We stayed at one of the walk to campsites and could not have had a lovelier night. We went to watch the meteor shower and had a clear view from the field- it was spectacular. On top, we had a clean and HUGE campsite. I'd have loved more distance between sites but for a family campground, my two new campers were beyond happy! read more

Big Meadows Campground - breakfast on the fire - Campgrounds Near Me - Luray, Virginia

I recently camped at Big Meadows Campground for a night to check out the fall foliage of Shenandoah's skyline drive. I really enjoyed camping here. It was relaxing and it was close to the lodge, restaurants, and hikes. The campground was full, but it wasn't noisy. My campsite was in the B Loop, site 44. It's not a drive-in site. You need to walk about 50 meters, but the short trail to the campsite is well maintained and so was the campsite. It was very clean and flat for tent set-up. Each campsite has a table and a fire ring with a grill. There's also a locker to store food since the campground is in bear territory. Didn't see any bears, but some deer walked through my campsite. There are toilets walkable from the campsites. I don't like that the showers are elsewhere, next to the camp store. You will have to drive to the showers. It's $5 for 10 minutes. At the camp store, you can buy some fire starters, ice, wood, and a limited selection of snacks. Campsites are $30/night and get booked up months in advance. Each site fits one large tent and one medium tent and a max of two cars. There is no cell reception at the campsite. If you need cell service or wifi, you can go to the Big Meadows Lodge, which also has a bar and restaurant. read more

We had an excellent weekend here over July 4th. Nice campground to see wildlife. The deer wonder through the camping area and if you go out to the meadow in the morning at sunrise, or are out there around sunset you'll surely see loads of deer. We also were privileged to see a black bear. If you enjoy hiking, dark hollow falls is a great hike. read more

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Loved this campground! Great amenities! Great people! Great campsite! Great store! EPIC blackberry cobbler! Great rangers at the visitor center right at the front with lots of great opportunities to experience their knowledge and love of the park! We will be back! Sending love from Florida! read more

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This was a good first spot to see what this mountain range was about. People were quite and trails were near. Be aware the came sites are small and you get what you pay for. There are some cool ones nestled in trees that we found. Showers were hot. I'm not so stoked that I left germx out side in the day and they took it saying it was scented hand sanitizer. They also snatched my sunscreen. And some other stuff, mind you -we had NO food out. So that was uncool, I get it about rules but I guess we should've been more careful. I grew up in Lake Tahoe with leave with no trace and we did. But other than that it was a good trip. read more

Big Meadows Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Luray, Virginia

Great amenities for families. Plenty of clean bathrooms and water access. There are also showers, soda machines, ice and wood for sale near the entrance but we did not use any of those services so I cannot speak for it. The bathrooms are clean and kept up and most sites have bear lockers for food and toiletry storage. You will see deer hanging out throughout the day so keep your food locked up even if you're just leaving for a few minutes. All in all, a great campground! Lost one star because the sites are just a smidge too close together and some walk in sites require you to walk through someone else's site. read more

Big Meadows Campground - Site 11 - Walk in. Close to two bathrooms. A little hard to find a flat spot for tents. - Campgrounds Near Me - Luray, Virginia

Stayed here for the weekend. We were in B loop which has some good spots but I wasn't in love with our campsite. We were right along the road without many trees (so no hammock for us but definitely possible at some other sites). We brought USDA stamped wood with us which was good cause we arrived after the camp store closed. We had a fire ring and a picnic table. Some sites have a bear box but we just kept everything in our car. The location was great! Near a bunch of hikes so you have options. There's no service so I recommend downloading the national park app before arriving. They had a bunch of activities you could attend posted at the check-in. It's very dark at night and you can see tons of stars. Definitely stop at the visitor center at the entrance!!! read more

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I totally recommend camping at Big Meadows Campground. Here, at Big Meadows, you're sitting in the prime spot for multiple day hikes or longer hikes along the A.T. Big Meadows is conveniently located in the Central District of Shenandoah National Park. The campground is Clean! And most sites are grassy! The lots are fair sized. I really enjoyed my spot. -When camping at BMC, most campsites have lockers to store your food but not mine. I had to keep mine in the car and that didn't bother me at all. People were nice. And when I was there, nobody was rowdy. At 10pm, everything went silent! YESSSSS!! Thank you, people... nothing more annoying than loud campers all night long. - The bathrooms were clean! Showers cost $5 for 10 min. Plenty time to give your body a soap down and get out! They have a paved path that runs the grounds, out to the pavilion and up to the Visitors Center and Wayside. I drove around and saw the cabins and the Big Meadows Lodge. Very nice. Very Rustic. You can access a couple trails from the Campground. Lewis Falls, The A.T., Story of Big Meadows I think it was called and....and...you can hike the actual Meadow. There's no trail name. You're just following a maze of game trails. Felt like I was tracking big game. It was pretty awesome here. read more

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[942] 6/19/2019 We picked this Shenandoah campsite due to positive reviews. The campsite is located about an hour up the mountain once you pay to get into the park. It's a primitive campground so we had no electricity or water. We were allowed to run our generators 2 hours in the morning and 3 in the evening so it was fine. No internet but that's fine as it was nice to sit back and enjoy nature Sites were $20 a day I believe. There is a shower station $1.75 for 5 minutes which was by the entrance. Washers and dryers (very inexpensive). There was a super tiny store which sold wood, ice, s'mores items and a few other shelf stable items. Tons of amazing hiking spots right behind our trailer. We also walked to the meadow (behind visitors center) to see the stars at night. Tons of places to stop and enjoy the view of the valley We had a pull thru site which was huge. Many people seem to come for a day or two and keep going. Many of the other sites were small and it was hard to tell where one ended and another started. The water faucets were between 2 sites so it felt like I was walking thru sites to get water in my bucket It's a national park so no organized kids activities. The lodge is nearby if you don't feel like cooking. The staff was very friendly. Make sure you pack all you need as it's a hike to get to the nearest store. There are bears in the area but sounds like they are afraid of noise. each site has a food bear box lol We really enjoyed our stay and will be back read more

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Clean campgrounds with plenty of camping for tents, RVs, and hook-ups! We came early in the season so it's currently first come first serve on your spot ( we visited late April ). The campground was actually pretty full so we are glad we were there early enough to choose a nice spot. The spots you can choose from range from parking lot, edge of meadow land, and inside the wooded area. The restrooms were also very clean which is a must for me. Always smelled good, kept clean, and private doors with three stalls. There was also soap and towels for your hands. There is also a wash basin at each bathroom location for washing dishes, cleaning your supplies, or any basic water needs. There were probably a total of 3-4 of these restroom buildings on the site. Campers were all polite and most followed basic COVID safety procedures even though were were outside which is nice. There are many hiking trails, the actual Appalachian trail, rock formations, and waterfalls around the area and none of the hikes are too over the top. There is also a gas station center upon entering where you can purchase souvenirs, snacks, firewood, drinks, and other items you would typically find at a welcome center. We saw deer, multiple types of birds, and flowers on the trip. We cannot wait to see what we find later in the year! read more

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Getting ready to leave our site, H214, at Big Meadows. We're glad the trailer in the site across the street in front of ours left before we did so we could just pull through it before turning because there were less trees to worry about making the turn. Next stop for us is the dump station. We saw 3 does there and a fawn. I couldn't get a picture of the fawn. I didn't see it till I was back in the truck and it was on the driver's side and Don wouldn't try and take a picture of it for me. Tim and Jess were a big help to us breaking camp. And Tim cooked breakfast for us on the Blackstone Griddle. We had pancakes, bacon and sausage. We ran the generator so I could heat the syrup in the microwave. Generator hours are 8 to 10 a.m. and again 4 p.m. to 7 p.m..Of course, we told them normally we only eat cereal the morning we have to leave to save time. But we got up at 8 a.m.. Check out is noon. We were all ready to drive out of our site by around 11:30. So Don drank the rest of his coffee and we had time to just relax.a few minutes. We did wait for one motorhome at the dump station but that wasn't bad. Our last night here is ending with a campfire. I'm sad because I wanted to stay longer but our site is rented tomorrow night by someone. And Don said if we had to move we would just go home. Sometimes I could stay here for weeks if I could especially if there were hookups. Tim says we should just find an empty site in the 1st come 1st served row but Don doesn't really want to. But this is a primitive campground. They do have a dump station and a place there to fill the tanks with fresh water plus throughout the campground there are water faucets we can fill a portable container to add to our water tank. Don's gotten water at one across from our site a few times. And he and the kids use the restroom close to our site so our black tank doesn't get to full too soon. But I say owner privilege to use the one in the camper. read more

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Great central location to many of the parks popular hikes. Spacious campsite, large central lodge with facilities. Would not recommend the basement restaurant, service was incredibly slow and food was poor quality. read more

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Our best camping trip yet. We stayed in A37, a walk in campsite which, from what I could tell from the map, was the farthest site from the road I could find online. Stunning. Was there the third week of October, and the leaves were beautiful. Was a little annoyed at the fees, and the increase of fees from what I saw online. $20 to enter the park (pass lasts for 7 days), $7 for a smallish bag/bundle of wood, which we had issues with one bag being very green wood. Showers were also $1 in quarters for 5 minutes. Aside from all the fees, the campground was clean and quiet. The deer were great. They walk right by you, obviously not fearful of man any longer. They bed down each night around our tent area and then woke to graze in our area each day as well. Our kids loved to see the deer! You can't buy this experience at Disney! Bear boxes were provided at the site to keep food secure, but we never saw a bear (a few raccoons though). Hope to come back sometime. Quite the vacation. read more

First time campers for my family. This campsite was great. It's very accommodating for first timers. There is a bath house with a laundry facility where they also sell firewood and ice. There is a lodge within walking distance which has a restaurant and wifi service. There is no service in the campsite. There is also gas station with small convenient store within walking distance. We went 4th of July weekend with no reservation ! We took a gamble ! There was only one site left when we arrived around 12pm. But the other campsites on the mountain had vacancies. Make sure to bring quaters for the shower. The shower does have hot water and the pressure is great! Lots of deer roaming around. There are lots of trails to hike. The dark hollows fall trail is one of closer ones and around 2.5 miles round trip. We hiked this with our two girls, 2.5 and 11. I would highly recommend bringing a hiking carrier for the little ones. The elevation down and up the trail can be a little intense . The forecast for that weekend was 60%rain. But it seemed since we were so high up in the mountains most of the rain bypassed us. Lots of fog here and there. With the 60% forecast of rain it only rained 2x but only in the evenings closer to bedtime read more

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This is a super clean and well organized national park campground. My campsite (A20) was conveniently located across the road. Even though You had to pay for a shower in the shower facilities. I wennt on up to the Big Meadows and took a shower in the room that my dad occupied (Room 97). You cannot use your phone to call or text anyone unless You are at the lodge, Visitors, center and wayside. Saw a ton of deer. Glad that there secure bear proof boxes available to to keep your food in overnight. 2 Thumbs up!!!!! :) I personally feel that the rangers were not "crude and disrespectful" like the honorable gentleman from Fairfax, VA said a few reviews ago. read more

Big Meadows Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Luray, Virginia

Yes, this is not real camping and each camp lot is extremely close to your next door neighbor. It is not very isolated and noise from the next camper is certainly audible. There are not clear pathways from a campground to the facilities, so you will either run into the other campers or into rough woods. They do have a lot of facilities such as a convenience store, showers, bathrooms, water fountains, firewood, and parking. There is also a restaurant and comfort center about a mile away. You are still in nature in the sense that if you peak out your tent, you will see deer wandering. Each site has a fire pit and a bear resistant cage and a picnic table. Each campground is about 15 bucks and firewood is $4.50 each. I hear if you come during the summer time you can pick berries nearby. Dogs are welcome and were not a problem except when a big deer walks by. read more

Big Meadows Campground - Firepit, cage, & neighboring tents - Campgrounds Near Me - Luray, Virginia

A damned nice campground with three important attributes: location, location, location. Smack dab in the middle of the central section of Shenandoah Nat'l Park, right off Skyline Drive (Yelp map fixed.) Oh, and several more good attributes too: fire pits, spotless, heated bathrooms with running water, hot showers ($1 for 5 minutes), firewood, bear boxes, a gas station, even a friendly staff. A variety of camping options too, depending on your tastes (RV, camp next to your car, hike in etc.). Many spots can be reserved, but they hold a subset for first-come, first-served campers. Nice. On a cold, rainy Thursday night this was the perfect place to camp for the launching point of our 3-day backpacking trip from Bootens Gap just a few miles down the road. And their showers came in very handy on the drive back (so I wouldn't stink up the plane on my flight back to SF). My only complaint was the staff at the lodge, who I found to be extremely snooty when I came in to ask about the showers. Oh, and to the yelpers who gave Big Meadows a low rating because it isn't "real camping," ...uh, it's car camping. Of course it isn't real camping, but it's damn convenient if you're in the area and in need of options. (BTW, what stopped you from going to the numerous "hike in" spots?) I suggest you take your camping snobbery out on ALL car camping places across the country, not just on this place. Better get busy - there's a lot of territory to cover. read more

Camping at Big Meadows was great! It was the perfect spot for my first solo camping trip. As a woman, sometimes it can be intimidating to do things alone, especially outdoors, but this was a good choice. I reserved a spot online that was close to the Rangers and hosts, private but close to other sites. When I arrived, it was clean and well organized; showers, bathrooms and a little store to buy firewood, popcorn and ice. There's no cell service in the campground but at the Big Meadows lodge I was able to get a signal, gas and ice cream. From Big Meadows, its very easy to access a lot of great hiking trails and see deer and bears. read more

For those with a family of small children, you can't get any better than this for good old fashioned camping. Easy access to amenities but still "out there" enough to introduce your children to real camping, Big Meadows offers all you need. This isn't for those into hardcore "back country" camping, rather this place is designed for families and casual campers. Yes, they pack each campsite very close to each other, and there are "quiet hours" between 10pm and 6am that must be observed. But the abundant wildlife, views, access to trails, and yes - no INTERNET access for your teenagers! Woah! Imagine that!! (If you need cell phone or Internet access, just hike up to the Lodge where they provide free WiFi and you can get cell access from the towers in Stanley). There are showers, a camp store, firewood sales, and plenty of nice people to make friends with. I took my 7yo girl and 5yo boy camping for their first time ever, and they loved it. They made friends with nearby families, we had our "mommy and daddy juice" (wine), had s'mores and played games with NO e-mails from work for friends (warning, your cell phone will die because of it constantly trying to search for signal so bring a car charger or charge it at the lodge). Speaking of the lodge, great entertainment and table games, great views, and very nice people working there. read more

I have a couple things to say... This campsite is nice and clean (as clean as the outdoors can get) The camping area is close to plenty of hiking options and some truly intense hikes too. There are showers near by, a place to buy firewood and camping supplies. Nice place to camp with or without children!! read more

I looooved this campground! The staff was extremely friendly, prices are unbeatable. We had a view of the sunrise staying in the "I" loop. Nice clean bathrooms. A bunch of showers. We also made a visit to the lodge downstairs bar, & listened to great live music while drinking yummy local cider. read more

We had three tent camp sites over a long weekend. 7 kids 6 adults. We saw 5 bears, 1 just a hundred yards from our tents and lots of deer. The sites were great but the bathrooms and showers were dirty and I would advise wearing sandals in the shower. I was able to get a cell signal by the lodge and the gas station/ conscience store had beer, food, camping supplies etc. read more

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The campground itself is beautiful, plenty of wildlife and nice scenery, if you love deer then must stay there are tons of deer here. However if you like nice amenities in a campground this one won't leave you impressed. Cold showers that you have to pay for, bought firewood at the camp store it would not burn , just charred the outside , next day told attendant about my experience and asked if I could try another bundle he says "sure but you'll have to buy it" LOL last but not least had to wash my clothes twice the washing machines must not be very good only half the load was even damp after the first round. Would be a one star if not for the natural Beauty of surrounding area and Wild life. read more

When I was looking into places to camp in Shenandoah I came across Big Meadows and in doing research on the place I saw people say everything from it's not "real" camping because it's not wild enough to it's way too wild (were you aware that bears live in the woods??? Apparently some people weren't). The real issue is that some folks don't have a realistic expectation of what they're looking for when camping. As far as I'm concerned there are 3 types of camping. There's the type of camping where getting to the campground is the fun. Those are the places where you backpack 8 miles in before setting your site up on a secluded piece of land in the middle of nowhere or where you paddle out to your own personal island before setting up the tent. 90% of the time if you're looking for "real" camping, you won't find it behind the wheel of your car. Then there's the type of camping where the campground itself is the fun. Those are the places where everyone shows up in a 30' long camper. The kids will take off on their bikes to the arcade or the pool while the parents will crack open the liquor bottles by noon time. The third type of camping is what you'll find at Big Meadows. The third type of camping is when the campground is simply an outdoor area to sleep while enjoying the amazing natural area surrounding you. If you're at the campground at any point during the daylight then you're doing it wrong. Big Meadows is a great place to enjoy a campfire and some grill burgers after dark, but once the sun comes up at 5 or 6 in the morning you should already be on your way to explore the national park. I'll admit that the sites themselves aren't fantastic. They're fairly small and open to the other sites. We had one of the walk-in sites which were better than the road side sites, but there is little undergrowth in the woods to separate you from your neighbors. I can imagine how this place would get really busy. We were here for a couple of nights during the week in late September so we practically had the place to ourselves. I'd recommend that over trying to go on a summer weekend. But enough about all of that. Why did we love this place? Why am I giving it 5 stars? Because it's a campground that's located smack in the middle of a National Park. Because for a low price we had our own little slice of wilderness to use as a starting point for exploring Shenandoah. We went on several hikes, each with great views. Every couple of miles along Skyline Drive there was a spot worth of pulling over and taking some pictures. Both mornings and evenings we were there we shared our site with a herd of deer that wandered in. Five or six deer would be casually chewing on the grass while we grilled up our dinner or breakfast. When they were done they'd play around our site, running back and forth with eachother. In a 9 day road trip that included cheesesteaks in Philly, National Monuments in DC, a baseball game in Baltimore, and rollercoasters in Hershey my girlfriend says that her favorite part was sharing our meals with the deer. The wildlife in Shenandoah was all over the place, even if we didn't see any bears. Don't camp here if you're hoping for solitude, but if you're looking for some outdoor fun with the family then this is a great place to stay. The showers are clean, the overnight accommodations are priced just right, and most importantly the location is perfect. read more

If your idea of camping is the same as your idea of a quiet Tuesday night after work, then this place is great. You can go to sleep nice and early and take a shower in the morning... There in an adequate diner nearby and you can buy firewood... as long as you arrive before 7pm. If your idea of camping is relaxing with your friends, drinking some beer, and playing a guitar around the campfire, then this place is not for you. We constantly got harassed by the rude and judgmental park rangers. They are also super strict about their two tent per site policy - EVEN IF THE ADJACENT SITES ARE EMPTY. I just have this to say to those people who file noise complaints: If you want to go camping in a quiet, isolated place, then don't do to a huge campground! There's plenty of backcountry camping you can do. Tents have NO protection against sound, so either bring earplugs, or don't come at all! Take your noise complaint and shove it. read more

You wanna camp and have fun?!! Yeah, don't go to this campsite! There are early "quite hours" which means people come and sleep here instead of their homes! We were harassed by neighboring campers around 10pm about being AWAKE and talking quietly!!! Then in the morning we were harassed by a very rude park rancher, an elderly woman, who apparently has no life but to yell at adult campers. She accused us further about being reported as loud. We were a bunch of PhD students that simply wanted to have a nice evening out in the woods. I left feeling stressed instead of relaxed! I will NEVER return as they have no sense of hospitality! read more

This is a pretty nice campground on the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. These are what I would mostly call primitive campsites in that they don't provide electrical or water hookups. There are plenty of restrooms spread out throughout the campground and each Campspot has a fire ring and a picnic table. Some of the most scenic spots are on the E ring close to the Appalachian Trail next to the north side of the campground. On weekends it can get very crowded and you probably need a reservation. Go during the week and you'll have your pick of great campsites. When you arrive you need to check in at the ranger station and then select a site. camping is $20 per night unless you have a senior pass in which case there is a 50% discount. Close to the ranger station there is a shower facility as well as a place to buy firewood for about $7.50 a bundle. Each bundle contains about five good-sized seasoned logs. This is not remote camping nor should you expect a lot of privacy or solitude. There is a lot of good hiking in the area and day hikes. It's about a 1-mile stroll to the camp store and Visitor Center. The camp store, also known as a Wayside, also has a restaurant. Be prepared for long Waits on weekends. It is open until 8 p.m. on weekends. A short stroll away is the trailhead for the hike down to Lewis Falls. This is a nice hike and not too strenuous, it's a little under a mile to the viewing spot, but then you have to hike back up. Be careful driving in this area and also in the campground as there is a lot of Wildlife who are unfortunately habituated to humans and not afraid of you. You will see deer and bear strolling about and you need to be careful when driving so you don't hit them. read more

At Big Meadows campground, we drove around and found some sites that were further back in the woods and not next to others in the meadow part. Some of the sites seemed very close together, others did not and had pleasant shade and surrounding trees for more privacy, plus great views. We wrote down the sites we liked and will call ahead to reserve. It looked nice to us, plenty of trails, diner, dining hall, playground. Lots of deer sort of hanging around the camp sites with the folks camping. I wonder about the deer bringing in ticks, flies and deer droppings to the sites?. Also our dog loves to chase deer so I'm not sure how it will work out bringing him with all of the tame deer. Quiet hours are listed from 10pm-I think 9am-ish, so there should be enough peace to sleep. There was a camp host that should enforce that. For a family this looks fine. If you have no small kids/don't tolerate kids and want some hardcore camping, maybe this campsite is not for you. It looks so nice to us we are going to try it out... Will update when we experience the real thing... read more

Not coming back for sure. The park rangers were very rude and disrespectful. They kept harassing us for noise complaints at night and then next morning when we were simply sitting and talking. They made us take down one of our tents since we have 2 reserved spot and 5 tents (They have 2 tents per spot rule). I am all for respecting regulations, the problem was that they don't know how to talk to people politely. We ended up leaving one night early basically because we were annoyed by their behavior and they didn't let us have any fun. If we wanted to go to bed at 9pm, we would have done it at home. read more

Bathrooms are clean. If you get a walk-in site there is plenty of space. Good amount of amenities - this certainly isn't rustic, it's just a place to sleep, kinda like camping in your own backyard. Good place to sleep after a long day of hiking. The real bummers are the inconsiderate park rangers. Understanding that we were a group of 20-30-something friends without kids, there to drink and talk and sing, we were hyper conscious of keeping the noise down, playing guitar softly, and not talking too loud. At 10:30 PM, the ranger came over (without there being a complaint- he must have been simply making rounds- as we apologized to our neighbors in the morning and they were confused), and very rudely told us to stop playing guitar (of course, we said, totally understandable). He then asked for IDs, and we all went to cars and tents to find them... it was a bit odd, honestly, as this guy was probably 23 and we were all 27-38 years old. We obliged. Then, he said that if he had to come back some of us would be going to jail (?!). This was menacing and simply uncalled for- we had only apologized and complied with his requests. Apparently many had similar experiences... we spoke about this with other people at the campsite during the weekend and even a nice old lady called the ranger a word I will not repeat on this site. Too bad they feel like a guitar at 10:30 is a threat to safety and take it way too seriously. What a bunch of pricks. read more

I've only been camping a handful of times, but I liked the amenities here. Bathrooms were clean and fully stocked; showers are individual rooms - $1 for 5 min so double up to conserve water :) There's also a laundry facility for ppl who stay longer. You can buy firewood and ice on site as well. Dark Hollow Falls (park's most popular trail) and Rose River Falls are nearby. Each site comes equipped with a picnic table and fire pit. 2 tents per site is just fine. I'd say the only real complaint is the proximity of each campsite to one another. Not a lot of privacy, but I'd rather they squeeze campers into a smaller region to maintain the wilderness of the park. And there are a lot of deer on the campgrounds (but hey, that's nature). Overall, very pleased... just wish I knew more campsites to compare against. read more

I have been a fan of big meadows and have been camping her for years. Best weather is late May/June as the nights are warmign up and its not too hot during the day. The hiking isnt excreciating in terms of difficulty. Novice weekend hikers would enjoy hte trails and there is always lots of wildlife to be spotted. read more

I camped in this park in the mid 60's with my family and the kids still talk about it. High in the mountains with the smell of campfires everywhere and no more than a stone's throw to look off the edge of the mountain into the deep valley below. read more

This place makes me long for "real camping" ... I do have yet to find a place like that. Any suggestions? I did enjoy a super intense hike in which we got temporarily "lost" and had an added 1.5 additional miles back so I felt outdoorsy after that! I came here realizing it wasnt real camping so did not have that expectation. My only real complaint is that since I went with a big group we were stuck with a "handicapped" campsite since it could accommodate more people. Besides it being larger the the main drawback was our firepit was retarded and extra challenging and had really high walls around it preventing the fire from staying lit and igniting at first and was located next to our cars right on the pavement strip driveway. We were also "conveniently" too close to the bathrooms and therefore had a lot of extra light and bathroom noises all night! read more

I've been camping at Big Meadows since I was a kid. This is truely an awesome campground. Let me straighten out a few points from the other reviews above and below mine. The campground is packed with trees. If you don't want sun stay near the back by the AT - E loop area. The 'Meadow' is not part of the campground. Big Meadows never advertised that they are a 'backwoods' campground but it is rustic - no electricity or running water on the sites - it is old and well set into nature. The entire area between route 211 and 33 is packed with amazing hiking trails from simple to rugged. Hawksbill, and my favorite, Bearfence provide amazing views. There are tons of waterfalls but remember - downhill there and uphill on the way back. If you want some 'backwwods' experience park your car at Rock Springs, pack your backpack, and hike in on the AT about 1 mile towards the cabin. There is a great area for AT camping. OR rent the cabin from the PATC. Don't miss the experience of Big Meadows or Lewis Mountain if Big Meadows is sold out. If you don't like people around when you camp then I guess it might disappoint a few. Or, go on a Sunday through Friday. The place is over half empty. If you go for the Fall foliage in October - one of the BEST months of the year - it gets really, really cold at night - 29 degrees last year - but I have great sleeping bags. If you love campfires try and buy your wood in the little towns before heading up into the park. The wood is too pricey in the park. There are about 12 showers that get nice and hot. For $1 in quarters you get 10 minutes. I understand some of the reviewers points on 'real' camping. I am 45 and have been camping all over the US since I was born (thank you, Dad!). Something I appreciate and am passing down to my 9 year old son. The 'real' experience comes from getting out of you car and hiking to remote areas. That's difficult with children who can't keep up on long trails. If you folks would share your 'real' camping hot spots I will probably visit them. I grew up tent camping but with the wife (not a big camper) and 3 children I now have a pop-up tent camper which makes Big Meadows even more desirable. Well, you can tell I like this place, as I do MANY places in the USA! Don't miss it! And don't miss out on Alaska either. OMG! I would move there tomorrow if I were single. I will hike Denali before I get too old! read more

I am looking at Google maps earth view to better see what is around each campsite before I reserve one, and to my surprise it looks nothing like the map on the website. Very confusing. No way possible to tell which site is which. There are more roads with campsites than are shown on the website map also. I have driven though it before and it looked very clean and quiet. read more