Low Water Bridge Campground — Hotel in Front Royal

I was attempting to quietly leave a one star review to give a balanced accurate portrayal of the new ownership. However they have so promptly and acutely retorted below it was appropriate to fully share our experience. We had been faithfully camping at the Low Water Bridge several times each summer for at least 25 years. We always took care of the property and paid everything we were asked to pay. Our guests who joined us on river trips all complied with the policies and paid the very high day fees equal to if they were actually spending the night camping there as well as paying additional parking fees just to be able to join us on day river trips (for which we used our own equipment and were on the river not even at the campground). The last time we had an encounter with the Low water bridge campground I had called to cancel a reservation which apparently didn’t get cancelled on their end and they took it as a no show. The campground without reaching out to us in any way cancelled all our future reservations and as it turned out did in fact “ban” us.

For reference….Once we had asked permission to move our trailer off the electric site at check out time and park out of the way to be able to finish our kayak trip that day. The owner (the husband Allan) graciously permitted it then we made all subsequent reservations to include the extra night at the end that we weren’t staying but paid just to be able to keep our trailer parked that last day to be able to enjoy the last day at the river. We have subsequently found that at the state parks it is completely acceptable to move out of your campsite at check out on your last day and park the trailer to finish enjoying the park for the day. So it wasn’t like an out of this world request anyway. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Our “ban” has turned out to be a huge blessing in disguise. We had for years and years been faithfully camping at the low water bridge campground sometimes up to 3 or 4 times a season and considered the family there like family. However it was a big blessing to be “forced” to explore new frontiers and we are so happy that we finally found the Shenandoah River State park. We have been so pleased with our stay at the state park this summer. The state park reservation, transfer, cancel and visitor policies are extremely reasonable. In addition to also being right on the river, the state park offers full hook-ups, a coin laundry facility and various optional activities… the state park additionally has amazing hiking and biking trails, one to a beautiful overlook of the river and valley. The bathrooms are clean at the state park and the ambience is more peaceful and quiet than we had experienced at the Low Water Bridge Campground. We are very happy to have found the state park and recommend it to anyone wanting to fully enjoy the south fork of Shenandoah river.

We have nothing but good memories at the original Low Water Bridge campground and recall excellent stays and conversations with the Grandma Christie and Critter and even the and new owner Allan who we consider as family over these last 25 years. However… the new wife (who I’m sure penned the remark below) has changed the place. I look at the smug replies to unsatisfied customers…. Some harsh remarks even to customers attempting to leave a good review and constructive feedback and it genuinely saddens me because the original owner-the grandma Christie and even the son Allan were hard working people who cared about providing a good experience to their customers.

But anyway...we cannot thank you enough Low Water Bridge Campground (haha new wife). If it had not been for you we would not have found the Shenandoah river state park where we are now very satisfied.

One of our kids mentioned this summer during our stay at the state park…. “This is really nice! Why did we stay at the Low Water Bridge Campground for so many years?” Sadly I have no good response to that...

people reading this - if you get nothing more out of this, read other negative reviews and the owner responses

I'm sad that I see so many negative reviews for a campground which used to be such a pleasure to visit.

Edit update 7/6/24 response to the owner. (because they haven't answered emails since 7/20)

Do not deflect from the two issues; 1) we were overcharged. 2) you have ignored our communications. You said we had 5 people on site until Monday, and I have proof that my husband and I left the campground at 10:53 a.m. and your checkout time as stated on the site is 11. In the email thread you said the reason you charged additional is because of the number of people (as compared to your response to this review below).

My request at this time is for you to read and understand the chart of payments and charges previously emailed. Read the emails which explain on June 13 (before our visit) who was going to be there what nights, and the emails from after our visit explaining the same people left. If it helps, we can walk through it on the phone together.

Original review:

Today is 7/1 and we still have no refund. We have been emailing with Kendra since June 19 trying to get a refund for money - $49.27 overcharged. We explained who was staying and when on our site on June 13 via email. We were overcharged and paid while onsite. We've explained via email on the 19th, 20th, 21st, and 28th. The 20th is the last time we've heard from Kendra who explained how she erroneously thought more campers were there and we explained AGAIN that was not true. Here's our breakdown, which was sent on the 19th. Look at the site fees on their site and tell me we are wrong. It's not right to be ignored, and also - Kendra is wrong. There are plenty of nice campgrounds in the area and you won't have to fight for your money back when you've in good faith paid it up front. Sure we can get our money back via the credit card company, but that just raises credit card costs for everyone. Kendra said - but this is not true because three of us left Sunday "Site 32 had three vehicles and five adults until Monday. I would happily refund you if you were due anything, but you aren't. " So yes, Kendra we are due $49.27 because we weren't there. My husband and I definitely left Sunday morning, as did person 3 and person 4. Just like we planned on June 13, and just like we've said in all our emails. I can show you my google timeline to prove mine. Refund the money, and happily please just like you said you would.

Site 32 Friday Night Saturday Night Sunday Night Totals Friday p.m. 6/14 thru Monday a.m. 6/17 Reservation Fee $5.00 n/a n/a $5.00 Base Costs = 2 adults/2 cars $38.00 $38.00 $38.00 $114.00 person1 (1 adult + 1 car) Base Base Base above person 2 (1 adult + 1 car) Base Base Base above person 3 Camp $11.00 $11.00 n/a $22.00 person 3 Car $5.00 n/a n/a $5.00 person 4 Camp $11.00 $11.00 n/a $22.00 person 4 Car $5.00 n/a n/a $5.00 person 5 Camp $11.00 $11.00 n/a $22.00 person 5 Car $5.00 n/a n/a $5.00 person 6 Camp $11.00 $11.00 n/a $22.00 person 6 Car N/A drove w/person 5 N/A drove w/person 6 n/a n/a validation only Sub-Total pre-tax $102.00 $82.00 $38.00 $222.00 $222.00 Taxes Due @ 5.3% $5.41 $4.35 $2.01 $11.77 Total per Night $107.41 $86.35 $40.01 $233.77 $233.77

PAID to LWBC person 1 - January 28 ($51.30) person 1 - March 23 ($80.31) person 1 - weekend of ($98.00) other person - weekend of ($28.43) other person - June ($25.00) (via credit from other cancelled site) TOTAL PAID ($283.04) Refund Due from LWBC to person...

I visited this place over the weekend for just one night with a total of 5 people including myself. When we checked in they even gave us a little map and circled where we would be, giving us directions. We were impressed at the size of the site we booked, being able to pitch up 3 tents, hang a hammock, and park 2 cars with plenty of room to spare. They are also very dog friendly, there were countless dogs with their families at many of the sites.

Each site had a fence around it so you weren't right up on your neighbors and had some privacy. We were lucky to get a mostly shaded site, we noticed a select few of them were in the sunlight with no shade. Each site also had a fire pit and a picnic table, but only some of them included a grill top over the fire pit. All the sites were within close walking distance of a portapotty, and they also had 6 actual restrooms with showers at their main site (2 of which were labeled handicap accessible).

The shower I used however (which was labeled #5), had barely a trickle of water. It was so weak that it was coming out of the shower head then immediately trickling against the wall, making it impossible to wash your whole body under it. I ended up using the waterproof bag I had brought with me for my toiletries to hang over the shower head so that when it filled up, it poured over the top out toward me and allowed me to at least stand under it and clean myself with the equivalent of a sink faucet turned only half on. My partner who used a different shower had slightly better water pressure from what he said. Just something to be aware of.

The office does sell some very basic items for convenience including beverages, ice, fire wood, lighter fluid, feminine hygiene products, some condiments, shelf stable foods, and more. They accept both card and cash. If you need anything more than what they sell though it's a very close drive to reach any store you may need to visit in town. They are also pet friendly, we saw very many dogs with their families while there. They even implement a "quiet time" rule which states that quiet time is between 11pm to 7am, ensuring you can get an uninterrupted night's sleep.

Overall the staff was very friendly and we didn't have any issues really. Though, after leaving a jacket there in one of their main bathrooms we tried to call at least 3 times and even left a voicemail with no answer. We went back to get it as we hadn't left town yet, and we were able to retrieve it luckily. It seems like they don't answer their phones...