Big Meadows Campground

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.

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.

First, I do plan on camping here again. We camp all over the Shenandoah Valley, and this place is unique. It has character and a natural quality that is hard to find.

The sites were good. The site I was on was plenty spacious, and level enough to be comfortable. The views are hard to beat. A clean restroom is never far away. The hiking opportunities were great, and the wildlife was amazing. We had deer on our site our first night (my wife almost tripped over one walking to bathroom) and again the next morning. Unfortunately, we never saw a bear.

My biggest complaint, and the thing that almost totally ruined our experience, was noisy neighbors. There was a group of people who got two sites (side by side) across the road from us. They were tent campers, and felt the need to talk to each other from inside their tents from one site to the other well after quiet hours. We knew it wasn't going to be good when they got loud right before the start of quiet hours, and didn't stop once quiet hours began. At 10:45, another neighbor loudly asked them to please be quiet. They were quiet about 10 minutes, then began talking and laughing about the incident. Somehow I was able to fall asleep for about an hour but was then awakened again to the sound of their noise. We got out of our camper because we were wide awake and decided to walk to the bathroom at 12:30am. When we got outside, a family beside this group got in their vehicle (leaving their tent behind and in place) and left. They hadn't returned when we pulled out the next day. Between us moving around, and the other family leaving, the group finally decided to be quiet. People, if you can't respect the rules of a campground, please don't go camping. I can't even fathom how people can be so inconsiderate.

I will be camping at this campground again in the future, and I will be crossing my fingers that we won't be near any more neanderthals.

Spacious sites, good privacy considering there are hundreds of back in sites.
Clean showers cost $1.75 but be aware that showers and bathrooms near the entrance are only open when rangers are on duty during the day. The Byrd Center where you get info also has a store/deli and gas pumps. The Big Meadows Lodge has restaurant, bar, good connectivity and views.
There are trails for all level of hikers.
Skyline Drive is a serious Wow experience.
We visited in late September during the week and it was not crowded.
Highly recommended.

Of course, there are no hookups here, but water sources are conveniently located throughout the park. We were able to find a threaded faucet near a bathroom that allowed us to fill our water tank with our hose. Some bathrooms have utility sinks with hot water for dishwashing. They have a central shower house where showers cost $1.50. The campground is clean and well maintained. Dumpsters and recycling stations were available in several locations. Our site was good for our solar panel. Although the campground was full, we didn't feel overly crowded, and it wasn't really noisy. Good location for hiking in Shenandoah National Park, with the Appalachian Trail running close to the campground. We were there in mid-August, and the temps were very comfortable.

Liked the D loop as it is convenient to Lodge, laundry and services, Probably would suggest D148 or D150 as they required less leveling and had more direct sun for our rooftop solar panels, Lots of deer walking thru the park, oblivious to humans, Do go to the lodge (shortcut path behind laundry) and see about live music in the Taproom. Cell service only in Lodge. Lodge dining room food was good and reasonably priced. Seatings for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

This national park campground has asphalt parking strips. The more open sites are grass; the shady ones are bare ground. There is no electric. Water service is from hydrants. The toilet buildings are cinder block with flush toilets. Showers are in a central shower building and are run with quarters.

Cell service in the campground is nil but a signal can be had in the amphitheater which is closer to the edge of the ridge.

The regular fee is $20 with half off for senior pass holders.

What a nice campground. We were there in mid April and it wasn't crowded. We were able to pic a nice open spot. Camping high on the ridge line it can be windy and cold. Basically in the middle of the park gives you great access to various hiking trails. The AT virtually runs through the campground.

Facilities were basic but functional. No hook ups so be prepared. The camp store is expensive but convenient.

We arrived at the park at 3:30PM, plenty of daylight to pick a decent spot. The park is seasonal and this year will close for the winter on November 12th. The campground was less than half full when we were there. We chose site A93. Nice almost level asphalt pad with fire ring and picnic table. Sites are clean and well maintained. There are no hookups here but there is fresh water at the dump station. There are plenty of restrooms located around this campground and there is a bathhouse with numerous showers and great laundry facility. But choose your shower in the laundry building as they seem to be cleaner and more spacious.
The Camp-Hosts and and staff here are friendly, informative and approachable. They have a great weather board at the gate that is kept current with a 3-day forecast. Internet is non-existent with Verizon and AT&T is very weak. You’ll have to head south on Skyline Drive to the first overlook to find decent reception but beware, you might not be able to turn around and come back for quite a ways depending on your length. And when driving, be sure to drive at or below the speed limit as there are numerous deer and other wildlife that stroll through the campground.
We stayed only one night. During our first night, a new camper arrived after dark and proceeded to set up their tent a few spots from us (A88) using a large tent with an attached screened in area. A dog, probably a puppy used this area as it’s dog-house through the rest of the night. Over that night, anytime the dog heard a noise, or someone walked by the tent, the dog barked for about five minutes. My wife and I were awakened at least 4 times during the night and as a result, didn’t get much sleep. When I approached the camp host in the morning and then a staff member later in that same morning and complained, I was told I could move. When I asked why I should move and not them, the response amounted to that dogs are not included when it comes to quiet hours. “As long as they are on a leash or inside the tent or car, there’s nothing we can do about it.” the staff member said. “I did speak with the camper about it, but there is nothing more we can do.” they said. We have found that Rangers really frown upon one camper addressing an issue with another camper, so we choose not to.
Since the campers with the dog picked a spot very central to the campground, we didn’t feel that it would make much difference if we decided to re-locate. So, we left. My wife and I have camped for the last year, many times using National Forest or National Park campgrounds. Though we have only seen this issue about 10% of the time, we feel it needs to be addressed. Quiet hours are not just for humans, they should apply all the way across the board.
Though we did leave the next day, we returned after the weekend and stayed for an additional 4 days. The return visit was fine and we would return again.

We really did have a good time at Big Meadows; however there were enough drawbacks that I would first try other campgrounds in the park. Since we only stayed here I can’t know whether the other campgrounds are any better.

My number one conplaint is that the dump station and water fill is far outside the campground. i.e there is no walking to it. So I had to tow my blue tank all over.

Second conplaint is just how close the sites were. B117 was a decent site but there were much better ones.

Also drainage is reall bad in some sites if it has been raining. Our site was surrounded by a swamp the whole time.

Gnats were annoying again maybe because so much rain.

But otherwise the canpground was mostly quiet and nice to be at.