Sherando Lake Recreation Area Family Camping

Summary

Sherando Lake Recreation Area's Family Campground offers visitors the opportunity to explore the Blue Ridge Mountains by fishing in the two stocked lakes, hiking, swimming and relaxing on the sandy beach. Campsites with picnic tables, electrical hook-ups and food storage lockers can be reserved for larger camping units, tents and RVs. Facilities such as showers, flush toilets and drinking water hydrants are available in each loop.

Overview

Sherando Lake Recreation Area's Family Campground provides an ideal camping destination. It is situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains and is known locally as the jewel of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where visitors enjoy hiking, picnicking in the shade, fishing in the lakes, or swimming and relaxing on the sandy beach.

Recreation

The 25 acre Lower Lake offers opportunities for swimming in a designated area with a sand beach, accessible ramp to the water's edge, and a beach bathhouse with changing and shower facilities. Fishing and boating are also available outside the designated swimming area of the lake. Fishing is in stocked trout waters during the spring and fall seasons. Visitors will need to have the appropriate Virginia fishing license, National Forest stamp, and trout stamp. Boats with gasoline motors are not permitted on the lower lake - electric troll motors, canoes, kayaks, or similar boats only. A hand-carry ramp is available for access to the lake adjacent to the parking area. Fishing only is available at the 7 acre Upper Lake. This lake is also stocked during the spring and fall seasons and the appropriate licenses are required. Boats are allowed, but there is no launch access - hand carry only. Parking is available at a small area below the group camp area and a walking trail will lead you to the lake. Swimming is not allowed in the upper lake. Hiking trails surround the area offering everything from a short walk around the lake on the Lakeside and Cliff Trails to a day hike up the mountain on the White Rock Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway. For the more adventurous hiker, more challenging day hikes and backpacking trips are available by heading up the Blue Loop Trail to the Torry Ridge Trail to Bald Mountain and beyond.

Facilities

The campground is divided into three loops: Meadow Loop (Loop C) and River Bend Loop (Loop B) have campsites with electric hookups which are suitable for larger camping units and RV's; White Oak Loop (Loop A) has non-electric campsites, suitable for tents and camping units less than 20 feet in length. All camping requires a reservation prior to arriving. Campsites can be reserved via Recreation.gov or 1-877-444-6777. No first-come, first-serve sites.

Each campsite is equipped with a picnic table, serving table, lantern post, and campfire ring with grill. The designated tent pads are covered with a fine brown sandy gravel. Showers, flush toilets and drinking water hydrants are located in each loop. The water hydrants are not threaded for hose hook-ups. Most campsites are equipped with a food storage locker for securing your food due to bear activity. It is mandatory that all food be either stored in a food storage locker or secured in a locked vehicle. Violators are subject to a fine. You are camping in the mountains with unlevel ground. Please be prepared.    

A trailer dump station is located along the main road between the entrance station and the road to the lower lake parking. A potable water station with threaded hose (to fill RV tanks) is located within the campground, opposite of the Day-Use parking area near the Williams Branch picnic area bathroom. Both the dump station and fill station are signed.

Natural Features

The campground sits between Lower Sherando Lake and Upper Sherando Lake at an elevation of about 1,800 feet in the shadows of Torry Ridge. The Upper Lake is 7 acres and is fed by the waters of the North Fork of Back Creek. The Lower Lake is 25 acres and is fed by springs, the North Fork of Back Creek, and Williams Branch, so the water stays refreshingly cool all summer long.

Nearby Attractions

There are opportunities for gas, groceries, and firewood at convenience stores and local vendors along the state road to Sherando Lake. Ice can be purchased at the Sherando Lake Visitor Center during operating hours, which vary seasonally. Additional supplies can be obtained in Stuarts Draft, about a 15 minute drive away.

The Blue Ridge Parkway, with its scenic overlooks and ridgetop views, is a short 3 mile drive up State Route 664 from the Sherando Lake entrance. The Wintergreen Resort offers a golf course and ski area within 10 miles of Sherando Lake. Cabin rentals are available near Sherando Lake from local private vendors.