Cave Mountain Lake Campground

Lovely campground in the heart of Virginia. We stayed in mid-October, and the foliage was just starting to turn. Really pretty stuff. Note that there is a hiking trail (Wildcat Mountain) that you can walk to from the campsite. It's deceptively difficult for a 4 mile up-and-back trail. Also, as others have noted, the ground is extra hard. Make sure to pack a camping pad of some sort.

Took my grandkids camping. The campground was very clean and rangers very nice. The host was very nice. You DO NOT HAVE ANY SIGNAL ! We lost signal about 2 miles before we got there. The campground was clean, however only 1 shower was open (there were 4) at 9am. Why? The restrooms were kept clean and always had T.P. Took the kids fishing. You walk down a trail, only 1 sign where to go, and you walk and walk and walk, (Probably close to 1/4 mile at least) then suddenly there will be a path down to a lake platforms. Lots of bites no fish. We went on kids only time frame. We ran out of time to do more exploring. We visited the Natural Bridge and the Zoo in town. Both were good.

Nice campground with good amenities. The place was easy to find as was the campsite we had reserved. I'm impressed with cleanliness of the whole park and restrooms. Each campsite is large and can fit 3 small or 2 big tents with multiple cars. Little to no cel service so it forces a technology detox for those who prefer it to enjoy nature. The fire pits provided have a basic grill attachment on it. I took off one star because there aren't too many attractions or medium length trails in the area. While the lake grounds are good for a day activity, there isn't much else in the area.

First time here and we absolutely fell in love with this simplistic, natural campground. No pool, no amenities, no hookups, no cell service…just quiet, peaceful, nature. Easy access from I-81 (less than 10 miles/ four turns). 41 reservable campsites, $20/night or $10/night with America the Beautiful Access Pass. The campground area/bathhouse was immaculate, with flush toilets and warm showers. Beautiful shady, private & level sites (we didn’t require any blocks/levelers). Four sets of camp hosts were present and all were awesome (Peter, Carol, Ronnie, Melissa…sorry if we can’t remember all)…they were so friendly & personable. We’re actually considering becoming volunteer campground hosts because of them! Most of the campsites have a wonderful accessible creek that runs thru the center …site#3 even has it’s own little bridge and sites#40 & 39 have a lovely large & sunny grassy area next to sites. Three pull-thru sites (sites 1, 4 & 20) and the buddy site (41 & 42) could accommodate rigs slightly over 30ft+ with truck/toad. The rest we would recommend 30ft or less. We were in site #26 with a 30ft and a longbed - backing in was slightly challenging, but doable - the rest of the site was large, with extra -long picnic table, lantern posts and fire pit w/cooking grate (other sites also had grills, tall grill tables and a kettle hooks over fire pit). Lots of tent campers were there during our stay and a handful of RV’s. There’s a lovely local couple that sells firewood at 84 Cave Mountain Rd/Rt 781…you’ll see their sign with a wheelbarrow of wood for $10 on the right side of the road, heading up to the campground. We bought two loads that lasted all week. All in all, this was a fabulous base camp for our travels on the BRP (4 miles away), quaint, awesome towns (Buchanan, Buena Vista, etc) and some scouting to points west toward West Virginia (1.5hrs to Bolar Mountain/Lake Moomaw). For couples, you’ll love Great Valley Farm Brewery & Winery (spectacular sunset views, great wine and you can watch the safari animals graze below in valley), Halcyon Days Cider Co & Orchard Labyrinth (quirky atmosphere and delicious flights/snacks), and local flea & farmer’s markets. For families, The Pink Cadillac (try the Elvis burgers!), Virginia Gold Orchards (you pick ‘em), Hull Drive-In, Mane Gait Equestrian Center (also an awesome Harvest Host!), Layne’s Country Store (for all those, ‘oh, I forgot!’, local fresh fruits, veggies, flowers, groceries/deli and wine!), Natural Bridge State Park and Caverns, Buchanan Swinging Bridge and Virginia Safari Park - many on/or right off 11/Lee Hwy. Anything else you may need is also in Lexington (20mi) or Family Dollar in Buchanan (20mi). This is our third stay in this area but not our last, as it’s one of our favorites to explore. You’ll love it, too!

Glad to have found this rustic, quiet campground. Staff Ronnie and Melissa work hard to keep it up very well. Rest rooms and showers were good. They do a great job. Several things appealed to us: It's quiet, and most of the sites are well laid out and pretty private. The stream flowing through the whole campground is beautiful. The lake and swimming area is scenic and a good place to cool off. Fishing specifically for kids till June 15th to give them a chance at catching nice-sized trout. After that all ages can fish. Several good hiking trails. We enjoyed just taking walks, biking around the property, and just chilling around the campfire. There is a large, beautiful log picnic shelter built in the 1930's. It was easy to see why this has been a popular family destination for decades. We were glad to disconnect from cell service for a few days of rest and quiet, and some reading. There is very sporadic cell service in certain spots, according to one camper I spoke to. We had no reception, but we did not mind. We look forward to going back when we can.

The most beautiful campground! The highlight for us was Cave Mountain Lake which is right by the campground, hiking Wildcat Mountain with trailheads right by the campsite, and seeing natural bridge on the way back. Campground was super clean and the campground host was super nice and helpful. Truly a gem hidden away in the forest. We did a weekend trip here from dc and it was totally doable too. We will be back!

Wow, and I mean Wow! I can't believe I have lived 40 minutes from this hidden gem for most of my life and this past weekend was my first trip. I always prefer national forest campground over privately owed. Nationals' are more primitive and offer a more authentic camping experience. There is a creek that runs throughout the campground and almost every site is able to hear the peaceful sounds of the running water. There are a few small bridges around the grounds/roadway. There are plenty of trees and nature hasn't been terribly disturbed by the creation of the campground. There is little to no cell service so you can detach and enjoy nature. It had a perfect little lake with a small beach. The lake was beautiful and the water was freezing. The nearby creeks feed the mountain water stright into the lake so no matter the time of year its always cold. My husband went for a swim and many children seemed to enjoy it. I saw multiple salamanders or tadpoles/frogs swimming around. There was also plenty of fish jumping and I would love to fish once its allowed again. Currently in May 2022, only youth fishing is allowed but adults will be able to fish in the middle of June. It is a trout stocked lake. There are also plenty of picnic tables near the lake area to have lunch or use the stationary charcoal grills. There is also a large covered area that can be rented for events, we saw a wedding while we were there. At the campground the bathhouse and restrooms were all very clean and kept. Only 1 of the 3 restrooms had soap and paper towels but all very clean. They had a cleaning schedule that worked well and didn't impact our plans at all. The location of the restrooms are placed very well and no site it too far of a walk. There is only one actually bathhouse which offers parking if you wanted to drive. There are only 4 showers for the campground but it seemed to be enough...1 handicap and 3 normal. The sites themselves were all very shaded, well equipped, and spacious. We walked around many different sites that weren't occupied and none received direct sun. Some had times were it would get sun but all seemed doable. I don't think any site would disappoint me. That being said I loved my walk in site and would definitely choose a walk in again. Most sites could accommodate multiple tents. Each site had a table and fire ring with some type of grilling grate, some sites had different grates. They all had a second small table for food preparation and to place a small charcoal grill. They also had 3 lantern poles or everysite, some poles were movable. The tables had s taped notice about feeding bears and other wildlife and it advised that all coolers and even charcoal would need to be stored inside the tent or vehicle. The campground also had rules on how long generators could run and honestly I never heard the first one. It was so peaceful everywhere. There was a hiking trail which seemed to be well trimmed and kept. We didn't walk very far in but plan to on our next stay. The campground hosts were very nice and inviting and clearly wanted to make sure everyone's stay was enjoyable. They let me know if anyone was causing issues, no matter the hour, they would help out. The only negative thing I have to say is the firepits/rings were very full of ash and needed to be cleaned out. This was the weekend before Memorial day so the season had just began and i could see it becoming a problem. I loved this campground so much and I would absolutely come back. I can't wait for my next stay!