Hickory Ridge Campground

MOUTH OF WILSON-------Grayson Highlands State Park
Hickory Ridge Campground (owned by the state) - Stayed here the first weekend of October which is a great time to see the leaves starting to change. You check in at the park gate and the campground is located 2 miles or so on top of the mountain. Book early - I reserved at the beginning of Sept and there were only 2 spots left. There are some specific sites you can reserve in advance and then the tent sites are reserved but unassigned. So once you check in they tell you to grab whatever tent site is not occupied. About 73 sites there (32 standard and 41 electric). There is a great camp store at the campground and the camp host drives around in a gator to sell/deliver firewood and ice. The camp store also has rec equipment (horseshoes, hula hoops, volleyballs, etc.) that you can check out for free. There is a large meadow with swings to play in and great climbing trees. Also a volleyball court. Most sites are wooded and offer some privacy except loop 1 - 11. The bathhouse up by the dump station seemed more updated and had separate, private shower rooms which were nice. There is a dish sink located there as well.
A must do in the area is to bike the VA Creeper Trail. We started at Whitetop and then took the shuttle back up from Damascus. This is recommended since the Park is closer to Whitetop. Sites I noted: Tent sites - 6,12,13,15,50,52,54,58,59 Hookup sites - 22,28,45,47,60,63,66 (by field), 69,71 and 32-44 was a nice private lane. They have also started construction on some yurts that can be rented (sites 51,53,55). I should also mention there is a horse camp on top of the mountain at a different location (42 sites there) that I did not check out. Please note: cell service was pretty much non-existent.

wild ponies in the field every day. Nice sites, clean showers and restroom. Spectacular waterfalls on the Wilson creek hike. Leave from the campground. A bit rough but we'll worth it. Great distance views, hike the AT. Just a lovely place. Not crowded during the week. Not a lot of wildlife but it was hunting season and the game is on.

Parked and hiked in. The trail meets up with the AT and has some great views!

We stayed in July and were a little concerned having a site without much shade. Was not an issue at all since the temperatures were in the low 70's during the day. The park is a beautiful place and hiking up to the AT from inside the park was pretty awesome. The scenery is not like being in the southern Appalachians. If you are lucky you will get to see the wild ponies. The Virginia Creeper is also near by and was a great way to get the bikes out.
The campground was pretty quiet. Sites were not too close, but close enough for our kids and the neighbor kids to play. The playground was just a couple of swings, but there is a decent sized field around it for them to run around. The camphosts were very good and accessible.
A couple things to keep in mind if planning on visiting. The roads to get there are steep and windy. If you are pulling a trailer that gives your tow vehicle a workout, it's going to be slow going. There are also no grocery stores near by. Be sure to stock up with what you need way in advance. That includes gas! It's about an hour ride to Damascus where supplies are at.

Small campsites with little separation on top of mountain, nice park with lots of hiking and wild ponies

I recommend a visit here, even if you're not staying. The trails were great (don't miss Wilson Creek and the quick Pinnacles trails) and there's such a variety of things to do. We didn't see ponies, but we didn't really look for them. Ask the staff if you're particularly interested, they're happy to guide you.

Our site was a non-specific reservation in Hickory so we got to pick it out in person. This is a good way to go if you are in an RV - - many sites would have been a challenge for us. We chose a pull thru but it was a leveling test. One thing I will say is there is quite a variety of sites .. each has it's own "personality". They were also in the process of building yurts in the Hickory Campground. The sites didn't seem too close but you will have neighbors.

The staff was friendly and helpful. There's a small store for essentials and souvenirs at the campground entrance. They also have a phone. This is important to know.. ATT cell coverage is non-existent and that includes west to Damascus and all of hwy 58 until about two miles from Abingdon.

Pro tip: You can pick up Damascus' free wifi in front of the fire station if you're willing to drive the half hour there.

My only disappointment was the condition of the bike trails. This may be due to the crazy rain that fell in mid-May 2018. The longest was un-ridable for us and it seemed they were all poorly marked.

We really enjoyed this park and will be back to hike up Mt Rogers.

Great location and site. No issues. Cell service only available on lower loop. Water and electric only.

We camped for 3 nights in an electric/water site. Our site was narrow and a little difficult to get our camper level in as were most of the sites near us. The campground has an older feel compared to many other Virginia state park campgrounds where more more "groomed" and actually that is one of the charms of this campground. It feels like camping and not as much "glamping."

The state park is at about 5,000 feet above sea level which makes temperatures lower than in lower elevations. We camped for 3 days in daytime temps in the 40s-50s and basically inside a cloud in mid-June. So bring layers of warm clothes and rain gear. The higher elevation also brings with it twisty, winding, steep roads to get to the park. This is not a park to visit if your tow vehicle struggles up or down steep grades.

Hiking is a main activity in the park. The Appalachian Trail runs through the park and is accessible by a spur trail. There are also feral wild ponies which we had a fun hiking to find.

Damascus, Va is a cute town about a half hour away. The Virginia Creeper bike trail runs through it which my husband road the 34 miles.

We have x-finity cell service which claims to use Verizon towers. We had 1 bar at the campsite and I received a couple text messages but could not send any during our stay. We did randomly pick up to 3 bars of service in the park. The first overlook in the park did hold 3 bars of cell service. The bathhouse had a phone that was labeled for emergency calls to park service and/or 911.

This place just wasn’t for us. First the Verizon service was
Nonexistent except for one site. I read here in the ratings that there was two bars and assumed it was the whole campground. Not! I did hear from the camp host that T Mobile is great there. I work online so we couldn’t stay.

The bath house was no where near capable of supporting the number of guests. Too few showers. I expected more from Virginia State Parks. All the other ones we’ve been to have been amazing.

Camp sites at 4,200 ft. Cool nights and not so hot days.