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07-15-2011, 11:32 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 140
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Loft Mountain campground, Shenandoah NP, Virginia
Has anyone been to this campground and if so what can you tell me about it? We have reservations for the middle of October 2011. Three couples and seven children; are there things for kids to do. We plan on hiking and enjoying the fall scenery for the most part. One big concern was the potential for generator noise. Look forward to your replies.
V/r,
Dave
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07-15-2011, 11:44 AM
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#2
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Shenandoah Valley of Virginia
Posts: 9,280
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If you don't want generator noise, there are 2 no-generator areas. All of F Loop, and about 1/2 of G Loop.
Things for kids to do ?? No pool or game room. They will have to settle on riding their bikes, walking, playing the woods, and looking at critters. Is that necessarily a bad thing ??
It is a great campground. Many sites have their little isolated area for the fire-pit and and picnic table. We were there 2 weekends ago, and it is a nice little get-away for us for a weekend trip.
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Chap , DW Joy, and Fur Baby Sango
2017 F350 Lariat CCSB, SRW, 4x4, 6.7 PS
2017 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS
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07-15-2011, 02:24 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 140
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Sounds good, thanks for the reply. How far is it from where you live?
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07-15-2011, 02:33 PM
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#4
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Shenandoah Valley of Virginia
Posts: 9,280
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35 miles by road, 15 miles as the crow flies.
I just bicycled up to Loft Mtn. from the Swift Run Gap entrance station this morning......about 30 miles round trip.
__________________
Chap , DW Joy, and Fur Baby Sango
2017 F350 Lariat CCSB, SRW, 4x4, 6.7 PS
2017 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS
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07-15-2011, 03:16 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 140
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That must have been a nice ride today, what was the temperature up there?
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07-15-2011, 03:20 PM
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#6
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Shenandoah Valley of Virginia
Posts: 9,280
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drs244
That must have been a nice ride today, what was the temperature up there?
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I am guessing that the temperatures were in the mid 50s to probably around the mid 60s by the end of the ride.
Beware, that the temperatures on to of the mountain run about 10 degrees cooler than the valley and foothills.
__________________
Chap , DW Joy, and Fur Baby Sango
2017 F350 Lariat CCSB, SRW, 4x4, 6.7 PS
2017 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS
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07-15-2011, 03:34 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 140
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OK, I'm jealous, been stuck in the basement of a government building all day in Washington DC.
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07-15-2011, 07:17 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 122
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drs244 - we've been to Loft Mountain three times and made reservations today to go again Labor Day weekend. We have found that the campsites are nice (grassy & lots of shade), but driveway to park camper on is either short or the pull-throughs have a sharp bend so we usually have to back in (our TT is 27' long). It takes us approximately three hours (plus or minus) to get there. We take I-95 S to Fredicksburg, highway 3 to highway 29 to highway 33 to Skyline Drive. Incline on highway 33 to Skyline Drive is not as steep or as long as the one on highway 211 approaching Skyline Drive. (We live just outside the beltway at Alexandria.) Have a safe trip and enjoy your time at Loft Mountain. The Appalatian Trail runs alongside the campground and there is a hiking trail that starts at the entrance to the campground. There are deer, chipmunks, squirrels and rabbits in the park and once we saw a black bear with two cubs at the entrance.
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07-16-2011, 06:09 AM
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#9
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Shenandoah Valley of Virginia
Posts: 9,280
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I-495 to I-66 to Rt. 29 to Rt 33 might be a better and quicker route. Of if you want to spend a bunch of time with a more scenic route, I-66 to Front Royal, and get on the Drive there......about 80 miles of beautiful scenery on the Drive.
__________________
Chap , DW Joy, and Fur Baby Sango
2017 F350 Lariat CCSB, SRW, 4x4, 6.7 PS
2017 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS
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07-16-2011, 06:47 AM
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#10
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 10,525
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We've been to Loft Mtn twice and I can't add much but this....
The campground tends to be busier on weekends.
Mid week in mid October might be nice and quiet or not because we've
never gone when the trees were turning colors.
In June mid week would be very NOT crowded!
Even if you are on a generator free loop the loop next to you might allow
generators but we've not found them to be a problem so far.
Don't know why anyone would want a generator in October but some
folks do seem to run them "just because they can".
IMO the bathroom vent fans make more noise than some generators.
We also give this camp ground a big thumbs up.
One more activity-- star gazing from the front not-used loop is awesome!
Bring a star map and point out some constellations to your kids!!
If you have kids a visit to the visitor center at Big Meadows is mandatory.
There are many things to see and do there.
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Peace!
Dan & Rita D
2017 Nissan Titan 5.6L King cab 4wd
2016 Evergreen Everlite 242RBS
29' empty nest model. Blue Ox WD hitch
(1 queen bed, large main cabin and huge bathroom)
Camping days 2010-53, 2011-47, 2012-41, 2013-41, 2014-31, 2015-40, 2016-44, 2017-63, 2018-75, 2019-32, 2020-41, 2021-49, 2022-43, 2023-66
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07-17-2011, 12:22 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 140
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I love this forum.
Thanks to all that have added comments to my post. Sounds like we made a good choice in campgrounds.
Dave
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07-18-2011, 09:21 PM
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#12
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 29
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When we used to have the 21' TT, we used to go ther a lot because we knew we could always find a site somewhere. Now that we have a 38' fiver, we have to be a little more selective on our sites and don't get to go as much. It is a long drive for us to get there on a Friday night and not find a suitable site if we do not have reservations. Even so, it is still one of our favorite campgrounds.
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07-19-2011, 09:13 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 140
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Pinesman,
Thanks for the information. My TT is roughly 24" closed and I'm not sure the open length but we should be good to go. I called and the park office suggested a space that will accommodate up to 35 feet.
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07-19-2011, 10:12 AM
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#14
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Shenandoah Valley of Virginia
Posts: 9,280
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drs244
Pinesman,
Thanks for the information. My TT is roughly 24" closed and I'm not sure the open length but we should be good to go. I called and the park office suggested a space that will accommodate up to 35 feet.
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Which site do you have reserved. I may be able to reach back into my memory and tell you whether it would work for a 24' camper. If not, I will probably be back to Loft Mtn. before October, and tell you what the site looks like.
My 28.5' camper will fit in many of the sites there. I did try to squeeze it into a site I used for my Trailmanor, and thought I would never get out of that bind. :-)
Some of the sites are not very level, front to back, leaving you with the tongue way up in the air, of not being able to get the tongue low enough. I visited a couple of friends camping there over the weekend, and they could not get their 32' Class A level front to back without lifting the rear tires off of the ground......a big no-no driveables.
__________________
Chap , DW Joy, and Fur Baby Sango
2017 F350 Lariat CCSB, SRW, 4x4, 6.7 PS
2017 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS
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08-23-2011, 03:18 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 140
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We drove by Loft Mt. (Beautiful campground indeed) last night on the way back from Jelly Stone (Natural Bridge). A lot of the sites are not level and some have very sharp curves in the driveways. We did find several that will work just fine and made note of the good ones. We pulled into one only to discover we couldn't get all the way through because of one stinking tree and had to back out in the dark. That was anything but fun when you can't see what's behind you. Saw lots of deer, squirrels, rabbits, birds and smelled several skunks. Didn't see any bears but the ranger told us that this summer has been really good for seeing them around the campground.
It was a good thing we stopped into look at the sites because as most have pointed out, not all sites will accommodate all TTs. I have to remember to bring cinder blocks or wood to level front to back and shorten the distance for the stab jacks.
Thanks to all for the suggestions.
Dave
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