Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Cove Mountain A.T. Shelter
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · VA · 37.51112, -79.65084
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Cove Mountain A.T. Shelter
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at the elevation shown above.
Fire & smoke — around Cove Mountain A.T. ShelterNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Cove Mountain A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel2 mi
- GGrocery2 mi
- @Mail2 mi
- PPropane3 mi
- OOutfitter3 mi
- WWater9 mi
- MMechanic10 mi
- EVEV fast charger11 mi
- LLaundry11 mi
- ShShower12 mi
- +Urgent care12 mi
- AAir-up14 mi
- RxPharmacy15 mi
- HHardware16 mi
- DDump26 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 2 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Cove Mountain A.T. Shelter
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
State
VA
Coordinates
37.51112, -79.65084
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Cove Mountain A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureCove Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townBuchanan · ~1.9 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~9.3 mi
- FuelFuel · ~3.2 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~11.4 mi
- Dump station~25.5 mi
- GroceriesExxon · ~9.2 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~15.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicBotetourt Health Clinic · ~12.4 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~16.1 mi
EV charging — from Cove Mountain A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger11.0 mi straight-line W — Brughs Mill Country Store (Fincastle, VA) · Electrify America · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach14 within 25 mi · 38 within 50 · 114 within 100 · 386 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)13.2 mi — Bedford, VA - Tesla Supercharger, Bedford
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO20.1 mi — STHR HYUNDAI 2, Hollins
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)15.3 mi — Berglund Ford Buick GMC, Bedford, VA · Blink Network · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Peaks of Otter Lodge - Tesla Destination, Bedford, 5.0 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 170318 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Cove Mountain A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletCove Mountain A.T. Shelter · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomNBATC Cove Mtn Shelter Privy · at this camp · NPS
- RestroomNBATC Bryant Ridge Shelter Privy · ~3.8 mi E · NPS
- Vault / pit toiletBryant Ridge A.T. Shelter · ~3.9 mi E · USFS
Open Cove Mountain A.T. Shelter elsewhere
Other camps near Cove Mountain A.T. Shelter
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Bryant Ridge A.T. Shelter~3.9 mi
- Bobblets Gap A.T. Shelter~4.1 mi
- Colon Hollow Shelter~4.3 mi
- In George Washington National Forest~4.7 mi
The unit that manages Cove Mountain A.T. Shelter
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Cove Mountain A.T. Shelter are set by George Washington and Jefferson National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Cove Mountain A.T. Shelter
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
USFS/BLM authoritative: free & dispersed. Access not field-checked (assumed drive-up).
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Cove Mountain A.T. Shelter
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Cove Mountain A.T. Shelter
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Off-grid communication →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →