I successfully obtained a location when they were still available on a first-come-first-serve basis. I've heard that soon you'll be able to reserve them. Considering there's no cellular reception in the park, I'd recommend making a plan - though that's not really my style. The spot is fairly large with bushes separating it from others. E191 features two trees that I managed to park my RV between. The restrooms are well-maintained and the park is peaceful. My compact, well-insulated RV was perfect for the location. There are excellent hiking trails accessible directly from the spot, including the AT. Showers cost $2.50 for 5 minutes. I wouldn't hesitate to revisit this campground. I'm a big fan of this park! Just note, mobile reception is scarce to non-existent.

Big Meadows Campground is centrally located within Shenandoah National Park. In this video, I provide a walking tour of Big Meadows Campground in Shenandoah National Park and show the best campsites. T-Mobile cellular service clocked in at 4.93 Mbps download speed and 0.21 Mbps upload speed. Both Verizon and AT&T cellular service was one bar LTE and a speed test failed due to poor connectivity.

We only spent one night here as were were traveling to upstate NY but plan on returning for a longer visit. The sites are all non-electric (i.e. expect some generator noise) but most are fairly level and in excellent shape. The bathrooms were clean and well maintained. The location is fairly remote in the Shenandoah National Park so don't expect TV or Cell service, a plus in my book. The drive getting to the CG along Skyline Drive is very scenic both to the North and to the South. There's lots to do in the area but plan some well spent time getting to and froe.

This campground is very beautiful. We saw lots of wildlife right outside our door. We camped in site A104.

I am at Big Meadows right now. I extended my stay by a day and if a site frees up, I may stay longer. The sites are well spaced and there are trees and bushes between creating some privacy. People have been pretty quiet which I appreciate. The ranger programs here are spectacular and children and adults love them. The “Star Party” is a must do! I love the stories about the constellations! The facilities are clean. They have coin op showers, laundry, and a small store. I will return!

Beautiful campground with large sites. Very clean as well. Would definitely stay here again.

This is a large campground with a variety of sites for tent campers and large RVs. A lot of sites are on dirt/gravel which with the rain made for a dirty trailer. It's in the center of Shenandoah National Park with great access to trails. Coin operated showers ($2.50 for 5 minutes) and a laundry operated by a concessionaire. Nice Park personnel at checkin.

Fantastic location in middle of Shenandoah National Park which made hiking and traveling to sites very easy. No hook up. Dump site is outside of campground. Only negative was we were close to tent campers and they arrived late after we had gone to bed and we were awakened by their talking, car doors and setting up equipment.

No fault of the campground, but 5 days of rain & dance fog! Months of planning down the drain! 😭 Had to leave early, our solar just couldn't change batteries due to fog, & we were located in no generator spot. But, campground was spotless!! $2.50 for hot, very clean, shower! Very clean, flushing, potties. Lodge was a savings grace, free wifi, and a nice little pub w/ draft beer in the basement. Spent a lot of time playing board games and sipping beer in front of their fireplace. Zero cell service at campground, but about 2 bars LTE w/ Verizon and ATT at Lodge. Enjoy!

No fault of the campground, but 5 days of rain & dance fog! Months of planning down the drain! 😭 Had to leave early, our solar just couldn't change batteries due to fog, & we were located in no generator spot. But, campground was spotless!! $2.50 for hot, very clean, shower! Very clean, flushing, potties. Lodge was a savings grace, free wifi, and a nice little pub w/ draft beer in the basement. Spent a lot of time playing board games and sipping beer in front of their fireplace. Zero cell service at campground, but about 2 bars LTE w/ Verizon and ATT at Lodge. Enjoy!

For $20 in a beautiful national park what more can you really ask for? The sites were mostly level, pull thrus. A short walk to a small general store, showers, laundry and a slightly longer walk to a restaurant. Nearby gas station and ranger station. There are a number of hikes in the immediate area. Dry camping at its best. It's quite shaded so don't count on solar and service is very sparse.

It’s a NPS campground - i.e., no hookups & tight parking. But overall, we really enjoyed being here. There was a small group campsite next to us and the bathhouse. So this group of college kids were a little loud and stayed up late. But they were fairly respectful, and not a real interruption. We had shade for part of the day and there was a nice walking path to get to the bathhouse. We like to stay inside national parks when we are visiting one of them and this was one of the best inside any National park we’ve ever stayed at.

We decided to stay here as this campground is the 'village' of Shenandoah National Park. Upon arrival, we were caught off guard that the ranger assigns you a site if you're first come first serve. We had gotten spoiled along campgrounds along the Blue Ridge Parkway and others along the Skyline that you got to choose your own site. Thankfully, C139 was amongst the nicer feeling sites - so no complaints there. But if peace and tranquillity are you goals - this is not a campground to achieve them during peak tourist season. Our stay was early-August - and even mid-week this campground was full and active with vacationers. Hey, everyone deserves to get away - but lots of noise of campfires, big groups, dozens of kids riding bikes, tents being set up, mattresses being blown up, etc. wasn't the vibe we were after. The lodge nearby (easy biking) offers some respite and we found a nice outdoor table at the tavern where we could enjoy some refreshments and listen to live chill music. While we had paid 2-nights in advance (thinking we wanted a longer stay), we ended up leaving a night early. This campground just isn't as well spread out as others in the park and it wasn't what we were seeking. We were able to get rocking T-Mobile signal here however suitable for streaming (47 mbps down!), despite not being in the section reported as having better signal. AT&T was poor in our section however.

Luckily for us the lodge up the hill had wifi for work and school! The loops on the very furthest side (h loop?) had some signal because it’s where the ground starts sloping down and you can reach the signals from town across the valley. Most sections are total dead zones. So besides that little snafu, this was a great spot for exploring the park. So many hiking trails, including some great areas right from the campground. There’s no privacy between sites. Laundry was $1 to wash and 25c/7 min to dry. Big industrial sized machines. I did two big loads that usually take me 3-4 machines and only two loads with $1 each to dry, including lots of towels. It was great. Camp hosts gave us great hiking suggestions.

We did a mid-week 1-night getaway (April 2021); it's still early in the season so all spots are first-come-first-serve basis. There are no hookups, which was fine for us; nearest restroom did not have showers, but there is supposedly a centralized coin-operated shower facility (and laundry) Sites are not too cramped; the big downside is there is ZERO cell phone coverage. I have a booster and Verizon and AT&T... nothing with either carrier. Even driving in we lost coverage when we got on Skyline Drive... that area is a cell phone dead zone, and the campground is totally a cell phone dead zone. But if you don't need to be connected; it's a decent place, campground store and even gas station at entrance. Lots of good hiking nearby and cycling.

First, I do plan on camping here again. We camp all over the Shenandoah Valley, and this place is unique. It has character and a natural quality that is hard to find. The sites were good. The site I was on was plenty spacious, and level enough to be comfortable. The views are hard to beat. A clean restroom is never far away. The hiking opportunities were great, and the wildlife was amazing. We had deer on our site our first night (my wife almost tripped over one walking to bathroom) and again the next morning. Unfortunately, we never saw a bear. My biggest complaint, and the thing that almost totally ruined our experience, was noisy neighbors. There was a group of people who got two sites (side by side) across the road from us. They were tent campers, and felt the need to talk to each other from inside their tents from one site to the other well after quiet hours. We knew it wasn't going to be good when they got loud right before the start of quiet hours, and didn't stop once quiet hours began. At 10:45, another neighbor loudly asked them to please be quiet. They were quiet about 10 minutes, then began talking and laughing about the incident. Somehow I was able to fall asleep for about an hour but was then awakened again to the sound of their noise. We got out of our camper because we were wide awake and decided to walk to the bathroom at 12:30am. When we got outside, a family beside this group got in their vehicle (leaving their tent behind and in place) and left. They hadn't returned when we pulled out the next day. Between us moving around, and the other family leaving, the group finally decided to be quiet. People, if you can't respect the rules of a campground, please don't go camping. I can't even fathom how people can be so inconsiderate. I will be camping at this campground again in the future, and I will be crossing my fingers that we won't be near any more neanderthals.

Spacious sites, good privacy considering there are hundreds of back in sites. Clean showers cost $1.75 but be aware that showers and bathrooms near the entrance are only open when rangers are on duty during the day. The Byrd Center where you get info also has a store/deli and gas pumps. The Big Meadows Lodge has restaurant, bar, good connectivity and views. There are trails for all level of hikers. Skyline Drive is a serious Wow experience. We visited in late September during the week and it was not crowded. Highly recommended.

Of course, there are no hookups here, but water sources are conveniently located throughout the park. We were able to find a threaded faucet near a bathroom that allowed us to fill our water tank with our hose. Some bathrooms have utility sinks with hot water for dishwashing. They have a central shower house where showers cost $1.50. The campground is clean and well maintained. Dumpsters and recycling stations were available in several locations. Our site was good for our solar panel. Although the campground was full, we didn't feel overly crowded, and it wasn't really noisy. Good location for hiking in Shenandoah National Park, with the Appalachian Trail running close to the campground. We were there in mid-August, and the temps were very comfortable.