Bolar Mountain Campground

We were in site #5. It was not level yet nothing in the mountains is level. The electric showed 30 & 50 amp yet the 30 amp was disconnected and that's what we need. We had to use the 50 amp hook up. The electric bo is on the wrong side of the site, most in this loop are on the wrong side. We filled with water this loop you have to fill with water.

The site was nice sized and shaded.

There isn't any cell service yet near the camp loop 2 the loop below ours behind spot #10 as you walk to the lake at a specific spot you can get service.

The lake is beautiful. Our neighbor was catching nice fish out in his boat. Many different kinds of fish and very nice sized brown trout.

There is a swim beach which you can launch a kayak or canoe from the beach.

The Marina is closed yet there is a boat launch near the marina.

They really need to update the campground area's was told it was all closed for a few years too bad they didn't update the campgrounds.

There isn't much around so bring your supplies with you. There is a small general store that sells somethings and gas but it's not a real grocery. They did sell excellent Virginia peanuts there.

favorite campsites are:

Campground 1

sites 9 and 2 were my favorite. Sites 2, 3, 9 & 10 the electric boxes are on the correct side.

Campground 2 sites 44 and 45 are nice with water & electric.

Sites 47, 50, 53, 54, 51 and 55 have no hook ups yet they are waterfront sites.

Campground 3 there is a boat & trailer storage area.

Best sites are 69 and 70 with water & electric.

No hook ups 64, 88 and 89 are waterfront.

They had a problem with the water in our loop so the bath house was closed and they had port o potties in front of the bath house. The day use area is big and was not crowded at all. There were many people camping in our loop it was very quiet.

Been going to the area for 30+ years. Always enjoyed but in the past 5 years or so, the management of the grounds has greatly deteriorated. Has gone contract. The facilities are not maintained. Case in point, a sink has been broken for two years and a shower has been out of service. Also, the campground use to open in April for the spring hunters and remained open till December for the fall hunters. Now it does not open till the week before Memorial Day and closes on Labor Day. The required reservations has proved to be restrictive and has resulted in a great loss of income. Communicating with the Forest Service has been unproductive as it appears that the contractor (Royal Elk) has complete control. Sent an email to the Warm Springs District inquiring about the campgrounds and it was forwarded to the contractor with no response to me from the Forest Service. Again, the servicing of the campgrounds is not anything like when the Forest Service. The restrooms were thoroughly cleaned daily but not now. Year before last, there was a time when 5 days pasted between cleanings. Still a very nice area and will continue to patronize.

Bolar Mtn Recreation area is situated on Lake Moomaw, a pristine lake surrounded by undeveloped, protected forest. The only lake access is through the parks, keeping this lake serene and generally calm. Get a lakeview site if at all possible, since the lake is what makes this campground special. Try using Google satellite to assess sites. We camped in the Sugar Ridge Loop which is non-electric and on a peninsula on the lake. Site 115 has some great lake views despite being an interior site looking across other campsites. Site 111 and 113 have spectacular views but are generally first come first serve. The camp host was very friendly and helpful. Most of the campers bring their boats. We rented a jon boat from the park marina to spend a few hours on the water. Pontoons and other boats are available, but you have to get a VA boater's card (similar to a driver's license) in advance. Also note the marina is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. You can swim off all the shores in the park, but the designated beach is large, sandy and has beautiful views of the mountains. At the beach there is a clean bathroom, playground, picnic tables and enough parking to accommodate RVs and trailers.

We stayed in Site number 15 in Campground #1.

Getting there: The area is densely forested and the drive in from VA 39 is beautiful, passing through equestrian farms and mountains. Cell phone coverage in this hilly countryside is spotty at best so expect to lose mobile-device gps navigation. Only approach the property from VA 39 on road #600 as road #603 (Robinson Gorge Road) is too narrow and low clearance for any RV or travel trailer. (The nav on our truck wanted us to use 603.)

Campground: many of the reservable sites have electricity and there are a few with water service as well. All are pretty open as the tall canopy does not allow dense undergrowth. Once we raised the cell antenna mast, we were able to get adequate LTE service on Verizon with a signal booster. (Important for me as I work on the road.) otherwise, there is the remains of a boat dock at the lake access in Campground #1 that will get 3G service. The bathroom was very clean, the showers were a little depressing, but serviceable nonetheless with very hot water. Noisy neighbors aren’t prompted after quite time... our neighbors were in loud debate over cards and politics past 1am on a few nights. The campground host and the consessioner didn’t seem to care.

Logistics: Stop for groceries before arrival. The nearest store is 30 minutes away in Hot Springs (and it’s lacking). Same for fuel. Firewood is $20 for 4 bundles which consisted of good sized, dry-ish, hard, slow burning material.

This campground is on the banks of Lake Moomaw, a gem of a large lake in western Virginia, surrounded by NF land. This means the only boats are those towed in, so it is relatively quiet and empty even on the weekends. A kayaker's dream. The campgrounds fill on the weekends, although boat traffic is still not much. There are 4 campgrounds in a row: 1,2,3 and Sugar Ridge. The majority of the sites are boondocking. Campground 2 and 3 are right beside the water with a boat launching area at 3, but those 2 campgrounds are crowded. Sugar Ridge is higher up above the water (still places to launch boats), more spread out and has a lot of sun for those of us using solar. Campground 1 is heavily shaded and more spread out than 2 and 3. There are 2 beaches and picnic area, small marina with a small store and ice machines. All other civilization (including gas and groceries) is 25 minutes away in Warm Springs or Hot Springs, where the Homestead Resort is. The photos I uploaded are Sunday evening after the crowds left. But during the weekend, campground 2 and 3 are very lively so bring your earplugs (crying babies, people snoring, dogs barking, frogs croaking). Well maintained with wonderful hot showers. This is an ideal destination for lake sports and fishing. But you are up in the mountains, so don't expect straight roads or cell service. (I was able to text.) Do NOT follow GPS to the campground if it tells you to take Switzerland Trail, because it takes you over a tough windy forest service road. Expect very windy roads with sharp turns even on the legit roads.