About Mathews Arm Campground
Number of accommodations: 115
Nearby Activities & Attractions
Hiking
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Campground Amenities
RV Utilities and Hookups
- Dump station on site
Water and Hygiene
- Potable Water
Report Incorrect Information
Help us improve by reporting any incorrect amenity information for Mathews Arm Campground.
Rates, Sites & Availability
115 Sites Available
No sites found matching your criteria.
No available sites
All sites are booked for your selected dates. Try showing all sites to see booked options, create an alert to be notified when something opens up, or adjust your dates.
Site Details
Select a site to view details
115 Sites Available
No available sites
All sites are booked for your selected dates. Try showing all sites to see booked options, create an alert to be notified when something opens up, or adjust your dates.
Reviews (851)
What Guests Are Saying
Mathews Arm Campground offers excellent, spacious, and well-maintained sites, making it a perfect base for nearby hikes. Reviewers appreciate the clean facilities, friendly staff, and the intimate atmosphere, particularly during less crowded times. While some noted the restrooms could use upgrades, the overall experience is highly recommended for nature lovers and families.
What Guests Are Saying
Mathews Arm Campground offers excellent, spacious, and well-maintained sites, making it a perfect base for nearby hikes. Reviewers appreciate the clean facilities, friendly staff, and the intimate atmosphere, particularly during less crowded times. While some noted the restrooms could use upgrades, the overall experience is highly recommended for nature lovers and families.
Review Summary
Samuel L
VerifiedSeptember 25, 2022 • Stayed at: B138 Generator Prohibited, Loop: B
Kris N
VerifiedSeptember 24, 2022 • Stayed at: C159, Loop: C
Campground was busy, but didn't feel cramped. Site(s) were clean as were the restrooms.
Kris N
VerifiedSeptember 24, 2022 • Stayed at: C159, Loop: C
Campground was busy, but didn't feel cramped. Site(s) were clean as were the restrooms.
Richard A
VerifiedSeptember 16, 2022 • Stayed at: B139 Generator Prohibited, Loop: B
Personnel do a great job at a poor excuse of a national park facility. Tent sites are poorly maintained. Online reservation system is terrible. The entire park is being overgrown. Internet service would save lives… I’ll make a list or I just won’t got back till there’s a change in administration culture.
Richard A
VerifiedSeptember 16, 2022 • Stayed at: B139 Generator Prohibited, Loop: B
Personnel do a great job at a poor excuse of a national park facility. Tent sites are poorly maintained. Online reservation system is terrible. The entire park is being overgrown. Internet service would save lives… I’ll make a list or I just won’t got back till there’s a change in administration culture.
Jordanna M
VerifiedSeptember 11, 2022 • Stayed at: B139 Generator Prohibited, Loop: B
Beautiful campground, easy to get to coming from DC area. We unfortunately were next to what seemed like a scene from a frat house with some guys trying to show off to the girls with them by loudly proclaiming how they were going to get passing out, dead drunk. Across the road a toddler screamed their head off for about an hour at bedtime. Thankfully it didn’t keep my kids awake (2 hour hike and didn’t make it to the falls kind of wiped us all out) because there was a strong breeze that acted like a noise machine drowning out the young and well, still immature. Unfortunately both kept me awake. There were signs everywhere for bears but didn’t see any. The hike to the falls is long, very rocky and even though we only made it just over 1 mile in before we turned around another hiker said coming out it was not suited for kids - she said they had started at 1:30pm and they were still a mile from the start at around 5:45pm. She had hiked it with a toddler on her back. Apparently the falls didn’t have too much water then either.
Jordanna M
VerifiedSeptember 11, 2022 • Stayed at: B139 Generator Prohibited, Loop: B
Beautiful campground, easy to get to coming from DC area. We unfortunately were next to what seemed like a scene from a frat house with some guys trying to show off to the girls with them by loudly proclaiming how they were going to get passing out, dead drunk. Across the road a toddler screamed their head off for about an hour at bedtime. Thankfully it didn’t keep my kids awake (2 hour hike and didn’t make it to the falls kind of wiped us all out) because there was a strong breeze that acted like a noise machine drowning out the young and well, still immature. Unfortunately both kept me awake. There were signs everywhere for bears but didn’t see any. The hike to the falls is long, very rocky and even though we only made it just over 1 mile in before we turned around another hiker said coming out it was not suited for kids - she said they had started at 1:30pm and they were still a mile from the start at around 5:45pm. She had hiked it with a toddler on her back. Apparently the falls didn’t have too much water then either.
John M
VerifiedSeptember 9, 2022 • Stayed at: B119, Loop: B
Camp staff was very helpful. Campgrounds very beautiful in the trees. A lovely stay.
John M
VerifiedSeptember 9, 2022 • Stayed at: B119, Loop: B
Camp staff was very helpful. Campgrounds very beautiful in the trees. A lovely stay.
Mark M
VerifiedSeptember 6, 2022 • Stayed at: B128 Generator Prohibited, Loop: B
Campsites are nice, easy to navigate to and actually have raised flat platforms to set your tent on (just make sure you bring a pad to sleep on because the platforms have a gravel surface). If you like to put a lot of stakes in the ground to keep your tent up, you'll just have to get creative and tie some rope from your tent to the stake so that it can get past the platform and reach ground (tough to stake through gravel). We have a pop up tent and we tied ours to the platform's wood frame, which worked fine for us.
Site had a firepit with adjustable grill grates on top, so we were able to cook dinner on top of it.
Rangers at check out made it very clear to keep food locked in our car when not eating, to prevent attracting bears.
Only suggestion for improvement would be to add shower facilities, even if just cold water showers. They have indoor bathrooms around the campground, but Matthews Arm in particular has no showers.
We knew this going in and were doing an arrive Friday evening leave Sunday morning trip. So we were okay with just not showering.
There's also a roadside camp store about two miles down the road which was convenient. They even have a little restaurant window (doesn't open til 11 AM though, so bring your own coffee to the campground with you!).
Location Mathews Arm Campground
Address:
3655 Highway 211 East
Luray, VA, 22835
United States
From Washington, D.C. metro area, travel west on Interstate 66 to exit 43A. Take US Highway 29 South to Warrenton, Virginia, then take US Highway 211 west for 28 miles to Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive Thornton Gap Entrance. Follow Skyline Drive north approximately 9 miles and turn left into Mathews Arm Campground.
From Richmond, Virginia area, travel north toward Fredericksburg on Interstate 95 approximately 55 miles to exit 130B for Highway 3 and Culpeper, Virginia. Take Highway 3 approximately 33 miles west to US Highway 15/522 north. Continue on 522 North approximately 20 miles to Sperryville. Turn left onto US Highway 211 West and follow 8 miles to Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive, Thornton Gap Entrance. Follow Skyline Drive North approximately 9 miles and turn left into Mathews Arm Campground.
Latitude & Longitude: 38.7601 / -78.2979
Elevation: 828 feet
Policies & Rules
General
- Black bears, deer, skunks, raccoons and other wildlife share this space with you; please plan to store all food, hygiene items and trash in appropriate containers or your vehicle.
- You are responsible for following all park and campground regulations.
- There are no RV hook-ups but there is a dump station with potable water available.
- Generator hours are 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. with a 60 decibel limit. Vehicle engines must be shut down when parked and may run for no more than five minutes.
- There is a $30 fee per vehicle to enter the park. The pass issued is valid for one week.
- Upon arrival to the campground, please check in at the registration office. If you arrive after hours, directions will be posted at that office.
- Unleaded fuel is available 24/7 at Big Meadows Wayside (milepost 51.2). Electric Vehicle charging stations are only available at Skyland Lodge (milepost 41.7)
- Firewood is available at Elkwallow Wayside 2 miles South of the campground, Sunday - Thursday until 5pm and Friday - Saturday until 6pm. Due to the spread of invasive insects, only kiln dried USDA approved firewood is permitted. Help protect our forest, Click here for more information.
- Cell phone reception is very limited throughout the park.
- There are no showers available at this campground or the closest wayside.
- A no-show customer is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date (or for day-use facilities, by check-in time the day of arrival). Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date and will hold group day-use facilities until check-in time on the arrival date.
Nearby Campgrounds
Nearby destinations
Last updated: June 4, 2026
