CP Campground Review – Glen Maury Park, Buena Vista, VA

May 30, 2017 by libertatemamo 3 Comments

A very basic city campground in a great location to explore Blue Ridge Parkway by Buena Vista VA. Passport America discount makes it a solid deal.

Link to campground here: Glen Maury Park, Buena Vista, VA
Link to map location here: Glen Maury Park, Buena Vista, VA

1. Site Quality = 2/5
   This is a very basic campground with so-so sites. Everything is first-come-first-serve here (no reservations taken) and there is space for up to 350 campers, so there is A LOT of availability for anyone traveling through. However it’s also a popular rally spot, and when rallies are on the lower campground can get packed with awning-to-awning RVs so be sure to call ahead and check the event schedule before you come. There are 2 separate camping areas, lower and upper, which are very different in feel and accessibility:
   1. Lower Camping Area (Rally Field) – This is basically a big, open, grassy field with a select number of water/electric (mostly 30A) hookups. It’s the main rally field (where rallies/events are held) and it is also the only area suitable for big rigs. There is no shade here and no “defined” sites, so you simply choose a spot and park on the open field next to a power pedestal (if one is available). The ground is quite unlevel in spots, but it is fairly hard so even though you are parking on grass you shouldn’t sink in (we had 3 solid days of rain and didn’t sink). The bonus here is that there is plenty of space for literally any-sized rig, plus several of the sites have lovely views of the river along the back.  The biggest negative is the lack of defined individual  space. Each electric pedestal can accommodate 2 RV’s so as the park fills up you’ll have 2 RV’s side-by-side around each of the hookups. Plus during even fuller times (e.g. rallies) you can dry camp between pedestals too, so sometimes RV’s will park in circles or squeeze in-between others. It can get very tight indeed! When the park is empty you’ll have tons of open space to yourself, but when it’s full you can feel a tad trapped.
   2. Upper Camping Area – This is more like a regular “campground” with 52 individual sites, 22 of which offer full hookups (W/E/S). The entire camping area is very shaded & forested and sites are all gravel, mostly back-in, with a few pull-throughs. Many sites are very unlevel (some grossly so), but a few are actually quite nice and spacious, and all have decent “sitting areas” with picnic table.  The biggest negative is that the main road thro’ camp is very tight, steep and forested so it is *not* recommended for bigger rigs. We might be able to squeeze the beast thro’ here, but I wouldn’t really feel comfortable doing it. I’d recommend this for rigs under 30-ft only.
2.  Facilities = 2.5/5
   OK facilities here. There are bath houses with flush toilets and walk-in showers. The main dings are that several of the showers have nowhere to put your clothing, plus I was not able to get any warm water at all (Paul said he got some in the men’s). Also the facilities on the womens side were dated and not exactly clean while we were there (Paul said the men’s side was fine). On positive side there is free WiFi here and except for the week-end (when the park was full) it was totally usable!! On-site dump station and water.
3. Location = 5/5
   Location is really the best thing about this park. You are right next to the town of Buena Vista which has a decent selection of amenities (laundromat, grocery, eateries), plus you’re literally right at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains (you can be on the parkway within 15 mins of your RV!). Also nearby Lexington is a cool University town with lots of breweries, eateries and shopping. Lastly you are only ~20 minutes from Natural Bridge State Park which is a wonderful place to visit! Glen Maury park itself is also quite lovely with over 315 acres of open space including an Olympic size swimming pool, tennis courts, baseball field, historic house, playgrounds (several), skate park and even a next-door golf course. LOTS to do right in camp!
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Great place for doggie. Lots of space in camp, plus plenty (masses) of open field and trails to walk around the park. Polly loved walking hanging outside the RV in the grass and walking in the fields here.

Overall Rating = 3.6
BONUS ALERT = Camp minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway!

Video Overview: Want to see it in living color? Check out our ~11 min overview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wEj99v9IWM

Summary: We chose this park as our base to explore the Blue Ridge Parkway around Buena Vista VA and for that purpose it worked out beautifully. It’s a HUGE park (over 315 acres of space!) in a great location, just minutes from the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. LOTS to see and do here both in the park itself (which has several on-site playgrounds, skate park, tennis courts, baseball field, Olympic size swimming pool, trails and views) and in the surrounding area (Natural Bridge State Park, Lexington, the Blue Ridge Parkway). The camping itself is so-so. There are 2 main camping areas, a lower area which is really just a big, grassy field with a few W/E hookups, and an upper area which is more like a regular campground with 52 individual sites, 22 of which offer full hookups (W/E/S). The lower area is the ONLY area suitable for big rigs and can literally accommodate any-sized rig, but it’s a very “open” arrangement with no shade and no defined sites so if the park gets full (e.g. during rallies) RVs will literally be parked awning-to-awning everywhere in the field. On the other hand when the park is empty you’ll have tons of space to call your own, plus the sites overlooking the river have a lovely river view out the back. The upper area is very forested and has some decent sites, but many are rather unlevel and the main road through camp is very tight, forested and steep. So it is best-suited to smaller rigs. We loved the easy accessibility of this park (no reservations taken, so just drive in) and while it was empty we really enjoyed our grassy, relaxed space overlooking the river. Plus we were happily surprised by the free WiFi which worked really well during the week. The main dings were the dated (and cold showers) and the week-end when a rally came in. RV’s crowded in all around us and the lack of defined space on the field meant it got a tad tight. But overall we are very happy we came. It’s a lovely park (space-wise) and a great location to explore the area. Plus the dog loved the big open fields and with the Passport America discount price it was a solid deal. I wouldn’t want to come here again during a rally (I definitely recommend calling ahead to check the event schedule), but otherwise it’s a very pleasant, basic little park to stop and explore a beautiful area of VA.

Extra Info:  FREE on-site WiFi and except for the week-end (when the park was full) it worked wonderfully! Good, reliable cell signal (2-3 bars Verizon LTE, 2 bars ATT LTE). NO (zero) T-Mobile however. Up to 350 sites all first-come-first-serve (no reservations). Water/electric sites cost $27/night (off-season) or $32/night (high season. FHU sites (upper camping area only) cost $30/night (off-season) or $35/night (high season). Passport America is offered and reduces costs to $17.50 (valid for 3 nights only). On-site dump station and water.