Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp
We don’t think it should be. Every campground should hold some sites for whoever drives up.Tell your representative →
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 14 of the next 14 nights read 16:15 UTC
- A night
- $20–$40Across the site types the agency prices
- Sites
- 40All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 13 notices
In the agency’s own words
Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and welcomes visitors to enjoy the rustic and peaceful getaway. Easy access from the interstate and close proximity to historic Lexington and the Natural Bridge State Park make Cave Mountain Lake an ideal destination. Keep reading
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, trout stamp and National Forest stamp 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. The Wildcat Trail starts above campsites #41-42, climbs the mountain, then loops back to the campground above the volunteer host site in the upper camping loop. Visitors may also enjoy a day hike or backpacking trip on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, in the James River Face Wilderness, or in the Thunder Ridge Wilderness.
Facilities
Cave Mountain Lake offers 41 reservable campsites at this time. Amenities at each campsite include a picnic table, lantern post and campfire ring with grill. Flush toilets and water spigots are located throughout the campground. There is a bathhouse with warm water showers located across the road from Campsite #20. Each campsite can accommodate up to 8 people per site. Campsite #41-42 is considered a double campsite with space to accommodate up to 12 people. All camping requires a reservation prior to arriving. Campsites can be reserved via Recreation.gov or 1-877-444-6777. No first-come, first-serve sites.
Natural Features
Cave Mountain Lake covers seven acres and was built in the late 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps, using existing buttresses of natural rock to form a 35-foot dam. A grassy field extends from the lake's sandy beach to forested hills that paint a scenic backdrop.
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 Virginia 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. Contact Info This location has limited staffing. Please call (540) 291-2188 for general information.
What the agency tells you
All campsites are by Reservation ONLY. Reservations must be made online at Rec.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777
Bears and other wildlife frequent the area; keep all food stored in approved containers or locked inside your vehicle. Violators are subject to a fine.
No electric, water or sewer hookups available.
Everything else this campground posts · 10
Main gate closes at 10:00 PM, re-opens at 6:00 AM.
Maximum of two dogs allowed per site. Dogs must be leashed at all times on a leash no longer than 6 feet.
No alcohol allowed in beach, picnic, swimming or parking areas.
Day-use visitors and visitors of camping guests must pay the appropriate day-use fee.
Click here for more information on George Washington and Jefferson National Forests
Don't Move Firewood: Help protect our forests! Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. Moving firewood is illegal in some states. Visit dontmovefirewood.org to learn more.
Cell phone coverage is not reliable.
Generators are not permitted to run between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM and are subject to noise restrictions during all other hours.
Only kayaks and paddleboards are permitted on the lake and only outside of the designated swimming area. No motorized craft (gas or electric) of any kind are permitted.
Check in time for campsites is 1:00 PM and check out time is 11:00 AM.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 40
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 55 ft
- Accessible sites
- 1
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets
- FLUSH TOILETS (SEASONAL) on 40 of 40 campsite records
- Drinking water
- Yes
- DRINKING WATER (PEAK SEASON) on 40 of 40 campsite records
- Dump station
- Yes
- recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
- Camp host
- On site
- recreation.gov lists “Host”
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River, Beach
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Swimming
- Wildlife viewing
- Night sky · 22nd darkest of 88 in VA
- Bortle 4
- Fall color · reported 10 days ago, 27 km away
- Patchy color
Full this Saturdayread 16:15 UTC
How full the weekend is nationally.
3 campgrounds have sites open within 30 miles, read 16:38 UTC. See them
OpenBooked
Every one of the 40 sites on offer is taken this Saturday. 33 are free on Tue, Oct 20. read 16:15 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t
Watch for a cancellation
Watch this campground
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 13
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rates for this season, $20–$40 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
Open within 30 miles this weekend · 3
Sites the agency is offering this Friday and Saturday that nobody has taken, nearest first. read 16:38 UTC
- Peaks of Otter CampgroundBlue Ridge Parkway · 9.9 mi · 8 of 106 site-nights open
- Otter Creek CampgroundBlue Ridge Parkway · 11 mi · 22 of 128 site-nights open
- Craig Creek Recreation AreaGeorge Washington & Jefferson National Forest · 25 mi · 1 of 1 site-night open
recreation.gov availability, read 16:15 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
40 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 27 mapped sitesAll 40 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 40 of the 40 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| B | 028 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | $20–$40 | |||
| B | 029 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | $20–$40 | |||
| B | 030 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | $20–$40 | |||
| B | 031 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | $20–$40 | |||
| B | 032 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | $20–$40 | |||
| B | 033 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | $20–$40 | |||
| B | 034 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | $20–$40 | |||
| B | 035 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | $20–$40 | |||
| B | 036 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | $20–$40 | |||
| B | 037 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | $20–$40 | |||
| B | 038 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | $20–$40 | |||
| B | 039 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | $20–$40 | |||
| B | 040 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | $20–$40 | |||
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 001 | standard nonelectric | 55 ft | 55 ft | 67 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 002 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 64 ft | 19 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 003 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 67 ft | 98 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 004 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 54 ft | 125 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 005 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 64 ft | 42 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 006 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | yes | 54 ft | 132 ftBack Run | $20–$40 |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 007 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 45 ft | 48 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 008 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 45 ft | 54 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 009 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 61 ft | 137 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 010 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 59 ft | 140 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 011 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 48 ft | 68 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 012 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 49 ft | 61 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 013 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 59 ft | 137 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 014 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 62 ft | 153 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 015 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | 49 ft | 66 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 016 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 67 ft | 121 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 017 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 68 ft | 43 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 018 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 133 ft | 16 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 020 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 97 ft | 54 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 021 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 65 ft | 136 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 022 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 65 ft | 175 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 023 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 72 ft | 98 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 024 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 63 ft | 98 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 025 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 63 ft | 228 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 026 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 55 ft | 89 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 027 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 63 ft | 200 ftBack Run | $20–$40 | |
| CAVE MOUNTAIN LAKE FAMILY CAMP | 041-042 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 504 ft | 136 ftBack Run | $20–$40 |
OpenStreetMap has no toilet mapped within 1 km of this campground, so no site here carries a toilet distance. That’s a gap in the map, not a finding about the campground.
25 of 40 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Cave Mountain Lake Group CampJefferson National Forest · 0.0 mi
Hopper Creek Group CampJefferson National Forest · 1.8 miNorth CreekJefferson National Forest · 3.7 mi
Peaks of Otter CampgroundBlue Ridge Parkway · 9.9 mi
Otter Creek CampgroundBlue Ridge Parkway · 11 mi
Craig Creek Recreation Area25 miFrom I- 81 North, take Exit 175 just south of Natural Bridge. Go north on U.S. Highway 11. Turn right at the Natural Bridge parking lot onto Route 130 East. Continue for approximately 4 miles to Natural Bridge Station. Turn right onto State Route 759 and continue for about 3 miles, then turn right again onto State Route 781. Turn left into the recreation area, then bear left at the Y intersection and continue into the campground.
From I-81 South, take exit 180 (left exit) and continue south to Natural Bridge. Turn left onto Route 130 East and continue following the above directions.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Glasgow, VA
Typical weather
Typical October night 47°F, day 68°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 27°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it · a letter you can send
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp is in Virginia’s 6th congressional district. Its representative, Ben Cline (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →
Who can change it · 3
Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.
- The member who votes the moneyBen ClineU.S. Representative · Virginia’s 6th district
- Your senator, on the same appropriationMark R. WarnerU.S. Senator · Virginia
- Your senator, on the same appropriationTim KaineU.S. Senator · Virginia
Read the draft, or change the wording
For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp, Jefferson National Forest, Virginia
Dear Ben Cline, I’m a constituent in Virginia’s 6th district. I tried to camp at Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp, Jefferson National Forest, Virginia, and couldn’t. All 40 sites at Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 40 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp. I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp (Jefferson National Forest, Virginia) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp, Jefferson National Forest, Virginia
Dear Mark R. Warner, I’m a constituent in Virginia. I tried to camp at Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp, Jefferson National Forest, Virginia, and couldn’t. All 40 sites at Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 40 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp. I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp (Jefferson National Forest, Virginia) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp, Jefferson National Forest, Virginia
Dear Tim Kaine, I’m a constituent in Virginia. I tried to camp at Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp, Jefferson National Forest, Virginia, and couldn’t. All 40 sites at Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 40 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp. I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Cave Mountain Lake Family Camp (Jefferson National Forest, Virginia) via campanac.com