Free camping near Chilhowie, VA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Chilhowie, VA there are 30 camps: 22 free, 8 fee. The closest is Beartree Campground, 9.2 miles south of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Sandy Flats Iron Mountain Camping Area, 9.5 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at. Today's season read covers 5 of them: 5 open, 0 closed, 0 worth a call. The circle crosses a state line: NC and TN and VA.
Who manages them: 22 on the Forest Service; 5 on NCWRC; 2 on Virginia DWR; 1 spread across 1 other manager.
| 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 | — |
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.