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
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Rates, Sites & Availability
115 Sites Available
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Site Details
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115 Sites Available
No available sites
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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
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!).
Beatriz P
VerifiedSeptember 5, 2022 • Stayed at: B138 Generator Prohibited, Loop: B
Maybe just a bit more cleanliness in the bathrooms?
Nichole R
VerifiedSeptember 5, 2022 • Stayed at: B121, Loop: B
It was a lovely spot however, it would be nice if the grass had been better kept. (mowed/weedwacked)
Beatriz P
VerifiedSeptember 5, 2022 • Stayed at: B138 Generator Prohibited, Loop: B
Maybe just a bit more cleanliness in the bathrooms?
Nichole R
VerifiedSeptember 5, 2022 • Stayed at: B121, Loop: B
It was a lovely spot however, it would be nice if the grass had been better kept. (mowed/weedwacked)
Craig M
VerifiedSeptember 3, 2022 • Stayed at: B139 Generator Prohibited, Loop: B
This was my second time at this campground. I liked it because it was quiet and my spot B139 was secluded.
Craig M
VerifiedSeptember 3, 2022 • Stayed at: B139 Generator Prohibited, Loop: B
This was my second time at this campground. I liked it because it was quiet and my spot B139 was secluded.
Lauren G
VerifiedSeptember 1, 2022 • Stayed at: C151, Loop: C
We came before peak season — late August instead of October — and there was nearly no one here. The sites were fairly close together, but it wasn’t an issue for us. We enjoyed a quiet except for cicadas) night and would camp here again!
Lauren G
VerifiedSeptember 1, 2022 • Stayed at: C151, Loop: C
We came before peak season — late August instead of October — and there was nearly no one here. The sites were fairly close together, but it wasn’t an issue for us. We enjoyed a quiet except for cicadas) night and would camp here again!
Brad W
VerifiedAugust 27, 2022 • Stayed at: B129 Generator Prohibited, Loop: B
Excellent campsite. Quiet and well kept. Clean bathrooms. Wonderful experience all around! 👍
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.
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Last updated: June 4, 2026
