Chickery's Travels

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May 10, 2021 by Julie Chickery Leave a Comment

Shenandoah River State Park (Bentonville, Virginia)

If you are looking for a great campground in the northern Shenandoah Valley, then this is the place for you. Shenandoah River State Park is open year round and is only minutes from Shenandoah National Park. Whether you are camping in an RV, tent, or cabin, there is something for everyone.

Watch the video review below or read on for more information:

Sites

The best part about this campground is that it is situated only a few minutes walk from the beautiful Shenandoah River.  However, it is important to note that you won’t have a river view from the campsites as there a trees between the campground and the river. 

Shenandoah River State Park is open year round and has 32 RV sites with water and electric.
  • RV Sites: The campground has 32 back in sites with water and power, as well as plenty of room for your RV, tow vehicle, and even a tent or canopy. 
  • Cabins: The campground has nine 2-bedroom cabins with a bathroom, heating, and air conditioning. They also have four primitive camp cabins that don’t have a bathroom, heating, and air conditioning.
  • Yurts: The campground also has three yurts that have one queen bed and a twin sized trundle pull out. The yurts do not have electricity or water, but water is available at the bathhouse. There is no heat or air conditioning. Each yurt has a dining table, a large wooden deck with patio tables, a picnic table and fire ring with cooking grate.
  • Tent Sites: There is a separate tent-only, hike in campground with primitive sites.

Amenities 

This is a typical state park campground, which means there aren’t as many amenities as you’d find in a private RV resort. However, the natural beauty of the area more than makes up for it. 

The campground does have laundry facilities, a bath house, and a dump station. 

From the campground you can easily access the park’s 5 miles of river front, 24 miles of multi-use trails, and a wonderful nature center. 

Local Area 

Shenandoah National Park is the highlight of this region and is only a ten minute drive away. It has a multitude of activities and is open year round. Scenic Skyline Drive runs 105 miles north and south along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park and is the only public road through the Park. It takes about three hours to travel the entire length of the Park on a clear day. Skyline Drive is generally open 24 hours a day / 7 days a week. If it’s closed due to inclement weather, you may still enter the Park on foot at one of the entrance stations or from a boundary access point. The national park also has over 500 miles of trails with several waterfalls.

There are over 500 miles of trails in Shenandoah National Park and several lead to waterfalls.
Dark Hollow Falls at Shenandoah National Park

Book Your Stay Now

Whether you are looking for a quick get away or family vacation, you can’t go wrong with this amazing state park campground! Click here to make reservations and don’t forget to look at the map and choose the site that is best for you.

Sharing is caring! Feel free to share the image below on Pinterest.

The Shenandoah River State Park campground is the perfect base for your next RV vacation. With 5 miles of riverfront access 24 miles of multi-use trails it is the perfect location to enjoy the great outdoors. It is also located only 10 minutes from Shenandoah National Park, providing the perfect RV camping destination for your family.

Filed Under: Campground Reviews Tagged With: Campground near Shenandoah National Park, camping at Shenandoah River State Park, Shenandoah River State Park campground

April 18, 2021 by Julie Chickery Leave a Comment

Harrisonburg / Shenandoah Valley KOA (Broadway, Virginia)

Nestled in the woods, the Harrisonburg / Shenandoah Valley KOA feels like a state park campground, but has the amenities of a KOA. Stay and relax for a quiet weekend or use it as a base when visiting Shenandoah National Park and the historic Skyline Drive. Either way, you’re bound to leave a happy camper!

Campsites

The most important thing to know about any campground is what the campsites are like. The great thing about KOA campgrounds is that they always have a variety of site types, and this one is no exception. From partial hook up back-in campsites with 30amp power and water to full hook up back-in and pull-thru sites, there is something for every preference and budget.

The Harrisonburg Shenandoah Valley KOA has a variety of campsites to suit any preference or budget.

Every campsite has a picnic table and fire pit. Most, but not all, sites have cable as well. Our friends stayed in the KOA Patio ™ sites which include your own private deck area, with a gas grill, outdoor dining table and chairs, fire pit, and glider swing.

If you don’t have an RV or have extra company, they also have tent sites with power and water, rustic cabins, and deluxe cabins.

Campground Amenities

Another great feature of KOA Holiday campgrounds are the amenities to provide everything you need to just stay and enjoy yourself right there. The Harrisonburg / Shenandoah Valley KOA had a nature trail, catch & release fishing pond, playground, small frisbee golf course, ping pong, corn hole, and a swimming pool for hours of family fun. It also had the standard amenities like a bath house, laundry facility and fenced dog park.

Local Area

Being located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley has its perks. This campground is just miles away from Shenandoah National Park, home to the historic Skyline Drive, a must see when visiting the area. They are also near the Massanutten Ski and Waterpark Resort, antique stores, wineries, breweries, Harrisonburg’s historic downtown, caverns, and fabulous hiking trails.

Book Your Stay

Whether you are looking for a quick get away or family vacation, you can’t go wrong with this amazing KOA campground! Click here to make reservations and don’t forget to sign up for the rewards program to get 10% off every KOA stay. We love the rewards program because you also earn points to use towards discounts on future stays. We were able to get $50 off our weekend here using accumulated rewards points.

Interested in learning more about what KOAs have to offer? Click here to listen to Sean & Kenny’s interview with the President and CEO of the company.

Sharing is caring! Feel free to share the image below on Pinterest.

Nestled in the woods, the Harrisonburg / Shenandoah Valley KOA feels like a state park campground, but has the amenities of a KOA.  Stay and relax for a quiet weekend or use it as a base when visiting Shenandoah National Park and the historic Skyline Drive. Either way, you're bound to leave a happy camper!

Filed Under: Campground Reviews Tagged With: Campground near Shenandoah National Park, Harrisonburg KOA, Harrisonburg Shenandoah Valley KOA, KOA campground in Virginia, virginia campground

April 11, 2021 by J Chickery Leave a Comment

Luray KOA (Luray, Virginia)

We visited the Luray KOA this spring and loved it! Nestled between Shenandoah National Park and George Washington National Forest, it has fabulous views all around the campground, not to mention all the recreational opportunities.

Watch the short video review below or continue reading for more details.

Sites

We love KOA’s because they offer so many different types of sites to suit any budget or preference, and this one was no exception. In fact, the Luray KOA had some of the most unique site offerings that we’ve seen.  

  • Deluxe Patio Sites – These are full hook up pull through sites with a dining table, extra seating area with lounge chairs, umbrella and fire ring. We stayed in these sites as you can see from the image above. We loved how the fire pit area had its own little patio too.
  • Standard Pull Thru Sites – There were standard full hook-up pull thru sites that come with a smaller concrete patio, picnic table, and fire ring.
  • Back-In Pergola Sites – These sites were so cool, we want to stay in one next time. They have a picnic table under the pergola, which is situated at the rear of your RV. Then just below the pergola, there is extra seating area with lounge chairs, a fire ring, and mountain views. 
The Luray KOA has the most unique campsites including these pergola mountain view campsites. The pergola has a picnic table and extra seating, then below it, you have a fire ring and more seating to enjoy the mountain views.
  • Other Back-In Sites – As usual, there are a variety of back-in sites based on RV length accommodate small campers and big rigs. The extra long back-in sites were probably the longest I’ve seen! Another bonus of the back-ins is that they are all situated around the edges of the campground so you have greenery and views behind you — not other RVs.
The extra long back-in sites at the Luray KOA can fit the largest RVs. They also back up to greenery and views of Shenandoah National Park.
  • No RV? No problem! They have tent sites, cabins, and yurts to enjoy.

Amenities 

This campground has all the amenities you’d expect, but we thought they were nicer than most. For example, they had two swimming pools, a playground with a large open field for the kids to run around in, and the largest dog park we’ve ever seen.

Another great amenity was a camp kitchen with sinks and a long counter behind the bath house. This is a terrific place for those staying in the tent sites to do their dishes.

Local Area 

Luray Caverns boasts the largest caverns in the Eastern United States. They have well-lighted, paved walkways that lead visitors through cathedral-sized rooms with ceilings 10-stories high, towering stone formations, and natural wonders at every turn. With so many fabulous formations, I can’t name them all, but here’s one of my favorites: Dominating Giant’s Hall at 47 feet in height, this column is the tallest and one of the most spectacular formations in the caverns. The Double Column is a classic example of the two basic cave formations the stalactite and stalagmite coming together as one massive wonder of nature.

Luray Caverns is the largest caverns in the eastern United States.

Hawksbill Greenway consists of two miles of trails along a quiet creek. It’s a great place just off downtown Luray to ride your bike or go for a stroll. Downtown Luray has several shops, restaurants, and a great little ice cream place. If you’re looking for an inexpensive afternoon, do some window shopping, ride your bikes on the Greenway, and treat yourself to an ice cream cone.

Book Your Stay Now

Whether you are looking for a quick get away or family vacation, you can’t go wrong with this amazing KOA campground! Click here to make reservations and don’t forget to sign up for the rewards program to get 10% off every KOA stay. We love the rewards program because you also earn points to use towards discounts on future stays. We were able to get $50 off our weekend here using accumulated rewards points.

Interested in learning more about what KOAs have to offer? Click here to listen to Sean & Kenny’s interview with the President and CEO of the company.

Sharing is caring! Feel free to share the image below on Pinterest.

We visited the Luray KOA this spring and loved it! Nestled between Shenandoah National Park and George Washington National Forest, it has fabulous views all around the campground, not to mention all the recreational opportunities.  It's a family friendly campground for all ages.

Filed Under: Campground Reviews, Virginia Tagged With: Campground near Shenandoah National Park, KOA Campground in Luray, koa camping, Luray KOA, Luray Virginia Campground

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