Free camping near Chilhowie, VA
Yes. 22 of the 30 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Chilhowie, VA are listed as free; 8 charge a fee. The closest free one is Sandy Flats Iron Mountain Camping Area, 9.5 miles south, on U.S. Forest Service land. The closest camp of any kind is Beartree Campground, 9.2 miles south, a fee campground.
Dave has slept at one of these camps. The circle crosses a state line: NC and TN and VA.
All 30 camps near Chilhowie, VA
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beartree Campground | 9.2 | Fee | — | 6.4 mi to Damascus | — |
| Sandy Flats Iron Mountain Camping Area | 9.5 | Free | Straight Branch (stream) | 2.0 mi to Masada | — |
| Cherry Tree Iron Mountain Shelter | 10 | Free | Big Laurel Creek (stream) | 3.2 mi to Stony Battery | — |
| Lost Mountain A.T. Shelter | 11 | Free | — | 7.3 mi to Damascus | — |
| Grindstone Family Campground | 11 | Fee | — | 5.8 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Hurricane A.T. Shelter | 11 | Free | Hurricane Creek (stream) | 3.1 mi to Quebec | — |
| Saunders A.T. Shelter | 11 | Free | Whitetop Laurel Creek (river) | 0.9 mi to Taylors Valley | — |
| Clinch Mountain WMA | 11 | Free | — | — | — |
| Trimpi A.T. Shelter | 12 | Free | — | 4.4 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Hurricane Campground | 12 | Fee | — | 3.5 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Fox Creek Horse Camp | 12 | Fee | — | 3.7 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Old Orchard A.T. Shelter | 12 | Free | Lewis Fork (stream) | 4.2 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Old Virginia Group Horse Camp | 13 | Fee | — | 2.9 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Thomas Knob A.T. Shelter | 13 | Free | Middle Fork Helton Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Mill Creek | — |
| Grayson CountyDave slept here | 14 | Free | — | 3.3 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Partnership A.T. Shelter | 14 | Free | — | 2.3 mi to Shady Grove | — |
| Raccoon Branch | 15 | Fee | — | 1.7 mi to Sugar Grove | — |
| Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #3 | 15 | Free | — | 7.8 mi to Damascus | Open |
| Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #2 | 15 | Free | — | 7.5 mi to Damascus | Open |
| Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #1 | 16 | Free | — | 8.7 mi to Damascus | Open |
| Backbone Rock Campground | 16 | Fee | — | 3.0 mi to Damascus | — |
| Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #4 | 17 | Free | — | 8.2 mi to Lansing | Open |
| Chatfield A.T. Shelter | 18 | Free | — | 2.8 mi to Groseclose | — |
| Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #5 | 18 | Free | — | — | Open |
| Davis Path A.T. Camping Area | 19 | Free | Dry Run (stream) | 2.3 mi to Groseclose | — |
| A.T. Abington Gap Shelter | 19 | Free | Helicopter Waterhole (water) | 2.0 mi to Offset | — |
| Hidden Valley WMA | 20 | Free | — | — | — |
| Knot Maul A.T. Shelter | 21 | Free | — | 1.2 mi to Groseclose Store | — |
| Chestnut Knob A.T. Shelter | 24 | Free | — | 4.2 mi to Ceres | — |
| Jacobs Creek Campground | 24 | Fee | — | 8.8 mi to Bristol | — |
Who manages the camps near Chilhowie, VA
Who manages them: 22 on the Forest Service; 5 on NCWRC; 2 on Virginia DWR; 1 spread across 1 other manager.
- George Washington and Jefferson National Forest — 22 camps: 16 free, 6 fee
- Cherokee National Forest — 4 camps: 2 free, 2 fee
- NCWRC — 4 camps: 4 free
Season read for these camps, today
Today's season read covers 5 of the 30: 5 open, 0 closed, 0 worth a call. It comes from each camp's own record, so a camp with no season word is not counted either way.
Forecast near Chilhowie, VA
This is the Weather Service forecast for the town, fetched when the page opens. It is not a forecast for any camp in the table; ground higher up or in a canyon can run colder or windier. It needs JavaScript; without it, see weather.gov.
Camping near other towns close by
The nearest towns that have their own page, with the straight-line miles between the towns.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Chilhowie, VA, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.