Natural Tunnel State Park, VA - update

Just got back from a long weekend at Natural Tunnel and while there, we explored the new campground that is being built as well as the "cabins" they are constructing.

The campground is going to be much larger and they have a new bathhouse/laundry building. The bathrooms are nice, clean and new, but better than that, there are 4 completely seperate large showers. The shower itself is about 5' X 8 with a seperate dressing room with bench that is about 8' X 8'. They have 1 of them as a handicap accessible shower that has a large fiberglass shower with a bench and handrails, etc.
The laundry room has 2 washers, 2 dryers and a laundry sink. On the side of the building are 2 large "slop sinks" for doing dishes or large cleanups.

Now, I don't know who laid out the campground, but they definitely WERE NOT campers......OR they tent camp!! The sites are good size, but to get in/out of some of them is going to take some expert driving/backing skills. Two of the sites have driveways that are about 75', yes seventy-five feet long.....and curved!! One of the sites is a 90 degree turn with no place to maneuver. There are a few that I really liked, but it may take some trying to get our TT into them. (Butch usually does that while I direct, so I see some yelling and screaming in our future!!!) The new campground will open May 1.

The cabins......they aren't cabins, they are houses. They have 10 cabins that vary from 2 bedroom to 6 bedroom. I toured the handicap accessible cabin (it was not locked and I had the camp host with me). It had walnut hardwood floors throughout, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, 1 of which had a walk-in/roll-in shower. It had full size appliances in the kitchen with stove, microwave, refrigerator and dishwasher. All of the cabins are located on top of the mountain above the campground and have really fabulous views. They will rent from $88/night up to $350/night for the largest one. They hope to have the cabins ready to rent by August, but say they definitely will be open before the Bristol races in September.

Thanks for the report. I would love to make it back to camp here. We went once a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I imagine it would be really gorgeous up there when the leaves were changing in the Fall.

Here are a few pictures of the campground and the area from our trip...

Natural Tunnel

Wow, I liked the old stuff, though the bathhouses were in need of an upgrade. This new stuff sounds wonderful, but for the oddness of the site designs on those few. Perhaps they are for a string of pop-ups. We can unhook and push them into place.

Donna, how full was the campground over Easter weekend?

Richard, when we got there on Thursday night, there was the camp host and a popup camper already set up. There was a hybrid that was also just pulling in ahead of us. After we arrived, there were 3 other campers that came in on Thursday night. 2 pulled out on Friday and 3 more came in - so a total of 8 campers max. There are, I think, 15 sites there now, so it was not crowded at all, but there were lots of kids - I think a total of 12 - from age 2 to 10. Several teenagers, also.

I have asked Betty (happycamper) if they wanted to plan a quick weekend getaway down to Natural Tunnel after they open the new campground. Thinking about the 2nd or 3rd weekend of May. You interested?

Richard wrote:Wow, I liked the old stuff, though the bathhouses were in need of an upgrade. This new stuff sounds wonderful, but for the oddness of the site designs on those few. Perhaps they are for a string of pop-ups. We can unhook and push them into place.

Of course that is what they are for, pop-up's

Coolbreeze1

merrykalia wrote:Richard, when we got there on Thursday night, there was the camp host and a popup camper already set up. There was a hybrid that was also just pulling in ahead of us. After we arrived, there were 3 other campers that came in on Thursday night. 2 pulled out on Friday and 3 more came in - so a total of 8 campers max. There are, I think, 15 sites there now, so it was not crowded at all, but there were lots of kids - I think a total of 12 - from age 2 to 10. Several teenagers, also.

I have asked Betty (happycamper) if they wanted to plan a quick weekend getaway down to Natural Tunnel after they open the new campground. Thinking about the 2nd or 3rd weekend of May. You interested?

I'm absolutely interested!

OK, Richard, which weekend for you? I think I would prefer the 3rd weekend (05/14 and 05/15), but we are pretty much game for about any weekend.

merrykalia wrote:I have asked Betty (happycamper) if they wanted to plan a quick weekend getaway down to Natural Tunnel after they open the new campground. Thinking about the 2nd or 3rd weekend of May. You interested?

I would love to. However, we are already camping from Friday, May 21st through May 31st. I will have to ask him about the weekend prior. Probably not though. Maybe we will go in July and you can join us. June is booked. Just remembered, Meghan will be having her birthday party Saturday, May 15th, so we definitely cannot.

merrykalia wrote:OK, Richard, which weekend for you? I think I would prefer the 3rd weekend (05/14 and 05/15), but we are pretty much game for about any weekend.

My work is spotty right now, which means I'm having to accept some last moment jobs that I normally wouldn't. These don't come up on a predictible basis. This is why I'm kind of a last minute camper. In other words, I tell folks to schedule as is convient for them, and I'll try to make it. Right now May is wide open, but clearly I have to scare up some work at some point in the month.

There's a group camping trip at Misty River on the 14th and 15th that I'd like to attend, and the last weekend in the month is Memorial Day weekend, which spells packed for nearly everyplace. If I have a chance to do an 8-day project, my finances dictate that I have to take it, even if it's last moment.

I do understand about work - some people just have to do it. I'd rather not, but I know some do. We are pretty much "spur of the moment" campers. We plan some trips, but mostly about Wed or Thurs, we'll say "let's go camp at..... this weekend" and we'll go.

Anyway, we'll just try to hit that next weekend - May 21st at Nat Tunnel and if we can all go, it'll be great.

happycamper, you able to go that weekend? Anyone else?