Ground tents
Some sites are tent-only; others accept compatible vehicles. Check the individual site marking before reserving.
Choose your camping setup
Start with how you sleep, then choose a campground and the right site category.
Cars, vans and RVs
Use a campground site that fits your equipment. No campground has electric or water hookups; vehicle boondocking is prohibited.
Groups and backpackers
Group sites and backcountry permits are separate products. Backcountry camping is dispersed and does not guarantee a specific campsite.
Find your campground
See Shenandoah campgrounds beside the park’s roads. Numbers match the comparison below; confirm your approach before traveling.
- Campground · numbers match the comparison
- Park boundary
Compare All 4 Shenandoah Campgrounds
Compare locations, site types, dated operating seasons, facilities and published fees. Check the linked booking page for your site and travel year.
| Location | Campground | 2026 season | Tents & vehicles | Published campsite fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Mathews ArmDirections to Mathews Arm CampgroundMathews Arm Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | Apr 29 – Nov 1 | Check individual site typeRV max: None published; pull-through and deep back-in sites | $30 (standard); $75 (3 nonelectric group sites) | |
2. Big MeadowsDirections to Big Meadows CampgroundBig Meadows Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | Mar 25 – Nov 29 | Tent-compatible sitesRV max: None published; pull-through and deep back-in sites | $30 (standard); $75 (2 nonelectric group sites) | |
3. Lewis MountainDirections to Lewis Mountain CampgroundLewis Mountain Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | Mar 26 – Nov 22 | Check individual site typeRV max: None published; 3 pull-through, 27 back-in | $30 | |
4. Loft MountainDirections to Loft Mountain CampgroundLoft Mountain Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | Apr 29 – Nov 1 | Tent-compatible sitesRV max: None published; deep back-in sites | $30 |
- Shenandoah boundary
- This campground
What does camping cost?
Compare the price and charging unit for your setup. The booking total depends on the selected site, travel year and applicable fees.
Standard campground sites
$30/site/night for a standard nonelectric tent or RV site. No separate tent-versus-RV tariff is published in the campground records.
Group campsites
Published group-site records list $75/group-site/night. Confirm the campground and party capacity in the booking listing.
Backcountry permit
$9/person plus $6/permit reservation; the $9 charge is per trip, not per night. Park entrance is separate.
Which Campgrounds Are Open by Month
Read across each row for the 2026 season. Operating dates do not show campsite availability.
Scheduled all monthScheduled part of monthNo scheduled season
| Monthly context | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WeatherAvg high / low · °FBig Meadows, VA · station preview · 1991-2020 | 36°19° low | 38°22° low | 44°27° low | 57°37° low | 64°46° low | 70°54° low | 75°59° low | 73°58° low | 69°52° low | 58°42° low | 48°32° low | 40°24° low |
| Park crowdsAvg park visits · 2021–2025 | 24.3kLowest | 27.7kLowest | 74.6kLow | 126.6kModerate | 158.3kModerate | 169.1kModerate | 186.9kModerate | 179.4kModerate | 152.6kModerate | 318.6kPeak | 151.8kModerate | 34.3kLow |
| Campgrounds · 2026 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Mathews ArmApr 29 – Nov 1 | No season | No season | No season | Part of month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | Part of month | No season |
| Big MeadowsMar 25 – Nov 29 | No season | No season | Part of month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | Part of month | No season |
| Lewis MountainMar 26 – Nov 22 | No season | No season | Part of month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | Part of month | No season |
| Loft MountainApr 29 – Nov 1 | No season | No season | No season | Part of month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | Part of month | No season |
How to book Shenandoah camping
Choose the campground, site type and travel dates before opening the booking page.
Big Meadows
Reservation-only through Recreation.gov. Book before arrival; limited on-site booking is not guaranteed.
Mathews Arm and Loft Mountain
Both mix reservable and first-come sites. Reservable sites release 50% six months ahead, 25% two weeks ahead and 25% four days ahead.
Lewis Mountain
First-come, self-registration only. You must be on site to claim a first-come campsite; Mathews Arm has a 48-hour reservation cutoff.
Know the camp rules
Plan for the park’s normal camping rules. Official conditions carry restrictions for your travel dates.
No vehicle boondocking
RV, van and other vehicle overnight stays must be in campgrounds. Seek campsites outside the park when seasonal campgrounds are closed.
Store food securely
Keep food, scented items and cooking gear secured when not in use. A cooler alone is not proper food storage.
Backcountry rules
Purchase your permit through Recreation.gov. No backcountry campfires except permitted park-constructed fireplaces; ordinary dispersed campsites do not allow them.
Camping outside the park
Compare the park’s gateway areas first, then confirm nearby campground seasons, fees and equipment rules with the operator.
Front Royal
Use the northern entrance for the north Skyline Drive district. Snow or ice can interrupt access to the ridge.
Luray
Use US 211 to Thornton Gap for the central and northern ridge. Choose the base against your itinerary.
Elkton
Use US 33 to Swift Run Gap for the central/southern ridge.
Waynesboro
Use Rockfish Gap for the southern end of Skyline Drive. Confirm ridge-road conditions before climbing from the valley.
Questions about Shenandoah camping
Quick answers to the practical questions below.
Do I need a campground reservation at Shenandoah?
Big Meadows requires one. Lewis Mountain is first-come only. Mathews Arm and Loft Mountain have both reservable and first-come sites.
Are tent and RV sites priced differently at Shenandoah?
NPS campground records list $30/site/night for standard nonelectric tent or RV sites. Group sites and backcountry permits are separate charges.
How much is a Shenandoah backcountry permit?
$9/person plus a $6 permit reservation fee. This is not a per-night charge. For two people, the permit total is $24; park entrance is separate.
What is Dundo Campground?
The NPS overview counts Dundo among five campgrounds but publishes no individual record or dependable booking details. This comparison covers the four individually documented drive-in campgrounds; contact the park before planning around Dundo.
How we built this page.
An independent guide using official data. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service.
- Official guidance
- NPS and the relevant operators. The linked official pages support the access, facilities and rules described here. Confirm details before traveling.
- Crowd context
- 2021–2025 monthly averages. NPS recreation visits describe normal seasonal demand, not trail congestion, parking availability or unique visitors.
- Schedules and conditions
- Planning patterns, not live status. Seasonal information describes the normal pattern or explicitly dated source schedule. Current conditions are handled separately. The official source is the place to confirm today’s access.
Topic sources and data details
Campground locations, site counts, published fees and dated 2026 operating seasons come from the committed NPS/operator campground dataset. Normal setup and booking rules were checked against the official sources linked in each section.
The operating calendar aligns NOAA station climate normals with 2021–2025 NPS park visits. Weather varies with elevation and location; park visits do not measure campsite occupancy. Maps reuse reviewed park boundaries and road geometry. The vehicle shortlist does not guarantee an individual site or route will fit your equipment.
Operational source check: September 10, 2026. Design and emphasized source review: 2026-10-21. A design review does not refresh every underlying record.