Camping at Loft Mountain Campground in the Beautiful Shenandoah National Park
If you like the mountains and beautiful waterfalls, then Loft Mountain campground is one to be considered. This campground is part of the Shenandoah National Park. There are no electric or sewer hookups in the campground, but the sites are large enough to fit a larger rig. Many of the sites are pull-through sites. There are some nicely wooded sites in the campground as well. Great for privacy! You can run your generator from 8 am to 10 am, then 4 pm to 7 pm at most sites. Some tent and all group sites are generator free. After October 15, you can run generators until 9 pm. This campground is open from May 3 to October 31. It is closed in the winter and no camping is allowed during this time.
Sign to Loft Mountain
Our wooded site. It was a pull through.The setting for this campground is stunning. One way to get to Loft Mountain is via Skyline Drive in Virginia. There is a fee to travel along this beautiful, 103-mile roadway. Skyline Drive cost $30 to drive it. If you have the America the Beautiful pass for seniors, it doesn’t cost anything. The drive is gorgeous in the Fall!
The trip to the campground has many areas where you can get out and see the spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We stayed at Loft Mountain Campground during the Fall so the trees were just beginning to change colors. It was breathtaking!! Fall can be popular on the weekends because of the comfortable temperatures and beautiful Fall foliage. You want to make sure you book a site early.
Beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Me at an overlook in the Shenandoah National ParkSome things to know about this campground. There is no cell service or internet connection. They have flush toilets and coin-operated hot showers. This campground is right on the Appalachian Trail so you may see hikers in the area. You can also say you hiked on the Appalachian trail! :)
There are great places for hiking and bike riding. Loft Mountain Campground has a laundry facility, dump station, potable water, and a camp store. These facilities are all seasonal!
It is important to be bear-aware! There have been bear sightings in the campground. The campground has storage lockers for food that are bear-proof. Besides bears, there is a lot of wildlife in the park like racoons, skunks, deer, and they are year-round residents of the Shenandoah National Park.
Campfire at our siteFirewood from outside the park is not allowed. You can buy firewood from the camp store. It has to be USDA certified, which helps slow the spread of the emerald ash borer. They do allow campers to pick up dead wood that is found on the property. You CANNOT cut down branches from trees that are still standing only gather the wood that has fallen to the ground.
If you want to be in nature and get away from it all, then Loft Mountain Campground is a great place to go. There is a lot of exploring you can do in the area. The campground is about an hour to Luray Caverns as well as an hour from Charlottesville. The area has some wineries around that may be a fun day trip. There are some beautiful waterfalls to view and great hiking trails.