Chappy’s No Reservations
Beautiful site but rocky surface
Colin was great the work with, and the directions to the site were spot on. The drive up to Chappy’s was absolutely beautiful! The site itself was well-kept with a very nice fire pit. Unfortunately the entire site is on a rocky hillside and we had a difficult time finding a good spot for our tent and ended up ripping a hole in the floor of ours. This site would be great in a small camper but in a tent it was a little difficult.
Kayvan K.doesn't recommendOctober 6, 2020
Chappy’s No Reservations
Nice place but not for tent camping
Pros:
- Tucked away in a small, remote community. It was great driving through the area on the beautiful country roads.
- Close to good trout fishing, a nice lookout, several small lakes, good trails, and a gas station/store/deli that has everything you need.
- Port-o-John on site
- Great fire ring and sitting area. Trees near fire pit perfect for hanging hammocks.
- Google Earth map of the area was super useful! (would recommend re-writing the directions though)
- No cell service (Yes, this is a pro for me. It's nice to be forced to disconnect for a while!)
Cons:
- Not ideal for tent camping at all. Rocks and tree stumps all around. The clearest spot still had some rocks and stumps, and area was at a downward slope. For the price, you'd expect a minimal attempt to make it tent-camping friendly (as advertised).
- not quite a "secluded in nature" spot (RV and cabin next to us, however, this was expected)
- loud 4-wheelers racing down the road every once and a while (not a huge con though, it was very quiet otherwise)
My girlfriend and I had a great time in the area, and I'm sure if you brought a camper or some minimal work was done on the area, this would be a fantastic site. However, I would recommend looking elsewhere if you want to camp in a tent. If you do -- make sure to bring a heavy-duty tent footprint and a thick sleeping pad (for the rocks and stumps).
Chappy’s No Reservations
As stated in an earlier review, the directions were a bit hard to follow, but the GPS coordinates got me straight there. The site is really rocky. There is a covered platform, but I personally don't like to use platforms. The location is pretty spectacular - easy drive up to the lookout tower and the swimming near Elizabeth Furnace was cool. There is a house next door - within sight. The occupants were not there the night I camped so it was very quiet and felt secluded, but that could be different if those people were home.
J Michael D.recommendsJuly 5, 2020
Chappy’s No Reservations
Good spot in the woods
Chappy's No Reservations provided what the description said -- a relatively private camping area with easy to Shenandoah National Park and other outdoor activities. There is a house right next door to the property, but the occupants didn't bother us at all. An existing fire ring worked well and there was plenty of wood. The host isn't kidding that there is no cell signal, so we were happily off the grid for a bit. The only suggestion I have is to level one or two spots and remove the rocks for tent camping -- we had a little trouble finding a good spot to pitch the tent. Overall, though, we were very pleased with our experience. We had a good time there over the July 4th weekend.
Chappy’s No Reservations
Colin was communicative prior to the visit, but there was no service in the area (other than the tower), so was difficult to have further communication while at the site. The personal directions given were very inaccurate- just follow your gps. The campsite was nice, but was not as remote as I expected based on the photos- there is a house right next to the campsite lot. The area is beautiful and I have no complaints about the site itself, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It also would be helpful to have directions to other locations advertised such as where you can swim, because that was also not quite so obvious.
Mark M.recommendsJune 1, 2020
Chappy’s No Reservations
Quiet and peaceful escape
Nice primitive camp site in the mountains, well maintained with provided firewood, a nice fire ring, wood platform / slate for tent, and restroom (Port-O-John) in site. Quiet, peaceful and very relaxing.