Horse Camping Resort Campground by Shenandoah National Park
- In the 1930s we gave up 2000 acres to make this lower part of the park.
- Can't get any closer than that.
Graves Mountain Lodge Resort Campground is 7 miles from the Shenandoah National Park's White Oak Canyon trail head and it is we who provide the Park with their parking lots there.
The Campground is 7.5 miles from Shenandoah National Park's Old Rag trail head - the "back" trail head, not the packed "front" one.
We have direct access to Upper Dark Hollow Trail, Rose River Trail, Rose Rive Fire Road trail and the sequence of Rapidan trails.
Horse Camping & Campground
by Shenandoah National Park
Singles, Groups, & Clubs
Horse Campground by Shenandoah National Park
7 Acres of free-form horse camping on 1800 acre Farm
29 Miles of Trails on the Farm and another 100 plus in the Park
No Need to Reserve - always plenty of space
Free-form Camping - no assigned places
You get to make your own world
- Pet Friendly - on leads please
- Note - 7 Day camping limit
- No hook-ups, sorry
Note - During Music Festival May 29 - June 1
Regular and Horse Camping is not available.
Camping is only available with a Music Festival Pass - Buy Here Please
Sorry No Horses
Book Horse Camping Here
7 acres of free-form camping on 1800 acre farm
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Make your own place
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Just stay within directed boundaries
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Hot wire fence to suit your needs
- Clean up bucket provided for manure collection
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No picnic tables
- No fire ring - make your own from river rocks at field edges
- Please return the rocks so that we can mow without breaking the blades
- Wood - collect from forest or buy down at the Market-Deli & Tackle
- Water spigots up front
- Small electrical supply up front - for devices only
- Porta-toilets and pit toilets
- Wet toilets, sinks and showers are usually available down at the bathhouse in the DORM area behind the packing shed opposite the Market
- Fiber Optic WiFi- that allows for Cell service calling and receiving - even without cell service - up front. Get password at bulletin board, Market or Main Lodge
- Cell phones - connect to your network via our WiFi both to call out and receive calls. We are remote so no cell towers available
- Open 24 hours - at night please be quiet when arriving at setting up
- Dog Friendly - on leash, please
- No Park Fees are required on this side of Park. We - Circle B Stables, has a guiding license that will cover you - coming from Graves
- Pool fee - in 2023 it is $10 pp per day
- Swimming hole - just walk over and walk in
Fees
Adult to 15 yrs - $12 p/p per nt
14 yrs to 6 yrs - $6 p/p per nt
5 yrs and under - FREE
Horses - $10 per horse per nt.
Stabling in Camp Field $25 per nt. |
Must reserve.
:: Reserve stall on line here in the Horse Section >
Hay, feed, tack - at the Stables, see Casey and Joey at the Stables
Honor Box Check-in
Always open. Use cash, fill out form and hang your placard in your vehicle.
- For Credit Cards, please charge at the Market or up at the Main Lodge
Pay Online Option
Please follow the link below to book and pay online.
Bring your paper confirmation with you and attach it to your self-check-in paper work to show that you have paid. This does not give you a "defined" space - still free-form camping where YOU choose.
Adventuring at the Farm on 1100 Acres Bordering the National Park
Hiking
Our own 18 miles of trails - easy strolls rising to really tough uphill to 3200 feet - not Old Rag but tough enough to kick a butt or three. It's one of our own two mountains. This one is "Doubletop", the other one - lower - is, of course, Graves Mountain.
Up the classic Shenandoah National Park hikes - Old Rag and White Oak Canyon - both just up our back hollow road - 7 miles.
Fly Fishing
Three mountain streams - two here on the farm and the Rapidan a short drive. Two streams are stocked and natives are higher up. On your own or with a guide.
Pond Fishing
Two ponds. One with bass and catfish, one with stocked trout - seasonal.
Fly Fishing Guided
Learning with one of our guides. He will start you off with a Fly Rod or hone the skills you want to have - like mountain stream fishing for wily natives.
Horse Riding
Trail Rides - 90 Min trail rides through orchards, meadows, woods and up our mountains.
Lessons with Circle H Equine - from "Get to Know the Horse" to high level communication.
Road Biking
Flats through the valley and up rural side turns.
Turn by Turns as set up by the "Tour de Madison", our local road bike challenge in mid-May.
Super challenges to get you ready for a Tour e France if not the Rockies' Triple By-pass. On little traveled roads, you will hear the cars coming, on no verge roads. Here we have bye ways up down and around, up down and around, back down and back-around.
Mountain Biking
Doodling along our dirt roads, riding along meadows, through orchards, by ponds, and streams.
Long pulls up non-technical double tracks to above us - to the top of the Blue Ridge.
Tough, technical scrambles along trails to the tops of our two mountains - strong skills needed on rough trails that are rich in rock.
Mountain Climbing
- learn or hone your skills with our partners, Shenandoah Mountain Guides
Full day - drive up to Old Stony. Minimum of four, please, or check what other groups may be booked so that you can join in and make new mates.
Cascading Down Waterfalls
- wet and slithery
- learning to rappel down the falls in White Oak Canyon. Shenandoah Mountain Guides leads and makes it not seem scary.
Full day - drive up our back hollow road to White Oak Canyon, hike to the top of the waterfalls and start to learn the tools of the slipping and sliding. Minimum of four, please. Weekdays only as too many people in the falls during weekends. We need peace to learn.
Trail Running
Flat around the meadows and orchards
Killer up the mountains
Craft beers when beat
Farm Life Exploring
- life's better on the farm
Egg collecting at the Valley Chicken Coop - below the Main Lodge.
Walking with Ellie and Bootsie - pet pigs and not so little any more, plus BB the pet calf.
Goat play - along with wondering at the `monster pigs and non-monster self-shearing sheep.
Cattle and calves - also Longhorns in the field by the entrance to the Farm.
Horses and Ponies - trail rides and learning..
Swimming in our "swimming hole". Yes, getting wet and splashing does not not always have to be in a pool.
Spotting bears, deer, little beetle and bug critters around the cabins and lodge rooms, eagles, herons, owls, hawks and vultures.
Just Playtime
Strolling around the ponds, in the orchards, along the stream.
Swimming - huge Pool - seasonal (not heated), Memorial Weekend through Labor Day.
Swimming hole play in the stream.
Campfire with S'mores
- Fri, Sat and anytime you want at your cabin or lodge fire-pit.
Local Music and Beverages - Sat afternoons with our best local vineyard's wines, our own hard cider, Graves Mountain "Squeeze", local craft beer, and moonshine. Living LOCAL.
Massages – must book ahead, please.
Vineyard Tours – four Vineyards within 30 mins. One, the best, DuCard, is just over the hill. Superior wines framed by vineyards and Blue Ridge. A rural experience looking up to where our orchards were in the 50's. Living LOCAL
Craft Brewers tour – four brewers within 30 mins. Living LOCAL.
Game Room at the Lodge - board games, puzzles and ping pong
Games in your cabin
Library at Poplar Lodge
Corn Hole - also regular Corn Hole tournaments that are master-minded by one of our farmers, Kaleb, who is variously #1 or #2 in the country - along with his sister and younger brother who both compete. Living LOCAL.
Horseshoes - down by the river
Volleyball - we have a sand court next to the pool, Covid allowing
Badminton & croquet - available by the pool, Covid allowing
Touring the sights – the historic houses, meandering the byways, Luray Caverns, Skyline Drive
Antiquing – 70,000 sq. ft. in Ruckersville – 30 mins
Barn Quilt art tour through Greene County. We have one of the barn quilts on our Main Lodge
Rocking Chair lazy day. We do that too here.
Festivals of Farming & Community
All subject to Covid process and as a result may be postponed to the next year
Early April
Heritage Trout Fishing Day
- special day for young fisher folk with Trout Unlimited along our streams and on our ponds
Weekend Following Memorial Day
Music Festival - Roots & Branches of Bluegrass
- three days Bluegrass - our Mountain Heritage and where it has grown - that's the roots and branches, jamming, hikes, yoga, bike rides, mountain climbing.
Fourth of July
Fireworks and Band for Madison County
Here at the Farm for the whole County.
Last weekend of July
Peach Day Festival
Farm stand and Peaches of course, music, food, local beer and wine tent.
Throughout the year - approximately 3 weekends
Bluegrass Jams – in the Campground
First three weekends in October
Apple Harvest Festival
Apples, apple picking, pumpkins, squashes, apple butter doughnut, cider, hard cider, wines beers, hay-rides, farm-yard, hay mountain, hay maze, food, stream playing, local mountain music, Birds of Prey Shows- Raptor Encounters, and lots of things we should not be eating, over 75 vendors.
Halloween
- new tradition of the Haunting of the Apple Packing Shed, now a local tradition led by the Hurt Family who live nearby and two of whom work on the Farm.
New Year's Eve
- local band and good times with local brews, Covid allowing.
Valentine's
- local band and good time with local brews, Covid allowing.
Discovering
Nature Discovery Walk - Sat at 11 AM - 12:15 PM - free, with Jenn and Daniel Mintz. History, geology, and nature at work in the valley. For all ages. Living LOCAL.
Walk with a Hawk - special schedule. Living LOCAL.
Get to Know the Horse - Thu 2 PM, in season, free.
Eddie and Leah at the Farm Stables introduce how a horse thinks and responds to its world, with us beside it. Living LOCAL.
Watercolor Learning Workshop with Lou Messa. Monthly workshop for learners and wise ones. Lou is a local Blue Ridge landscape legend who loves to grow new artists. Living LOCAL.
Soap Making Class - workshop with Charlotte and Brian of Old Rag Soap Co. Once a month but also weekends for groups of at least two. Living LOCAL.
Team Building with resident gurus "TeamLink".
They train the "Seals" and Fortune 500 groups and local non-profits.
Home Cooking on Graves Mountain
- at the Farm Restaurant
- to-go at the Market
Southern Flavors and Special Diets
Southern home-style traditional flavors with contemporary twists - pot pies, skillet fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, meatloaf, smoked BBQ along with basics such as burgers, quiche, lasagna and vegetarian options.
Kids Meals and Family Friendly Pricing
Child Half Price Discount - 14 to 6 yrs
Toddler Free - 5 and down yrs.
Kids Menu with Sides $7
Vegetarian and Gluten Free
We always have vegetarian options along with gluten free suggestions. In addition to the menu, please ask for what the chef can do for you.
Living LOCAL.
Most of our vegetables come from our neighboring farms in season.
We make our own Apple Butter, jams, jellies, and cider - also now our own Hard Cider - Graves Mountain "Squeeze".
Wines, beers, and spirits - Living LOCAL.
DuCard Vineyard is our local partner, just one hollow over. Julien crafts fine French style wines.
Beer Hound Brewers in Culpeper brew our craft beers.
Hard Cider - we make our own special "old style" hard cider - our "Squeeze".
Moonshine - Tim Smith's Climax Moonshine and Bourbon both come from Belmont Farms in Culpeper.
Market Deli & Tackle
Our corner store has prepared foods for dinners to go from the Farm Restaurant, hot and cold deli sandwiches.
Deposit, Cancellation, Check-in & Check-out
Covid
In the Campground, please maintain physical distance and disinfect your hands at the pit toilets.
Info@gravesmountain.com
Check In Time
Anytime as there are no assigned sites. Free-form is the way.
Check Out Time
Any time.
Late Checkout
As late as you like.
Deposit Required
No deposit required.
Cancellation and Covid
Full refund if cancellation is at least 72 hours of arrival. Of course, Covid change of plan will always be accommodated.
12 Outdoor Adventures and a Whole Farm to Get to Know
Hiking and fishing on our 1100 acres and National Park, horse-back riding, onto rock climbing, then just sitting in a rocker or giving in to a massage - even Reiki.
Huge seasonal pool, volleyball, badminton, horseshoes, corn-hole, ping pong, board games, and books - a whole library for you.
Two mountain streams, two ponds, and 18 miles of trail plus Old rag and White Oak Canyon trails up the back hollow.
Farm Life Exploring
Chicken egg collecting, pet pigs walking, pet calf, goat play, horses, cattle all in the farm-yard.
Farm Restaurant in Main Lodge
Family-style Southern, choices daily, Many sides. 14 to 6 yrs half price. 5 & unders free. Kids meals available. See Farm Restaurant here :: >
The Market-Deli & Tackle
Take-out meals and groceries at the Market, Deli & Tackle, down at our cross-roads. See Syria Corner Market here :; >
Seasonal Festivals
Heritage Fishing Day - in early April
Graves Mountain Music Festival - Roots & Branches -weekend after Memorial Day (delayed until 2022)
July 4th Celebration & Fireworks for the County
Peach Harvest Day - last Saturday in July
Bluegrass Jam Weekends
Apple Harvest - first 3 weekends in October
Library
There is a library and game room in Poplar Lodge on the 2nd floor front.
Game Room with Ping Pong
In the Main Lodge, ground floor, we have a game room with Ping Pong, games, puzzles, cards, and a nearby Keurig Coffee machine.
Gift Shop
The shop is on the ground floor of the Main Lodge, open for check in and check out times and during most days in season. Local goodies, our apple butter, apple sauce and preserves, artwork, games, toys, caps and T-shirts.