurant) with probably 15-20 showers.  Double rows of good size shower rooms in one area, then in each of the male/female bathrooms in the same area there area couple more, plus the laundry facilities are there too.  
 
 I love the showers at Lewis...the one on the outside of the campstore, not the ones inside the campstore...there s a door to the right of the building that goes into it s own bathroom/shower room " almost"  like home.   You get the entire bathroom (sink, toilet, shower, lots of hanging hooks, all to yourself!
 
 Hershey Girl..glad you enjoyed Mathews Arm. We think that s a pretty campground too and YEP, you probably heard a bear. They are seen at Mathew s Arm quite frequently.  I love Big Meadows too...but we stay at Big Meadows either early or late in the season and avoid the crowds!  Loft Mountain at the Southern End is beautiful also.