Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Matts Creek A.T. Shelter
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · VA · 37.59905, -79.41448
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 Matts Creek A.T. Shelter
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 837 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Matts 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 Matts Creek A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- ShShower3 mi
- FFuel3 mi
- GGrocery3 mi
- @Mail3 mi
- WWater4 mi
- LLaundry4 mi
- MMechanic7 mi
- RxPharmacy10 mi
- HHardware12 mi
- EVEV fast charger12 mi
- +Urgent care13 mi
- OOutfitter13 mi
- PPropane14 mi
- AAir-up17 mi
- DDump23 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 3 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 — Matts Creek A.T. Shelter
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
837 ft
State
VA
Coordinates
37.59905, -79.41448
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Matts Creek A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureMatts Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townSnowden · ~1.0 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~4.0 mi
- FuelPetro Power · ~2.9 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~4.0 mi
- Dump station~23.1 mi
- GroceriesPetro Power · ~2.9 mi
- PharmacyBuena Vista Family Pharmacy · ~10.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicCarilion Rockbridge Community Hospital · ~12.5 mi
- HardwareRockbridge Farmers Coop · ~12.1 mi
EV charging — from Matts 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 charger12.4 mi straight-line N — Lexington, VA - East Nelson Street - Tesla Supercharger (at a gas station) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach10 within 25 mi · 37 within 50 · 102 within 100 · 467 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS17.4 mi — CMA Hyundai of Lynchburg, Lynchburg
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO21.4 mi — Target Lynchburg, Lynchburg
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)10.0 mi — Buena Vista Lot (at a parking lot) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-14 · hours: 24 hours daily
- 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 257669 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Matts Creek A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletMatts Creek A.T. Shelter · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomNBATC Matts Creek Shelter Privy · at this camp · NPS
- Vault / pit toiletJohns Hollow A.T. Shelter · ~1.6 mi NE · USFS
- RestroomNBATC Johns Hollow Shelter Privy · ~1.6 mi NE · NPS
Open Matts Creek A.T. Shelter elsewhere
Other camps near Matts Creek A.T. Shelter
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Johns Hollow A.T. Shelter~1.6 mi
- Amherst County~4.7 mi
- Hopper Creek~5.8 mi · fee
- Cave Mountain Lake Campground~6.8 mi · fee
The unit that manages Matts Creek A.T. Shelter
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Matts 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 — Matts 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 Matts 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 — Matts Creek A.T. Shelter
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Leave no trace →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 →