Free camping near Emory, VA
Yes. 19 of the 28 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Emory, VA are listed as free; 9 charge a fee. The closest free one is Sandy Flats Iron Mountain Camping Area, 10 miles southeast, on U.S. Forest Service land.
Dave has slept at one of these camps. The circle crosses a state line: NC and TN and VA.
All 28 camps near Emory, VA
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Flats Iron Mountain Camping Area | 10 | Free | Straight Branch (stream) | 2.0 mi to Masada | — |
| Beartree Campground | 11 | Fee | — | 6.4 mi to Damascus | — |
| Clinch Mountain WMA | 12 | Free | — | — | — |
| Saunders A.T. Shelter | 12 | Free | Whitetop Laurel Creek (river) | 0.9 mi to Taylors Valley | — |
| Backbone Rock Campground | 13 | Fee | — | 3.0 mi to Damascus | — |
| Hidden Valley WMA | 13 | Free | — | — | — |
| Lost Mountain A.T. Shelter | 13 | Free | — | 7.3 mi to Damascus | — |
| A.T. Abington Gap Shelter | 14 | Free | Helicopter Waterhole (water) | 2.0 mi to Offset | — |
| Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #2 | 16 | Free | — | 7.5 mi to Damascus | Open |
| Cherry Tree Iron Mountain Shelter | 16 | Free | Big Laurel Creek (stream) | 3.2 mi to Stony Battery | — |
| Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #3 | 16 | Free | — | 7.8 mi to Damascus | Open |
| Grindstone Family Campground | 17 | Fee | — | 5.8 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #1 | 17 | Free | — | 8.7 mi to Damascus | Open |
| Jacobs Creek Campground | 18 | Fee | — | 8.8 mi to Bristol | — |
| Hurricane A.T. Shelter | 18 | Free | Hurricane Creek (stream) | 3.1 mi to Quebec | — |
| Thomas Knob A.T. Shelter | 18 | Free | Middle Fork Helton Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Mill Creek | — |
| Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #5 | 18 | Free | — | — | Open |
| Old Orchard A.T. Shelter | 19 | Free | Lewis Fork (stream) | 4.2 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Fox Creek Horse Camp | 19 | Fee | — | 3.7 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #4 | 19 | Free | — | 8.2 mi to Lansing | Open |
| Hurricane Campground | 19 | Fee | — | 3.5 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Trimpi A.T. Shelter | 19 | Free | — | 4.4 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Old Virginia Group Horse Camp | 19 | Fee | — | 2.9 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Grayson CountyDave slept here | 20 | Free | — | 3.3 mi to Troutdale | — |
| A.T. Double Springs Shelter | 21 | Free | North Fork Stony Creek (stream) | 2.1 mi to Camp Tom Howard | — |
| Little Oak Campground | 22 | Fee | — | 8.4 mi to Bristol | — |
| Raccoon Branch | 22 | Fee | — | 1.7 mi to Sugar Grove | — |
| Partnership A.T. Shelter | 23 | Free | — | 2.3 mi to Shady Grove | — |
Who manages the camps near Emory, VA
Who manages them: 20 on the Forest Service; 5 on NCWRC; 2 on Virginia DWR; 1 spread across 1 other manager.
- George Washington and Jefferson National Forest — 18 camps: 12 free, 6 fee
- Cherokee National Forest — 6 camps: 3 free, 3 fee
- NCWRC — 4 camps: 4 free
Season read for these camps, today
Today's season read covers 5 of the 28: 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 Emory, 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 Emory, 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.