Big Meadows Campground — Attraction in Luray

Really enjoyed my stay here as a novice camper except for two things. But first, the good. Well maintained grounds and bathrooms were cleanest I've seen for a campground. I used the bathroom downstairs at the lodge whenever I went up there for cell phone reception (see photo). Nicer bathrooms than even some modern malls. Enough about bathrooms. Plenty of firewood on site to purchase ($7+ cash). They even have ice cream! Ice bags and laundry facility available, too. Shower worked great - nice and hot (7 quarters for 5 min; change machine on site) - bring sandals. Also, 1 minute drive back towards Skyline Dr, you'll find everything you need at the Wayside (camp store has decent prices and casual dining). There's also a walking path to get there from the campgrounds (as well as to the Lodge).

I went in mid August and most sites were occupied. Rangers at the office were helpful. They told me no bear spray is needed for hiking. And no mosquitoes!

(No Verizon cellphone reception on the grounds either, but some at the Lodge nearby, where you can just sit and chill inside in the Great room, which looks out to the park; Lodge also has a restaurant, but it's pricey, $15-25 main dish).

Now, for the bad: 1) Gnats swarmed my face constantly at my camp site, and 2) Some campers don't respect quiet hours. This one couple was up talking in their tent at midnight. I was too tired to go and talk to them, but I could hear them clearly even though they were at least 50 ft away from my tent (very quiet at night save for the chirping bugs).

I was at site 73. Good shade from sun in morning and late afternoon. But a lot shrubbery/bushes which could have heightened gnat/bug problem. Also, the ground wasn't flat. And the center of the site had stony ground. Shouldn't have set my tent there even with a sleeping pad, but the rest of the area was too grassy. Also, behind my site there were two group sites. Didn't have much solitude with 20 lively college students occupying it. Their hammocks were also only 20 ft away. A better site is probably the one directly across the road to the right (more East) because of better shade during the day and better tent set up.

Mostly quiet during the day. People are out seeing the park. The Dark Hollow Falls trail is very close to the entrance to the Big Meadows wayside and visitor center. Not too hard for a novice, but no pets allowed, and took me almost two hours with frequent stops for photos and time to enjoy nature.

Also, I camped alone so I had to pack up all my food/supplies (anything that has or gives off scent) everytime I used the bathroom or went to explore, which got annoying. The rangers make you sign a notice that you'll be fined $80 if you leave food out unattended. They're strict about it and rightly so because there are plenty of black bears in the park (see photo of bear scratch on dumpster). Make sure to drive slowly (10 mph) - kids at play, people and deer walking.

Make sure you bring tinder and kindling for the fire. The firewood you buy there is dense and you'll need an axe to chop it up. Or you can use a combo of duraflame and fire starter fuel cubes (duraflame didn't stay lit unless I lit fuel cubes under/next to it and then the duraflame gave fire to the firewood).

Lastly, reserve a site online. You can even see a photo of each camp site. Recreation.gov

My last piece advice: respect the rules and everyone will have an...

We've been coming here and camping for 41 years, and it's usually been great. Starting last year (and perhaps because of Covid) more people are coming camping, many of whom don't know any common camp etiquette. Every day I had to ask people not to walk through our campsite on their way to the bathrooms, as it's like walking through our living room. Most were respectful after that, but not all. There are some really rude people out there. Also, the Delaware North company should be ashamed of themselves for the terrible firewood they're selling now; unseasoned and wet (better to buy good and less expensive wood in the valley, at Martin's or Home Depot). And the campgrounds need to have the one-way arrows repainted on all the roads, as there were lots of people going the wrong way. New tables and fire rings were nice though. Cheers to the hard-working maintenance crews. Edit update, recent trip camping at Big Meadows, July2-July16, 2024; we moved to a different site a couple years ago so we no longer have issues with people cutting through it. But, the camp hosts for the past 2 years no longer enforce the rules as written in the paperwork they give you at check-in. This year we watched them drive by without enforcing: kids on scooters and skateboards (when a few years ago they told us our grandson couldn't ride his scooter). Also there was a group camping with 2 RV's in one site, face to face while it clearly states that no more than one RV per site. We watched a man drop his full wheeled poop wagon onto the bed of his truck, which exploded, spilled the contents down the back of his truck and onto the ground, which his wife attempted to wash off with a hose (connected to the public water fountain/tap). Rangers should have been informed for a thorough cleaning. Lots of changes occurring and none...

Stayed at Big Meadows Campground over the 4th of July weekend. The grounds did not feel super busy despite it being the holiday weekend. Some positives. 1) Great location and proximity to popular hiking trails. 2) Abundant wildlife; deer, birds, wild turkeys. 3) Great on-site restaurant serving pretty good breakfast items. 4) Good trail system throughout campground with access to restrooms. Few negatives. Welcome to 2024 and inflated costs. 1) The showers cost $5 😬 You get 10 minutes but it just seems expensive. 2) The fire wood cost $10 a bundle! 3) C loop, where we stayed, is a mixed tent/camper area. We stayed at site C139 and it does not have much grass after a tent is pitched. The pictures on the online booking site did not portray the site accurately either. Additionally, with the C loop being mixed, you do have to deal with camping trailers and generator noise. (The noises ARE restricted to certain hours and the rangers are pretty good about following up with campers that fail to adhere to the rules.) 4) Lastly, the camp store could use more of some basic food items. We ran out of milk and they did not have any at the store. Overall, Big Meadows Campground is a great spot for camping while visiting Shenandoah National Park. Be careful not to leave food items outside, especially if your camp site does not have a food box. Even though I did not see a bear, one did visit our campsite at night and decided to sniff our tent and even pushed on the tent with his nose. That was a bit scary as my head happened to be right there so he did push (surprisingly gently)...