$20 - $40 / night

Camper submitted image from Jefferson National Forest Cave Mountain Lake Campground - 1

Camper submitted image from Jefferson National Forest Cave Mountain Lake Campground - 2

Nature

Camper submitted image from Jefferson National Forest Cave Mountain Lake Campground - 3

People

Camper submitted image from Jefferson National Forest Cave Mountain Lake Campground - 4

Activities

Camper submitted image from Jefferson National Forest Cave Mountain Lake Campground - 5

Water

Established Camping

Jefferson National Forest Cave Mountain Lake Campground

17 Reviews

About

USDA Forest Service

George Washington & Jefferson National Forest

Overview

Cave Mountain Lake Group Camp is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and welcomes visitors to enjoy the rustic beauty and peacefulness of the area. Easy access from the interstate and close proximity to historic Lexington and Natural Bridge State Park make Cave Mountain Lake an ideal destination. Cave Mountain Lake covers seven acres and was built in the late 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps, using existing natural rock buttresses to form the 35-foot dam. A grassy field extends from the lake's sandy beach to forested hills that paint a scenic backdrop.

Recreation

The 7 acre lake offers opportunities for swimming in a designated area which includes a sand beach. Fishing for youth only (ages 15 and under) is open from April 1st through June 15th, then fishing is open to anglers of all ages with a valid Virginia fishing license for the remainder of the season. There are several piers around the lake for better fishing access. A number of opportunities for photography, birding, and wildlife viewing are available along the trails and water's edge. Hiking trails surround the area, offering everything from a short walk around the lake to an all-day hike along the nearby ridges. The Panther Knob Trail starts beside the group picnic shelter and skirts the edge of the lake to the dam. Visitors may also enjoy a day hike or backpacking trip on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, the James River Face Wilderness, or the Thunder Ridge Wilderness.

Facilities

Natural Features

Cave Mountain Lake covers seven acres and was built in the late 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps, using existing natural rock buttresses to form the 35-foot dam. A grassy field extends from the lake's sandy beach to forested hills that paint a scenic backdrop.

contact_info

This location is unstaffed. To speak with our main office for general information, please call: (540) 291-2188.

Nearby Attractions

Lexington, Virginia, just 20 minutes away, is home to several historic sites including the Stonewall Jackson House, George C. Marshall Museum, and the Virgnia Military Institute Museum. It's a charming town with horse drawn carriage rides through the streets. Ice and other sundries can be found at small stores along State Route 759 as you drive to Cave Mountain Lake Recreation Area. Natural Bridge State Park is a short 8 mile drive away and offers visitors views of the 215 foot tall Natural Bridge and limestone gorge, 6 miles of hiking trails, a Monacan Indian village, and the 30 foot cascade of Lace Falls.

Fee Info

Interagency Senior and Access Passes are not applicable to group camping fees.

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Location

Jefferson National Forest Cave Mountain Lake Campground is located in Virginia

Directions

From I-81 North, take Exit 175. Turn left onto U.S. Highway 11 and continue 2 miles into Natural Bridge. Once in Natural Bridge, take a right onto VA 130 East and continue approximately 3.2 miles. Turn right on State Route 759 for 3.2 miles. Turn right on State Route 781. Cave Mountain Lake entrance is 1.6 miles ahead on the left. From I-81 South, take Exit 180A off the left side of the interstate. Continue on U.S. Highway 11 south into Natural Bridge. Once in Natural Bridge, take a left onto VA 130 East and continue approximately 3.2 miles. Then turn right on State Route 759 for 3.2 miles. Turn right on State Route 781. Cave Mountain Lake entrance is 1.6 miles ahead on the left.

Address

811 CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE ROAD (PHYSICAL ADDRESS) GLENWOOD AND PEDLAR RANGER DISTRICTS (FOR INFORMATION) 27 RANGER LANE
Natural bridge station, VA 24579

Coordinates

37.5758333 N
79.5341667 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.
Hike-In
Backcountry sites.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Unknown
AT&T
Unknown
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group

Features

For Campers

Trash
Firewood Available
Drinking Water
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump

SEE WHAT'S AVAILABLE

$20 - $40

/ night

First Come - First Served

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Contact

General Info

Frank

Scout

Reviewed May. 7, 2022

Great Campground

Quiet campground with well spaced campsites. Bathrooms were clean and close by. Road our motorcycles in and the road wasn’t bad at all. Cell signal for AT&T and Verizon was very poor, but I’m fine with the isolation. Overall, great place will stay here again.

Site18

Month of VisitMay

Maggie A.

Guide

Reviewed May. 5, 2022

Hidden Gem

Just the drive to the campground through the Blue Ridge Mountains was beautiful. The campground itself was equally as beautiful. A small creek going through made for a soothing and scenic view right from the campsite. There’s a lake nearby that you can walk or drive to. Some of us spent all day swimming, catching salamanders and tadpoles while some of us fished. Another perfect summertime campground.

SiteSite 016

Month of VisitJuly

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Kristy M.

Scout

Reviewed May. 2, 2022

Cute

Cute little campground with clean sites and bathrooms. I did not reserve ahead of time but was still able to get a site. My site was a good size for a tent or small camper. There was a little stream that ran behind the site. The one negative about this campground is it has a bear issue. There are signs warning everyone with instructions on how to avoid a bear visit however at 2:30am a woman started yelling "bear".

Site5

Month of VisitMay

jackie

Traveler

Reviewed Oct. 5, 2021

Very friendly

We went years ago and the staff is very friendly.

Site22

Month of VisitJuly

Craig J.

Guide

Reviewed May. 26, 2021

Nice boondock in a lovely location

Hosts were friendly and attentive. Site was spacious and pleasantly situated for our 17' travel trailer. Clean bathrooms and shower. Lots of poison ivy and amazing wildflowers on the 4-5 mile loop trail that started near the back of the campground.

Site26

Month of VisitJune

Sara L.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 17, 2020

👍🏼

No phone signal nice and quiet family friendly the family spot at the back is more expensive but worth it! Has a nice fire pit with a swing cook arm and grate.has a massive cooking grill that can be used with charcoal or small wood. Spot is level and easy accessible, restroom near by (outdated) but works fine. The shower house is a little walk but has nice pressure and hot water!! Swim lake is available to campers, can also fish in it

Sara L.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 17, 2020

My favorite local spot! You do make reservations in advance, dyrt has this wrong!

Nestled in the mountains quiet and serene place to get away. There is no phone signal so expect it, but you are camping so this should be a positive! The lake itself is spring fed and you can swim or fish in it. The camp hosts were friendly and helpful. Area was clean, and there is downed wood to use in your campfire, remember that bringing in wood can be damaging to the natural area. I do not care for “city people” camping so if your looking for this try yogi bear. If you like nature and peaceful area~then this place is for you!! Doggies are welcome here as well, typical leash rule applies {6ft or less} Do you really want your beloved pet chasing down a bear or deer? So mind the rules. Remember to use a bear bag hung or keep all food up in vehicle or camper when not in use.

Chaz M.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 8, 2020

Friendly - Quiet - Peaceful

My wife, my 2 yr. old, and I enjoyed our weekend here. The campground was clean and staff was very friendly. Other campers were quiet and respectful. There is ample hiking and the lake is something different to do.

Month of VisitSeptember

Tiffany D.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 10, 2019

Great time

Stayed at camp site 17. Near bathrooms and water. The creek was near by and enjoyable. Bathroom and showers were clean.

The host and hostess were amazing. They suggested great places to visit and enjoy. They take family camping seriously! The host had to make several families leave due to an agressive dog, and, loud and disruptive behavior. It definitely makes the camping experience awesome when it could have been ruined.

We got a flat tire and they have a tire pump on campus which was awesome, we thought we'd have to drive a distance before we could fill the tire up.

A definite two thumbs up for our Host "Slick" and Hostess JoAnn.

(8) View All

Stephanie J.

Legend

Reviewed Oct. 24, 2018

Premium Virginia Camping

This is hands-down my favorite campground in Virginia.

To start--it's very well maintained, but has a lot of personality. The bathrooms are simple but clean, there is potable water convenient to all sites, and most sites you can park you car right at your site, but the absence of a paved road or sectioned off tent sites, and the creek that runs through the entire campground, gives a feeling of peace and wilderness that can be hard to find in front country camping. None of the sites at this campground have electric or water hookups, but all sites have picnic tables and fire rings.

Sites 1-27 are in the main loop. The creek winds through this loop providing the sound of water and a place to splash in. The inner ring is still fairly wooded but has less privacy, and the outer ring on the eastern side has long driveways to accommodate larger campers/RVs.

Sites 28-35 are on a spur off the main loop, and have a higher degree of privacy. These sites are slightly more rugged, and best for smaller tents; site 35 however is both large, flat, and private, and is next to the trailhead to one of the campground's hiking trails. The bathroom in this leg has multiple stalls, electricity, and flush toilets.

Sites 36-38 are walk-in only, though the walk is very short, and crosses a lovely bridge over the creek. Sites 37 and 38 are very small; a 1-4 person tent should be fine, but anything larger than that is unlikely to fit. The sites are bordered by a small meadow on one side, and a hill on the other. Site 36 is arguably the best site in the entire campground if you are comfortable carrying your gear a few dozen yards from the parking lot. This site has a high degree of privacy, especially from late spring to early fall when the trees have their leaves, it can accommodate 6+ person tents, and is right beside the creek which gives you a wonderful sound to fall asleep to. This one is especially great for kids!

Sites 39 and 40 also border the meadow at the back of the campground but you can park directly at the site so they work for campers, and sites 41 & 42 form a double site; because it is a double site it is more expensive to book, but you are set back from the remainder of the campground, as well as being beside both the creek and next to a trailhead. Group campsites are available closer to the day-use area.

The hosts at this campground are some of the nicest we have ever encountered, and we have been going here for years. They also frequently pile logs from downed trees next to the dumpsters in early spring, providing ample firewood if you have the means to split it yourself.

There is a lake and picnic grounds for day-use, along with a few hiking trails, however the day use areas are not regularly monitored; the lake is swim-at-your-own-risk, and there are no boat or fishing gear rentals. There is no camp store to purchase firewood or provisions, but there is a privately owned way-station a few miles before the entrance of the campground. Plan on bringing in everything you will need for your trip, unless you want to add time driving on the winding roads leading to the campground to and from the local stores.

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Ash V.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 21, 2018

Cool place

Nice camping an fun stuff in the area

Month of VisitApril

Heather L.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 17, 2018

fun

Very close to natural bridge and caverns. The lake is very cold but fun. Sites are pretty private with half on a cute creek.

Gloria G.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 26, 2018

just magical

the little streams running near each site, the beautiful walk to the lake with the leopard salamanders that the kids could catch and swim in. the bathhouses are great. be sure to read the bear recommendations and pack up your site accordingly and you’ll have a wonderful time. a great camp. so peaceful.

(4) View All

Lanie B.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 19, 2018

Great family campsites

This is probably our favorite campsite yet. We stayed at site 6 and it backed up to a little stream. The site itself was private even though there are other sites around. Our boys loved playing in the stream and climbing the hill to get to our hammock on the site too. The lake has a beautiful view with green mountains surrounding it. It is a bit of a walk from the sites so we drove.

Sally C.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 15, 2018

Quiet, dog friendly

Very nice, clean and quiet camp ground. Can self check in and leave money which is nice for late arrivals. There is a stream that runs through the camp ground and a beautiful lake, definitely recommend this. No dogs allowed at the lake

Theresa M.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 1, 2017

Unplugged and reconnected

This place is beautiful! It was peaceful and full of wildlife! There was zero phone or data service so there was no choice but sit down and take it all in. The facilities are clean. There are water pumps placed around the campground for your needs. The fire pits and grills were wonderfully maintained and many of the sites back up to a running creek. It was really quite a pleasant experience! The only reason I give 4 stars is because of the generators from a few sites with campers. They are suppose to only be allowed to run them for 2 hours a day but we found that some went longer. It really took from the tranquility of the property. Aside from that, it was a perfect, perfect vacation!

(8) View All

Mike T.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 24, 2016

Cave mountain lake

There are a total of 41 campsites, 28 can be reserved. The water is just beautiful here. Great for swimming and fishing. Very peaceful and amazing in the blue ridge mountains.