Sherando Lake Group Camp

Sherando Lake Group Camp is part of the Sherando Lake Recreation Area and is popular with family groups, Boy and Girl Scouts, church groups and other local organizations. The recreation area is situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains and is known locally as the jewel of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where visitors enjoy hiking, fishing, swimming and relaxing. The 25-acre Lower Lake offers swimming in a designated area with a sand beach, an accessible ramp to the water's edge, and a beach bathhouse with changing and shower facilities. Fishing and boating are available outside the designated swimming area, with stocked waters during the spring and fall seasons; visitors need the appropriate Virginia fishing license, National Forest stamp and trout stamp. Boats with gasoline motors are not permitted on the lower lake — electric troll motors, canoes, kayaks or similar boats only — and a hand-carry ramp adjacent to the parking area provides access. The 7-acre Upper Lake is fishing only and is also stocked in spring and fall. Boats are allowed there, but there is no launch access; parking is available at a small area below the group camp and a walking trail leads to the lake. Swimming is not allowed in the upper lake. Hiking trails surround the area, offering everything from a short walk around the lake on the Lakeside and Cliff Trails to a day hike up the mountain on the White Rock Gap Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway. For the more adventurous hiker, more challenging day hikes and backpacking trips are available by heading up the Blue Loop Trail to the Torry Ridge Trail to Bald Mountain and beyond. The five tent-only group campsites are located around the outside of the looping road. Each site can accommodate a maximum of 15 guests, or a large group can take all five sites for no more than 75 guests. Each site is delineated with fencing and equipped with picnic tables, a grill, lantern posts and a serving table. A bathhouse with flush toilets and showers, replaced during the 2019 season, is located at the upper end of the loop, and a vault toilet is at the lower end. Drinking water is available at each site. Food storage lockers are not currently available, so all food must be secured in a locked vehicle; violators are subject to a fine. The interior of the loop is a large grass field for activities and games, and the open grassy field provides an excellent opportunity for night time star gazing. There are opportunities for gas, groceries and firewood at convenience stores and local vendors along the state road to Sherando Lake. Ice can be purchased at the Sherando Lake Visitor Center during operating hours, which vary seasonally, and additional supplies can be obtained in Stuarts Draft, about a 15 minute drive away. The Blue Ridge Parkway, with its scenic overlooks and ridgetop views, is a short 3 mile drive up State Route 664 from the Sherando Lake entrance, and Wintergreen Resort offers a golf course and ski area within 10 miles.