Blue Ridge Mountains

Camping in Shenandoah Valley area (Va)?

Can anyone suggest nice areas to camp in the Shenandoah Valley area in Va (Blue Ridge Mtns, Skyline Drive, etc)? My boyfriend and I both have hiking and camping experience and are in decent physical shape. We’ve looking for an area to camp where we’ll be unlikely to run into other hikers/campers – no “family camping” sites. However, we also dont want completely rustic camping as we dont have the equipment to purify water, etc. I remember in the past driving far up mountains and finding small clearings off of the dirt roads where we camped and never saw another soul the entire time we were there. Looking for something similar to that. Can anyone recommend an area/trail/etc?

You sound like you like to explore out of the way Forest Service roads. There are several mountain ridges just west of the Skyline Drive on the other side of the valley that run parallel to the Blue Ridge for several hundred miles. where you’ll find plenty of FS roads. The closest ones are in the George Washington National Forest.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/

A little further west you run into the Monongahela National Forest.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/mnf/

Both of the forests allow dispersed camping almost anywhere outside of campgrounds. I’ve been through the area many times and finding secluded place to camp is pretty easy. You can also stop at a ranger station and ask for advice.

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing – Blue Ridge Outing 2009