Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Pickle Branch A.T. Shelter
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · VA · 37.38056, -80.18417
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 Pickle Branch A.T. Shelter
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,891 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Pickle Branch 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 Pickle Branch A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery2 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- FFuel8 mi
- HHardware8 mi
- MMechanic8 mi
- RxPharmacy8 mi
- EVEV fast charger8 mi
- +Urgent care9 mi
- PPropane9 mi
- LLaundry11 mi
- OOutfitter12 mi
- WWater12 mi
- AAir-up13 mi
- DDump31 mi
- ShShower33 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 — Pickle Branch A.T. Shelter
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
1,891 ft
State
VA
Coordinates
37.38056, -80.18417
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Pickle Branch A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featurePickles Branch (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townWebbs Mill · ~1.9 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelExxon · ~7.8 mi
- Propane / LPGAirgas · ~19.3 mi
- Dump station~31.0 mi
- GroceriesCatawba Grocery · ~1.8 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~8.3 mi
- Hospital / clinicCatawba Hospital · ~4.2 mi
- HardwareNorthwest Hardware · ~7.9 mi
EV charging — from Pickle Branch A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger8.5 mi straight-line SE — Salem, VA - 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. Open to Teslas only. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach21 within 25 mi · 33 within 50 · 121 within 100 · 343 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS9.6 mi — Berglund Ford, Salem
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO12.4 mi — STHR HYUNDAI #1, Roanoke
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)8.1 mi — El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant, Salem, VA (at a restaurant) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2024-12-10 · 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 150213 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Pickle Branch A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletPickle Branch A.T. Shelter · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomRATC Pickle Branch Shelter Privy · at this camp · NPS
- RestroomRATC Dragons Tooth Parking Area Vault Privy · ~1.5 mi E · NPS
- Vault / pit toiletDragon'S Tooth Trailhead · ~1.5 mi E · USFS
Open Pickle Branch A.T. Shelter elsewhere
Other camps near Pickle Branch A.T. Shelter
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Straight Branch Iron Mountain Shelter~0.2 mi
- Niday A.T. Shelter~4.1 mi
- Havens WMA~4.7 mi
- Caldwell Fields~8.2 mi · fee
The unit that manages Pickle Branch A.T. Shelter
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Pickle Branch 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 — Pickle Branch 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 Pickle Branch 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 — Pickle Branch A.T. Shelter
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Gear & rig loadout →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 →