This was our first trip here. I had read mixed reviews about the campground but decided to take a chance. We found it to be a nice campground and the staff was nice also. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We stayed here over Labor Day Weekend 2008. The campground was terrible, the roads were great need of repair, the grass hadn't been mowed for weeks, they charged for showers. The campground had workkampers employed, that must of not been allowed to work fror any other campgrounds the were terrible, noisy, and tried to control everything. The management was non responsive to any anything. Would never stay here again or would I recomend it to anyone We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Small park. The sewer was in the middle which was a stretch for our rear connection. The staff was friendly and during a propane refill the owner cautioned of the bugs clogging up exhaust (refer, Hot water heater). The 30A site (pull though) was level. Pay showers were a first for us. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
I stayed at The Shenandoah Hills Campground cabin and cannot say enough about it. Clean, cool and comfy. I have read many reviews about the campground and was a little confused... Have you people ever wondered why the owners put so many rules into effect??? It's due to the constant abuse of the campground and it's surroundings. Putting a deposit on the gate key encourages campers to turn it in. As far as chopping down trees there are trees that are protected in the forest and should not be cut down... this rule eliminates that abuse. Should I go on... As far as the pay showers... these help cut down the waste of water that would otherwise go on - not to mention I am 38 years old and the campground I grew up camping at as a child also had them... I had a great time... Lots to do in the area and the owners were so helpful to us in finding it all. I can't wait to go back with my three children. They also had the time of their lives and want to go there every summer. We camped here in a Campground Cabin.
I don't know how this campground earned 4 stars from Woodalls. Convenient to Rt. 29. One loop with sites right next to each other. The woman who checked us in was a sourpuss. We had planned to stay two nights but just didn't feel comfortable. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Did not find other folks comments. We found a quiet, clean campground. Owners do have rules they won't bend, but there is a reason for every rule. If you ask them why they do things, they will tell you. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
The campground had a real stench in our campsite area. We Later found it was coming from the Bath Houses! Yes, it was so bad, that it could be smelled outside and down from the sites. They have TONS of Goofy Rules, and make you read them upon check in. They provided FREE WiFi, but charge you for basic Cable. Some people where asked if they wanted it, others where not. Don't even ask me why they need a gate key system for this campground, I guess they hope you forget to return the card for the Deposit. Also, they provide clean up bags for the dog owners, but no trash cans to deposit them into. So everywhere to go on the trails, they are scattered around on the ground. We will NOT be visiting this Campground Again! We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This is a quiet place with a very nice pool, clean bathrooms and shady sites. We did not run into any rude people. This is a nice place to go if you are looking for a relaxing place with not much to do. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Two inlaws, wife, and 4 year old stayed here during a local wine festival. The owners were very nice. The camp store stocks Bison. We did not have the same problems that the other posts had. Sites had plenty of room. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We stayed for 3 mos, so paid the lower monthly rate plus electric. Park has many shade trees and has been quiet. Quite a few seasonal spots and a few fulltimers, like us. Nice pool, nice playground on site. We didn't experience the rudeness of other posters. We are used to paying extra fees and didn't find anything unreasonable at all. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This camping experience was not good. It was a shame that my kids had to witness rude people, and have the feeling of being watched every move we made. From walking in the door to check in to checking out was a challenging experience. Every question that was asked of them was answered in a harsh tone or they snapped your heads off. They rode around in a golf cart and monitored every move that was made by all 18 of us that were camping there. I rented a cabin which was really pretty inside, and was give a very small heater, which the lady told me we would be hot with it on. It was 42 degrees when we got there and it was raining. The heater was doing nothing. It was freezing in that place. We drove to the nearest Target and bought a heater and that immediately warmed the place up. The bath house was just disgusting. It was very old and not heated. You had to pay 50 cents to take a shower. I am happy that the group that I went with made our stay enjoyable because the people that owned/ran the place were nasty and rude. We will never go back there again and I recommend anyone considering going there not to. I feel it's more for older people to camp that are quiet and stay in their campers most of the time. It was Halloween weekend and they had very poor activities, plus you had to pay for everything that you did. Never again. We camped here in a Campground Cabin.
Review Rating
[ 1 / 10 ]
October 2006
$36
This was the most horrible campground I have ever been to!!! We had a group of 27 people (including an infant) which consisted of four campers and 2 cabins. As we all arrived and checked in each one of us was treated very rudely by the two ederly women at the registration desk. One of our members asked if the campground office offered discount tickets to the local attraction "Luray Caverns". The response we got was "That is something you should have requested earlier, not something you ask for now. You should have requested discount tickets before coming." I felt this was a very rude and unfriendly comment to respond with. When I challenged her response and asked how would we know to ask ahead of time if you didn't offer it to us over the phone when we reserved our campsite, she responded with "We don't have discount tickets, you need to call Lurray and make arrangements with them". What topped their rude and impolite service was the campground workers communication with us the following day. We were all unloading the items we brought since the rain had moved out. Our friend who was camping next to us brought their fire ring over to our campsite. We placed the fire rings side by side and poured charcoal in them. As we waited for the charcoal to get hot we stacked our fire wood (at a distance) in a U shape around the fire rings to block the wind. I noticed that there was a campground worker (elderly woman) watching us from the pavilion near by. She was watching us closely. Our wood stack kept falling in toward the fire ring, so we walked the wooded area looking for large stones and found some old cinder blocks partly covered with dirt. We carried 4 cinder blocks over and leaned them on the wood so it wouldn't fall. Next thing here comes a golf cart speeding up. An old man ask where the cinder blocks come from. We told him and said we would be putting them back. He left with no comment or acknowledgement. Next thing we know he returns on the speeding golf court with an elderly women. She gets off the court hands on her hip and demands to know "What is that?". Pointing at our U shaped stack of wood. We told her we were cooking meat with charcoal on the fire rings and were trying to block the wind. She again was rude and I finally spoke up and asked what was the problem, we are not breaking any rules. The old man and her both jumped out and said because you got the blocks out of the woods and you have two fire rings at this campsite. I replied back with the fact that we weren't hurting any thing and hadn't destroyed any thing and when large groups camp together they always cook in one spot and put things back before leaving. Needless to say they continued with their rude and impolite communication. I HAVE NEVER IN ALL MY CAMPING YEARS COME ACROSS A CAMPGROUND AND ITS WORKERS SO RUDE AND UNFRIENDLY. This is not a place I or my camping group will return to. There bathhouse is outdated and needs major renovation. They wanted $.50 for 5 minutes of water in the shower, $3.50 for small stack of wood, $10.00 for a pass card to get thru the gate. They gave you nothing. They didn't come thru and pick up the trash each day you had to cart it to a dumpster at the entrance of the campground. As a business you should want to make people return and not discourage them from returning. We felt like the moment we checked in we were being watched. It was as if the campground employees were on a steak out. Might be in the best interest of the campground if these ederly people retire and let someone else take over since they don't show an interest in serving the public that comes to them as a customer. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Worst campgrond my family has ever stayed in. Anti-children. Rates are based on 2 adults so that should tell you something. This campground is elderly owned and elderly run so children are not allowed to be children. Campground planned minimul activities over the 4th of july weekend and charged extra for every one. Pets are extra, each child is extra. Wi-Fi is not campground wide and very poor reception where you can get it. Pool was dirty allweekend and NEVER cleaned once in the 5 days we stayed there. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is a very pretty cg. We were there in the fall and it was beautiful and quiet. Only complaints were the bathrooms. They were clean but they really need updating. Charlottesville is about 20 minutes away and Monticello is close by. So is Shenandoah National Park. The owner gives out a list of resurants in the area. Do try the pizza place. I can't remember the name, its right down the street. I had the best Shrimp and Broccoli there. Do not try the Porpoise Cafe! It was horrible! We would defiantly go back to this cg. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
We had a very enjoyable time in the campground. The campground was clean and the people were friendly. My family enjoyed walking the trails, swimming in the pool and playing in the arcade. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Review Rating
[ 1 / 10 ]
August 2005
$75
This is THE WORST camping experience my husband and I have EVER had!! We choose this campground because it was a good half-way point to meet my mother-in-law and our youngest niece and they had what looked like nice cabins! My mother-in-law and niece arrived an hour or so before we did and went into the camp store - they were FORBIDDEN to enter the campground to even look at the cabin before we got there. In addition they were told it would be un-lawful for them to use the playground or pool while they waited for us since they were not registered guests. It was suggested that they meet somewhere off their property and all come back together. (All that mess to a 50-something lady and 10 year old little girl!) Well, when we got there we checked in and before we could do anything else a copy of our credit card was made (even though the number and expiration date was already in their computer system from my call for reservations). I got really uneasy when she made a copy of our credit card and I asked about it - I was told that they would hold a 200.00 deposit in case the cabin was not returned as we found it. I asked if it was necessary to have a copy of the card and she said it was and said that when we checked out if the cabin was found to be in good condition it would be shredded. Although, still uneasy I felt somewhat better. When we went to sign the bill I noticed that my mother-in-law and niece were being charged a separate rate EACH night as guests, even though the cabin is equipped for 4 people. I thought this was OUTRAGEOUS since we've NEVER been charged per person before! Anyhow, we paid our 10.00 fee for the gate pass and THOUGHT we were told to take both vehicles and unload them and then put the extra into the overflow lot, but apparently that was not the case. No sooner than we pulled both vehicles up to the cabin a gentleman on a golf cart threatened to have us removed if we didn't put one of them in the overflow lot immediatly. We were stunned. Soon after we were all discussing the lack of a fire ring at the campsite and were wondering if there was anywhere to build a fire - when all of a sudden the lady from the store pulls up in her golf cart and informs us that we can purchase wood from her and and build a fire in the gill - it was as if she had been listening to our conversation - it was quite strange! We did go with her back to the camp store where we purchased a tote full of wood for $3.50. She delivered it in her golf cart, which was the only kind thing she did the ENTIRE weekend. When we checked in we noticed the cabin was quite small, although on their website it was advertised as a 12x20. My mother-in-law whipped out her measuring tape and we measured - the actual cabin was only 12x12 with a 4 foot front porch (adding it all still only made it a 12x16) if you measured to the tip of the front step it was BARELY 12x20 - sounds like false advertising to me - but we all fit and we were pleased with the cabin itself, so we ignored the fact that we had been lied to about the size. On Saturday morning we were relaxing on the porch and I was reading over their rules and like a previous poster I must say MANY are unreasonable (no hachets? my husband NEVER camps without one) and the speed limit is a RIDICULOUS 9 1/2 miles per hour - make it 9 or 10 - but 9 1/2??? Anyhow, all was well friday evening and Saturday but it went WAY downhill on Sunday! My husband, niece, and I were relaxing at the pool when my sister-in-law pulled in. We had not been expecting her to join us until the following day, however she was able to get there a day early. We were all estatic to say the least - what a good suprise. Not knowing the visitor policy, we had her park in the overflow lot and took her to see the cabin and suprise her Mom. We had barely gotten to the gate when the woman yelled that my sister-in-law had not been registered as a guest and if she went through the gate would be trespassing. We were informed that it would be 3.00 for her to visit. We turned around and went to register her. In the mean time she dropped by her car and got a few of her things, so she could change and freshen up after a 6 hour drive. She handed the lady a 10.00 bill and the lady gave her 2.00 back - when questioned about it we were told that we were being charged 5.00 for her to use their pool, since she noticed my sister-in-law had a bathing suit with her. My sister-in-law said she didn't intend to swim, but layout and the woman told her if she had a suit she'd have to pay. When I mentioned that she would be staying the night I was informed that was IMPOSSIBLE. No reason was given and no options were given (rent another cabin, a tent site or the rental camper they have) there wasn't even an apology - just no She can NOT! We were informed that she could stay until 10PM and if she stayed any later she would be trespassing. When I mentioned that we all may have to leave she informed me that we would not get our last night's rent or our deposit back (a total of 285.00). We tried to make the best of a bad situation and enjoyed ourselves as best we could. At 10PM we walked my sister-in-law to her car and low and behold we were being watched. I have no doubt that had her car not been gone at 10:01 there would have been a deputy arresting her for trespassing. The next morning we were all fed up and couldn't wait to leave. We made sure the cabin was spick and span and marked off EVERYTHING on her checklist. When we arrived to check out a 10.00 bill was SHOVED In my face for the refund on the gate key. When I asked if she could inspect the cabin I was told she didn't do this and the lady who did was not there. I told her I'd like the copy of my credit card before I left or for her to shred it in front of me. She refused saying the cabin hadn't been checked and wouldn't be checked until after we left. I even offered to stay until she could check the cabin and she refused saying after we left she would check it and shred our credit card copy if all looked good. I told her I felt this was unacceptable and she told me she didn't care. My husband or I never once raised our voices and were as polite as we could be under the circumstances. We finally just gave in and went to head home. On the way out I turned to her and said Thank you for the weekend, and we do not plan to return - and her reply to me was "Good now GET OUT". DO NOT waste your time here! Family time is much too valuable to WASTE with these people! They are inhospitable and just plain RUDE! They have NO business dealing with the public and without the public they'd have NO business - DO NOT SUPPORT THESE NASTY PEOPLE! As of today they have not charged our credit card for anything we did or left undone, however should they choose to charge my card I will be disputing it. Please take this post to heart! We camped here in a .
Review Rating
[ 6 / 10 ]
March 2005
$32
I admit when I stayed here it was with some hesitation due to some of the posts. In making this post I will try and keep it factual. At check in I was asked for number in party and found children were billed at a separate rate from adults. When Sandy asked if the kids had bikes, I wondered why I was aasked such, but since we did not have any on this trip, it was not a concern. I was issued a card for the gate and charged $10 for it, refundable on return of card. First time I have stayed at a camp like this. After paying I was directed to a "pull through" site. Oddly enough, the site I was directed to was perhaps the only site I could NOT pull through. Fortunately the site beside was vacant and I was able to pull through it and then back into the one provided. At electrical hookup I noted the hookup had the usual 50 and 30 amp hookup, with a lock over the 50 amp connection. However, since I had no need for 50 amp and had paid for 30 amp, this too was not an issue. Since I had an unexpected visitor one night, I went to the office to pay for this. $5 seemed a bit steep but those are their rules. Since I stayed longer than originally planned, I went to pay and asked about the rate being charged and reminded Sandy we no longer had the guest, but I was still charged the extra $5. At final check out I asked for an itemized bill and was told it could not be done for some reason relating to the computer setup. I started querying further about the rates and finally Sandy acknowledged she had overcharged me, and did refund the overage. I found the park comfortable, clean & relatively quiet with what appear to be grounds improvement underway. That is the factual, non-human involvement report. I like to interact with people and develop a rapport, even if just for a short period of time. I also like to feel welcome. I felt none of this with Sandy, who I believe is one of the owners, but am not sure. Some could argue since it was clean and safe, they had done their job. I also felt I was at Stalag 13 with the gate and the impersonal approach to the customer. Sandy, if you or another rep from your campground read this, lighten up, smile at your customer and thank them for coming. Remember, we may need a place to stay for the night, but you need us to WANT to stay with you. You have a decent location with a clean, functioning campground. Make us feel welcome! I guess I can understand the gate system since some cheapskates feel it is ok to drive into a campground and then leave without paying, I don't like it though. Had there been better human interaction, I would have given this a high rating based on what I used here, keeping in mind I did not use every service. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Review Rating
[ 3 / 10 ]
September 2004
$35
Most unfriendly people at a campground I've run across in 35 years of camping. They charge you $10 for a card to get in and out of the place and watch every move you make as if you're a crook.The sites are close together, unlevel and other peoples stuff left there. Not clean in other words. I made two trips there,my first and last all in one. Will not go back and do not recommend it to anyone. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We had been coming to this campground for a couple of years for Labor Day because of the Fall Festival that was held in Madison. The last year we were at Shenandoah Hill Campground for Labor Day weekend was the worst weekend we have ever had. Like others have stated they wanted money for everything. We had another couple come for the first time and they had 2 dogs. One time the dogs got to barking at other dogs and the owners came zooming up in their golf cart within 2 minutes and started raising cane with the couple, they were saying very ugly things. The owners actually told them they were the worst family to ever camp there. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The owner told them if they didn't shut them dogs up he was going to kick them out of the campground with no refund. I WILL NEVER GO TO THIS CAMPGROUND AGAIN. What is very odd was we had to go to Indiana to get some work done on our camper and low and behold guess who comes out of the waiting area....yep the awful owner of the campground. He recognized us because of our camper and immediately came over to chat. We spoke and he said he was on his way back home with his camper and asked us to take some of his camping brochures inside and leave them on the counter in the waiting area for others to see. We said sure.....I walked in the waiting area and dropped the whole stack in the trashcan! The Better Business Bureau should look into this campground. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Sorry for the late review. Just found this web site. We camped here with friends. The owners seem unfriendly. We had trouble with campers around us smoking marijuana. Including some seasonal units. I went to owner he said nothing he could do about it. What a crock. We wont be back. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This is a campground that I would not recommend. Although I was greeted warmly when we arrived and given directions to the site with no problem, I thought it strange that we were charged per person and not as a family. Two people per site, children are extra (we have one 15 and one 2 yr old). Usually I am charged for a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children)for a site. We found the site and had no trouble getting set up. We did notice that the pull through sites were very "tight", but we were down near the end in the back in sites, which were a bit more spread out. We had about 30' between campers, which was no problem for us. On the first visit to the restroom is when I thought things were a bit "Out of Sort". There was a notice on the wall to the bath house that said "In order to conserve water we have installed Pay Showers". What a Farse, what they are doing is making their clients pay for something that should have been included in their daily rate. I have been to quite a few campgrounds in my life, ranging from disgusting to exemplary, and have never had to pay for taking a shower. The only place I have seen pay showers is at Truck Stops, and I can understand that (at least there they let the drivers shower for free if they buy $xx amount of fuel). I also was reading over the "CampGround Rules" and got to the banned items. I expected "No firearms and fireworks", but "No Hatchets, Axes or Saws allowed"? Is this a safey issue, or is it the owner trying to corner a firewood market? I don't think there will be many assults with a saw, just can't get the victim to stay still long enough. OK, I agree I am not going to go cutting trees down in their campground, but for those that don't know better, shouldn't this read "No cutting Trees for Firewood"??? I mean a hatchet is a standard camping tool, I see a hatchet and I think of camping. I guess I just don't like people telling me what I can and cannot have, call me a non-conformist. I also found it irritating that the staff drove around in a golf cart just after 12:00 each day to gather firewood left on the sites. I try to be considerate to the next camper and if I have any wood left over, will leave it on the site for them rather than drag that weight back with me. I don't do
this so the owner can come by and resell the wood over and over, or do the same with wood I bring with me. Well between these and the 2 times I needed to go to the office/store, I have to say that the staff is not the most pleasent I have seen. These were not confrontational or any kind of comments to be unpleasant. Just trying to buy firewood, and checking out. The staff had an attitude that I just found irritating. When I check out almost felt like they were scolding me as a child for not meeting checkout time. I knew checkout time was 12:00, and we decided not to rush to leave. We were staying past check out time, and we were aware that there was a late fee involved. I was willing and offered to pay the late fee before they even mentioned it at the desk, and was asked twice if I knew that checkout was at 12:00. I think the lady just could not beleive I was not ashamed of myself for not meeting their 12:00 time frame. All in all, The next time we go camping in that area, we will be trying other campgrounds. My recommendation is to avoid this place and try the other camp grounds in the area. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 7 / 10 ]
2004
$30
The owners were friendly, and seemed willing to help with info and directions to the surrounding attractions (Graves Mountain, Lurray Caverns, ect). The park looked to be well kept and security drove the campground quite frequently. There was little recreation in the park, although it did have a tennis court, pool, gameroom, and small playground. The hiking trail lacks in the hiking department but made for a nice stroll in the cool morning air. The campground is about a 25 to 30 minute drive from Skyline Drive and would be probably a better stay during the fall with the color change, but overall it was a nice secluded weekend getaway. I did make the mistake of not bringing my own firewood, and ended up buying ($3.50) a recycle box full of rotten wood that went up like gunpowder (lesson learned). Overall we enjoyed our stay, and will probably come back again in the fall. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 3 / 10 ]
2003
$38
Shenandoah Hills Campground is not the place you would expect it to be. Besides having to
pay 50 cents for hot water in their coin operated showers (with no way of getting change for the machine) I was also charged $20.00 on my charge card for leaving wood on the campsite. The wood they refered to was a couple of sticks left over form the night before that I used in the grill. The grill was the only place we could have a camp fire, due to there being no fire ring allowed at the cabin site and this information was not disclosed to me untill we got there. Had I have known what type of campground this was I would have stayed somewhere else, I am writing this to inform others of my misfortune so as their camping trips will be more enjoyable if they do not stay here. We camped here in a Campground Cabins.
Review Rating
[ 3 / 10 ]
2003
$28
This was our 4th visit to this campground and we will not be returning. The facilities are fairly well maintained, but the owners are quite inhospitable. This particular weekend was very quiet and we had some friends visiting for supper. We let the owners know when they would be arriving and asked that their visitor's fee ($3.00 per person) be deducted from our gate key deposit. The owner agreed. Upon arrival, our 2 guests were told to park at the camp store and hike into the campground. One of our guests is recovering from cancer and we didn't realize that guests were not allowed to drive vehicles to the campsite. The person staffing the desk was very disagreeable and our guests were very surprised at the treatment they received. We were purely embarrassed. The next morning I went to the showers and found that 5 minutes of hot water would require 2 quarters - my wife and I have been RV'ing for 5 years now and this was our first encounter with pay showers. Upon departure, the owner was fairly civil until I stated that we would not be back. Rather inquire as to the reason, she opted to become insulting and quite loud. We strongly recommend avoiding this campground. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Review Rating
[ 8 / 10 ]
2003
$28
This is a small quiet campground that's good for a quiet weekend. They have a pool and rec. room with a few games for the kids. Not much else to do for the kids. Shaded level sites. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 6 / 10 ]
2002
$25
We started camping at Shenandoah Hills a couple of weeks after the current owners bought the
campground in 2000. It is nicely laid out and we enjoyed going there, meeting friends and just relaxing. However, in 2002, we noticed a change in atmosphere at the campground, with the owners and a couple of the seasonals. On one trip, a camping group was complaining that their campsites were moved around in order to accommodate a couple of units (not with the group) who made last minute reservations. On another trip, the owner confronted me about a barking dog, thinking my two month old puppy was the source. While talking, when the bark occurred a couple of sites down from us, he left without apologizing. They also have a rule that taking wood out of the forest will be cause for dismissal from the campground. I can understand that for live trees, but dead wood? We haven't gone back since 2002 and would recommend going over the mountains and camping in Luray at either the Yogi Bear Jellystone Park or the Country Waye We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 8 / 10 ]
2002
$27
Very nice small family type of campground about 30 min. north of Charlotsville. Very clean and very well maintained. Some seasonals but all where well maintained. The owners really do care about their campground and it shows. Very nice people to talk to. I would give it a higher rating but for me to do that they would need a pond or small lake for some fishing. We would go back again. We camped here in a Motorhome.