Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Punchbowl A.T. Shelter
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · VA · 37.67751, -79.33861
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 Punchbowl A.T. Shelter
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,518 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Punchbowl 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 Punchbowl A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail4 mi
- RxPharmacy4 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- ShShower7 mi
- WWater7 mi
- HHardware8 mi
- EVEV fast charger9 mi
- +Urgent care9 mi
- MMechanic9 mi
- LLaundry9 mi
- OOutfitter9 mi
- PPropane10 mi
- DDump16 mi
- AAir-up19 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, 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 — Punchbowl A.T. Shelter
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
2,518 ft
State
VA
Coordinates
37.67751, -79.33861
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Punchbowl A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureLittle Irish Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townBeverlytown · ~2.6 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~7.1 mi
- FuelExxon · ~4.5 mi
- Propane / LPGArc3 · ~4.5 mi
- Dump station~16.3 mi
- GroceriesStore · ~4.5 mi
- PharmacyBuena Vista Family Pharmacy · ~4.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicCarilion Rockbridge Community Hospital · ~9.0 mi
- HardwareHarbor Freight Tools · ~8.5 mi
EV charging — from Punchbowl A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger8.7 mi straight-line NW — 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 reach9 within 25 mi · 36 within 50 · 102 within 100 · 488 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS18.5 mi — Pilot Travel Center 4649, Raphine
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO24.3 mi — Target Lynchburg, Lynchburg
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)4.1 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 Punchbowl A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletPunchbowl A.T. Shelter · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomNBATC Punchbowl Shelter Privy · at this camp · NPS
- Vault / pit toiletBrown Mtn Creek A.T. Shelter · ~4.4 mi NE · USFS
- RestroomNBATC Brown Mtn Creek Shelter Privy · ~4.4 mi NE · NPS
Open Punchbowl A.T. Shelter elsewhere
Other camps near Punchbowl A.T. Shelter
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Amherst County~3.0 mi
- Brown Mtn Creek A.T. Shelter~4.4 mi
- Johns Hollow A.T. Shelter~5.3 mi
- Oronoco~6.3 mi
The unit that manages Punchbowl A.T. Shelter
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Punchbowl 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 — Punchbowl 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 Punchbowl 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 — Punchbowl 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 →