Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Saunders A.T. Shelter
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · VA · 36.63612, -81.71167
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 Saunders A.T. Shelter
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,340 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Saunders 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 Saunders A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- OOutfitter4 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- RxPharmacy10 mi
- MMechanic10 mi
- HHardware11 mi
- LLaundry11 mi
- +Urgent care11 mi
- EVEV fast charger13 mi
- DDump19 mi
- WWater20 mi
- ShShower21 mi
- PPropane30 mi
- AAir-up30 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 20-mi drive, 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 — Saunders A.T. Shelter
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
3,340 ft
State
VA
Coordinates
36.63612, -81.71167
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Saunders A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureWhitetop Laurel Creek (river) · nearby
- Nearest townTaylors Valley · ~0.9 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~4.6 mi
- Propane / LPGAmeriGas · ~12.8 mi
- Dump station~19.1 mi
- GroceriesCountry Corner · ~4.0 mi
- PharmacyGlade Spring Pharmacy · ~9.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicMountain Youth Academy · ~11.1 mi
- HardwareSurber & Son · ~11.2 mi
EV charging — from Saunders A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger12.7 mi straight-line SW — GPM INVESTMENTS 3416 DC 2, Mountain City, TN · ChargePoint Network · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: Mon: 12:00am-11:59pm; Tue: 12:00am-11:59pm; Wed: 12:00am-11:59pm; Thu: 12:00am-11:59pm; Fri: 12:00am-11:59pm; Sat: 12:00am-11:59pm; Sun: 12:00am-11:59pm · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach9 within 25 mi · 38 within 50 · 158 within 100 · 416 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO12.7 mi — GPM INVESTMENTS 3416 DC 1, Mountain City
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)12.4 mi — Mountain City Town Hall (at a municipal building) · EVMATCH · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2023-12-13 · 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 449919 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Saunders A.T. Shelter · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · VA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletSaunders A.T. Shelter · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomMRATC Saunders Shelter Privy · at this camp · NPS
- RestroomMRATC Straight Branch Vault Privy · ~1.7 mi W · NPS
- Vault / pit toiletSandy Flats Iron Mountain Camping Area · ~1.9 mi N · USFS
Open Saunders A.T. Shelter elsewhere
Other camps near Saunders A.T. Shelter
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Sandy Flats Iron Mountain Camping Area~1.9 mi
- Beartree Campground~2.7 mi · fee
- Lost Mountain A.T. Shelter~3.0 mi
- Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #2~4.5 mi
The unit that manages Saunders A.T. Shelter
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Saunders 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 — Saunders 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 Saunders 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 — Saunders 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 →