ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, August 11, 1996 TAG: 9608090140
SECTION: DISCOVER ROANOKE VALLEY PAGE: 86 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
For some people, camping means putting on a backpack and hiking the Appalachian Trail and sleeping under the stars wherever night finds them. For others it is an RV park where there is a cable-TV hookup. There are camping facilities to accommodate both groups in and around the Roanoke Valley.
State parks
The Virginia Division of State Parks operates nearly 40 areas across the state, about one-third of them offering facilities for campers. Fees range from $11 to $20 depending on the campground and services available.
You can make reservations or obtain information by calling (800) 933-7275.
Many parks offer vacation cabins in addition to camping. Advance booking is required.
Most state parks also feature hiking trails, visitors centers, nature programs, swimming, horseback riding and boat rentals.
Here's a list of some of the facilities nearest Roanoke:
Claytor Lake State Park is a water-oriented facility, with about 150 campsites and a swimming area that includes a sand beach, marina and boat launching ramp. Some campsites are equipped with water and electricity.
The park is just off Interstate 81 at Exit 101. (540) 674-5492.
Douthat State Park embraces the beauty of the Allegheny Mountains near Clifton Forge in Alleghany and Bath counties. The facility contains about 125 campsites, some wooded, others on the waterfront.
A major attraction is a 50-acre lake used for swimming, boating and trout fishing. A $4 daily fishing fee is charged to cover the cost of stocking the lake and a portion of Wilson Creek that flows from it.
Take Exit 27 off Interstate 64 and follow Virginia 629 north to the park entrance. The park phone number is (540) 862-8100. Additional information is available through The Roanoke Times InfoLine, 981-0100 in Roanoke, 382-0200 in the New River Valley. Punch in category 7275.
Fairy Stone State Park is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Bassett in Patrick and Henry counties. It is home of the nugget-like stones shaped in the form of a cross, for which the park is named.
The park has its own 168-acre lake, and nearby is Philpott Reservoir. There are about 100 campsites.
The facility is reached via Virginia 57 from Bassett or Virginia 58, 8 and 57 from the Blue Ridge Parkway. (540) 930-2424.
Smith Mountain Lake State Park contains 50 sites in a wooded area on a hillside away from the waterfront. There are hiking trails, a visitors center, a highly popular swimming beach and bank fishing opportunities. A launching ramp gives boaters access to the 20,000-acre lake.
The park is reached off Virginia 626 near Moneta in Bedford County. (540) 297-6066.
Blue Ridge Parkway
There are nine campgrounds along the 469 miles of this National Park Service scenic byway which follows the crest of the Blue Ridge into the Roanoke Valley.
Camping is classified ``primitive,'' but that doesn't mean visitors must rough it. Each campsite has a picnic table and fireplace; however, there are no electric or water hookups. Drinking water and comfort stations generally are a short hike away.
Camping is on a first-come, first-served basis. The season is May through October and the daily fee is $10. Additional information is available at the ranger station just north of Vinton at milepost 112; phone: 857-2458.
Looking north to south, the following campgrounds are along the Virginia stretch of the parkway:
Otter Creek is near the James River south of Glasgow (at milepost 61). The facility has about 40 tent and 25 RV sites. Fishing is available at nearby Otter Lake. There are nature trails and a visitors center.
Peaks of Otter is a popular camping area near milepost 86 about 30 miles north of Roanoke. In the shadow of lofty Sharp Top Mountain, a popular hiking attraction, the campground has about 90 tent and 60 RV sites.
A restaurant, fishing lake and visitors center are nearby.
Roanoke Mountain, near popular Mill Mountain, is the nearest public campground to the Roanoke Valley. It also is one of the least-used in the region. There are about 75 tent and 30 RV sites. Hiking is available, and weekly programs often includes bluegrass groups.
Rocky Knob is south of Roanoke near milepost 167. It offers about 80 tent and 30 RV sites. Mabry Mill, a well-known tourist attraction, is nearby.
National Forest
The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests provides organized campgrounds as well some of the best opportunities to backpack into the wilds where a primitive camp can be established almost anywhere you wish.
National forest fees range from no charge at primitive areas up to about $15 a night where there are electrical hookups and showers. Camping is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Maps are available for a modest fee from the forest headquarters, 5162 Valleypointe Parkway, and at ranger stations throughout the forests, including those in Natural Bridge, New Castle, Blacksburg and Buena Vista.
The following is a list of some of the campgrounds within a couple of hours of the Roanoke Valley:
Cave Mountain Lake is 3.2 miles east of Natural Bridge on Virginia 130. It contains a 7-acre lake used for swimming. Self-guiding trails are nearby. There are showers, flush toilets and a dumping station for recreation vehicles.
North Creek is a modest Jefferson National Forest campground in a wooded setting along a scenic trout stream. It is reached off the Arcadia Exit on I-81 north of Buchanan. Hiking is available on the nearby Appalachian Trail and other footpaths.
Moomaw Lake has two campgrounds along its shoreline in the Alleghany-Bath county area north of Covington. The Bolar Mountain campground is on the north end of the lake in Bath County, reached off Virginia 39 north of Warm Springs. This is a waterfront campground. Some sites have electricity. There is an area for swimming, boat launching, picnicking and bank fishing.
On the southern end, but off the waterfront, is a wooded campground called Morris Hill. It is reached by traveling north of Covington on U.S. 220, then turning left on 678 and following the signs. The nearby Coles Point Recreation Area offers a swimming beach, and there is a boat ramp at nearby Fortney Branch.
Smaller national forest campgrounds include The Pines, north of New Castle, and White Rocks, west of Pembroke.
For backpackers, one of the finest treats of the region is the Appalachian Trail and the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. The Mount Rogers area is south of Marion and offers some of the best backpacking in the Eastern United States.
Philpott Reservoir
This 2,280-acre U.S. Army Corps of Engineers impoundment in Henry County has a dozen campgrounds throughout its 100 miles of shoreline. Camps range from primitive areas reached by boat to well-developed sites that provide hot showers. The top fee is $12, charged at shoreline sites with water and electricity. These are found in the Goose Point and Horseshoe Point areas. Primitive camping fees are $8 to $12.
The scenic lake, near Bassett, provides fishing, boating and water skiing. There are hiking opportunities along the shoreline.
Additional information is available from the Resource manager, Philpott Lake, Route 6 Box 140, Bassett 24055; (540) 629-2703.
Private campgrounds
There are numerous private campgrounds throughout the region, most of them offering more services than the public facilities.
A typical private campground will have electric-water-sewage hookups, along with game rooms, campground stores and organized recreation. Prices generally are higher than in public facilities.
Private campgrounds often are in some of the most scenic and most heavily traveled areas, such as on the shoreline of Smith Mountain Lake, or along major highways such as Interstate 81 where they serve traveling campers.
One of the best ways to find the better private campgrounds is to talk with established campers willing to share information on their favorite sites.
Camping stores and RV centers are another source of information.
A few facilities also are listed in the Yellow Pages of the phone directory. The Roanoke Valley Visitors Center, 114 Market Street, has a flier listing nearby private campgrounds.
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