Big Meadows Campground
Shenandoah National Park
Write a Review 304 Big Meadows Access Rd. Stanley, VA 22851 540-999-3500 Official WebsiteGPS: 38.5288, -78.4383
Overview of Big Meadows Campground
In early spring, Big Meadows Campground operates on a first-come-first-serve basis, only. Beginning in early May, there are a combination of sites offered through reservations and on a first-come-first-serve basis. When offered, reservations are highly recommended, especially on weekends and holidays.
Big Meadows Campground features pull-through and deep back-in sites which can handle most RVs and a tow vehicle.
Bear, deer, raccoons, and skunks are year-round residents of Shenandoah. Food, garbage, equipment used to prepare or store food, and all scented items must be kept in a locked vehicle or storage locker when not being actively used. It is illegal to feed or disturb wildlife.
Last Price Paid: $30
Reported by Gail on 6/22/2022
Longest RV Reported: 35 feet
Reported by Jane on 5/31/2016
Number of Sites 221
Pad Type asphalt
Reservations yes
Open Seasonally March - Nov.
Elevation 3,116 ft / 949 m
Tent Camping Yes




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Q&A - Ask the Community about Big Meadows Campground
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 540-999-3500
Reviews of Big Meadows Campground 26 people have reviewed this location.
“Such a pleasure!”
Reviewed 6/22/2022
Nightly rate: | $30 |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | 145 |
I am at Big Meadows right now. I extended my stay by a day and if a site frees up, I may stay longer. The sites are well spaced and there are trees and bushes between creating some privacy. People have been pretty quiet which I appreciate. The ranger programs here are spectacular and children and adults love them. The “Star Party” is ... more
I am at Big Meadows right now. I extended my stay by a day and if a site frees up, I may stay longer. The sites are well spaced and there are trees and bushes between creating some privacy. People have been pretty quiet which I appreciate. The ranger programs here are spectacular and children and adults love them. The “Star Party” is a must do! I love the stories about the constellations! The facilities are clean. They have coin op showers, laundry, and a small store. I will return!
Gail would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Reviewed 6/20/2022
Nightly rate: | $30 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Beautiful campground with large sites. Very clean as well. Would definitely stay here again.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Ideal Location ”
Reviewed 6/13/2022
Nightly rate: | $15 |
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Days stayed: | 5 |
Site Number: | I-225 |
This is a large campground with a variety of sites for tent campers and large RVs. A lot of sites are on dirt/gravel which with the rain made for a dirty trailer. It's in the center of Shenandoah National Park with great access to trails. Coin operated showers ($2.50 for 5 minutes) and a laundry operated by a concessionaire. Nice Park ... more
This is a large campground with a variety of sites for tent campers and large RVs. A lot of sites are on dirt/gravel which with the rain made for a dirty trailer. It's in the center of Shenandoah National Park with great access to trails. Coin operated showers ($2.50 for 5 minutes) and a laundry operated by a concessionaire. Nice Park personnel at checkin.
Patch would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice site, slightly noisy due to tent campers”
Reviewed 5/28/2022
Nightly rate: | $30 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | A74 |
Fantastic location in middle of Shenandoah National Park which made hiking and traveling to sites very easy. No hook up. Dump site is outside of campground. Only negative was we were close to tent campers and they arrived late after we had gone to bed and we were awakened by their talking, car doors and setting up equipment.
Indytravelgal would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Rain!”
Reviewed 10/15/2021
Nightly rate: | $27 |
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Days stayed: | 5 |
Site Number: | 69 |
No fault of the campground, but 5 days of rain & dance fog! Months of planning down the drain! 😭 Had to leave early, our solar just couldn't change batteries due to fog, & we were located in no generator spot. But, campground was spotless!! $2.50 for hot, very clean, shower! Very clean, flushing, potties. Lodge was a savings grace, fr... more
No fault of the campground, but 5 days of rain & dance fog! Months of planning down the drain! 😭 Had to leave early, our solar just couldn't change batteries due to fog, & we were located in no generator spot.
But, campground was spotless!! $2.50 for hot, very clean, shower! Very clean, flushing, potties. Lodge was a savings grace, free wifi, and a nice little pub w/ draft beer in the basement. Spent a lot of time playing board games and sipping beer in front of their fireplace. Zero cell service at campground, but about 2 bars LTE w/ Verizon and ATT at Lodge.
Enjoy!
R. Ireland would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Pull Thru Sites, Showers, Camp Store, Hiking”
Reviewed 10/13/2021
Nightly rate: | $20 |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
For $20 in a beautiful national park what more can you really ask for? The sites were mostly level, pull thrus. A short walk to a small general store, showers, laundry and a slightly longer walk to a restaurant. Nearby gas station and ranger station. There are a number of hikes in the immediate area. Dry camping at its best. It's... more
For $20 in a beautiful national park what more can you really ask for? The sites were mostly level, pull thrus. A short walk to a small general store, showers, laundry and a slightly longer walk to a restaurant. Nearby gas station and ranger station. There are a number of hikes in the immediate area. Dry camping at its best. It's quite shaded so don't count on solar and service is very sparse.
Travels With Luna would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Green & Clean”
Reviewed 10/1/2021
Days stayed: | 0 |
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Site Number: | D160 |
It’s a NPS campground - i.e., no hookups & tight parking. But overall, we really enjoyed being here. There was a small group campsite next to us and the bathhouse. So this group of college kids were a little loud and stayed up late. But they were fairly respectful, and not a real interruption. We had shade for part of the day and there... more
It’s a NPS campground - i.e., no hookups & tight parking. But overall, we really enjoyed being here. There was a small group campsite next to us and the bathhouse. So this group of college kids were a little loud and stayed up late. But they were fairly respectful, and not a real interruption. We had shade for part of the day and there was a nice walking path to get to the bathhouse. We like to stay inside national parks when we are visiting one of them and this was one of the best inside any National park we’ve ever stayed at.
revdocpam would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Bustling with Activity”
Reviewed 9/19/2021
Nightly rate: | $20 |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | C139 |
We decided to stay here as this campground is the 'village' of Shenandoah National Park. Upon arrival, we were caught off guard that the ranger assigns you a site if you're first come first serve. We had gotten spoiled along campgrounds along the Blue Ridge Parkway and others along the Skyline that you got to choose your own site. ... more
We decided to stay here as this campground is the 'village' of Shenandoah National Park. Upon arrival, we were caught off guard that the ranger assigns you a site if you're first come first serve. We had gotten spoiled along campgrounds along the Blue Ridge Parkway and others along the Skyline that you got to choose your own site.
Thankfully, C139 was amongst the nicer feeling sites - so no complaints there.
But if peace and tranquillity are you goals - this is not a campground to achieve them during peak tourist season. Our stay was early-August - and even mid-week this campground was full and active with vacationers. Hey, everyone deserves to get away - but lots of noise of campfires, big groups, dozens of kids riding bikes, tents being set up, mattresses being blown up, etc. wasn't the vibe we were after.
The lodge nearby (easy biking) offers some respite and we found a nice outdoor table at the tavern where we could enjoy some refreshments and listen to live chill music.
While we had paid 2-nights in advance (thinking we wanted a longer stay), we ended up leaving a night early. This campground just isn't as well spread out as others in the park and it wasn't what we were seeking.
We were able to get rocking T-Mobile signal here however suitable for streaming (47 mbps down!), despite not being in the section reported as having better signal. AT&T was poor in our section however.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beautiful place, no cell signal”
Reviewed 5/15/2021
Days stayed: | 3 |
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Site Number: | F201 |
Luckily for us the lodge up the hill had wifi for work and school! The loops on the very furthest side (h loop?) had some signal because it’s where the ground starts sloping down and you can reach the signals from town across the valley. Most sections are total dead zones. So besides that little snafu, this was a great spot for expl... more
Luckily for us the lodge up the hill had wifi for work and school! The loops on the very furthest side (h loop?) had some signal because it’s where the ground starts sloping down and you can reach the signals from town across the valley. Most sections are total dead zones.
So besides that little snafu, this was a great spot for exploring the park. So many hiking trails, including some great areas right from the campground. There’s no privacy between sites. Laundry was $1 to wash and 25c/7 min to dry. Big industrial sized machines. I did two big loads that usually take me 3-4 machines and only two loads with $1 each to dry, including lots of towels. It was great. Camp hosts gave us great hiking suggestions.
OregonMum would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Decent site, no hookups, NO cell coverage”
Reviewed 4/14/2021
Nightly rate: | $10 |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | C135 |
We did a mid-week 1-night getaway (April 2021); it's still early in the season so all spots are first-come-first-serve basis. There are no hookups, which was fine for us; nearest restroom did not have showers, but there is supposedly a centralized coin-operated shower facility (and laundry) Sites are not too cramped; the big down... more
We did a mid-week 1-night getaway (April 2021); it's still early in the season so all spots are first-come-first-serve basis.
There are no hookups, which was fine for us; nearest restroom did not have showers, but there is supposedly a centralized coin-operated shower facility (and laundry)
Sites are not too cramped; the big downside is there is ZERO cell phone coverage. I have a booster and Verizon and AT&T... nothing with either carrier. Even driving in we lost coverage when we got on Skyline Drive... that area is a cell phone dead zone, and the campground is totally a cell phone dead zone.
But if you don't need to be connected; it's a decent place, campground store and even gas station at entrance. Lots of good hiking nearby and cycling.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Shenandoah National Park
It’s no secret that we love national parks. So when I realized how close we were going to be to Shenandoah National Park, we knew we wanted to visit. After we left Richmond, we had an easy 2-hour d...
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
Recreation
- picnic area
- recreation trail
Site Amenities
- big rig
- fire ring
- picnic table
- pull thru
Facilities
- dump station
- firewood
- general store
- group sites
- ADA Accessible
- laundry
- recycle
- restrooms: flush
- showers
- trash
- water available
Pets
- pets
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- tomo
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