Loft Mountain Campground

Campground is much more quite than Big Meadows. Showers and full camp store are conveniently located within walking distance

Listing at the time of reservation was not 100% clear. My brother and I booked two site side by side at the same time, F164 and F166. I booked F164 and was under the understanding that they were both the same sites capable of a “Very Large” tent. I also understood that my site also had a bear box. Upon arrival the site was so small we couldn’t fit 2 vehicles on it, let alone we could barely fit a large tent and a small tent. We got written up for “being on the grass” but it all looked as if it was just dirt or gravel there. The second site my brother booked was large enough to hold their two tents, 3 vehicles with plenty of extra room. We got written up another time for having ONE!! tire half way off the pavement. It was overall a horrible experience for our first time camping here. We will definitely be looking into Big Meadows for any filter camping trips to Shenandoah.

Very interesting camp ground and amazing views over the mountain.

The site was large and well maintained. We didn’t realize which direction the road, so it was a little awkward with our RV because the site is on the left side. It wasn’t a big deal, as there was room between the driveway and the road to set up the griddle. We didn’t end up staying around the campground much.

A beautiful campground. Site was very nice with an apple tree. The park ranger was also very helpful and engaging.

Well maintained campsite with great amenities and location! Only caveat is the sites are a bit close together.

Note: If I were to do this trip again I would recommend arriving around 12 and stopping at the wayside for lunch, then stocking up on firewood (more than one) at the camp store and finally settling in to the campsite well in advance of sunset. I arrived too late to really take advantage of the amphitheater and get a good glimpse of the mountain view!

Close to the bathroom but not so close to be annoying. Clean, flat, and even ground.

Great campground, check out Doyles River Falls, it's right next to it.

We enjoy camping weekdays as the park is a little less crowded. We have stayed at Loft Mountain Campgrounds but are looking into options for staying further north so see more of that end of the park. Generally we seem to visit the park twice a year, staying 4-6 nights each time. Sunsets at the overlooks are a must see.
Gary, our fur child, thoroughly enjoyed his trout and carrots for canine lunch at Big Meadow Lodge. All of our dogs have gone there through the years. Weather permitting, this outdoor seating is great for lunches.
Blackberry ice cream is a must have...until the entire mountain is out of it. Missed it at lunch on our blackberry cobbler. Loft Mountain Wayside milkshakes are great, but they were out of both blackberry. Had only strawberry.
My husband missed seeing any of your bears but we saw so many deer and squirrels.

Our campsite and the campgrounds were clean and well-maintained. The campground bathrooms were sorta clean. But...
The pay showers down at the campstore had filthy floors, and there are no hooks to hang clean clothing off the floor.
$5 for 10 minutes of hot water would be ok if the floors were clean. The change machine and the payslots worked fine.

Before we left, we were picking up apples when a campground host / volunteer came and yelled at us, took a photo of our license plate, and said she was going to cite us for "destroying federal property". Ok, mea culpa. The stigma of being an apple thief will weigh heavily on me until my dying day. But here's what I want to know....
The yoyos in the campsite next to us were burning their garbage and plastic recyclables in the firepit. We were choking from the smoke. Other yoyos were charging all their devices in the campground bathrooms. Where were those johnny-on-the-spot campground hosts / volunteers then?