Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Harpers Creek A.T. Shelter
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · VA · 37.85695, -79.00056
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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 Harpers Creek A.T. Shelter
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,920 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Harpers Creek 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 Harpers Creek A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- PPropane4 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- WWater4 mi
- DDump5 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- ShShower8 mi
- AAir-up10 mi
- EVEV fast charger10 mi
- +Urgent care11 mi
- MMechanic11 mi
- LLaundry11 mi
- HHardware12 mi
- RxPharmacy12 mi
- OOutfitter24 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 4 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 — Harpers Creek A.T. Shelter
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
1,920 ft
State
VA
Coordinates
37.85695, -79.00056
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Harpers Creek A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureHarpers Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townLove · ~2.0 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~4.4 mi
- FuelHickman's Exxon · ~3.7 mi
- Propane / LPGAmeriGas · ~19.2 mi
- Dump station~7.4 mi
- GroceriesHickman's Grocery · ~3.7 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~13.3 mi
- Hospital / clinicNelson County Health Department · ~11.0 mi
- HardwareAugusta Cooperative Farm Bureau, Inc · ~15.4 mi
EV charging — from Harpers Creek A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger9.9 mi straight-line SE — Exxon Lovingston (at a public site) · RED_E · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach13 within 25 mi · 41 within 50 · 158 within 100 · 634 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)12.6 mi — Stuarts Draft, VA - Tesla Supercharger, Stuarts Draft
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO16.0 mi — TWH SALES, Waynesboro
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)5.2 mi — Wintergarden Pacific - Parking Lot, Roseland, VA · Blink Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Vrbo Wintergreen Briarpatch - Tesla Destination, Wintergreen Resort, 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 461070 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Harpers Creek A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletHarpers Creek A.T. Shelter · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomTATC Harpers Creek Shelter Vault Privy · at this camp · NPS
- RestroomTATC Maupin Field Shelter Privy · ~2.0 mi N · NPS
- Vault / pit toiletMaupin Field A.T. Shelter · ~2.0 mi N · USFS
Open Harpers Creek A.T. Shelter elsewhere
Other camps near Harpers Creek A.T. Shelter
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Dispersed camp — Nelson County, VA~1.8 mi
- Maupin Field A.T. Shelter~2.0 mi
- Sherando Lake Campground~4.4 mi · fee
- Sherando Lake Group Campground~4.4 mi · fee
The unit that manages Harpers Creek A.T. Shelter
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Harpers Creek 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 — Harpers Creek 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 Harpers Creek 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 — Harpers Creek A.T. Shelter
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →How to read this page →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 →