What to Know Before Horse Camping at Graves Mountain Farm in Virginia

Virginia has many equestrian campgrounds for horse enthusiasts to explore! Graves Mountain Farm is about an hour north of Charlottesville, and it was the first place I ever camped with horses. Tucked deep within the Blue Ridge Mountains, the farm has over 1,000 private acres to explore and provides access to the Shenandoah National Park.

We spent five days there, arriving on Monday and leaving on Saturday morning. I will rate the campground out of five stars based on several categories: horse accommodations, riding trails, facilities for riders, access and convenience, campground cleanliness, and cost and value.

Graves Mountain Farm Horse Accommodations

Rating: ★★★

Graves Mountain Farm provides a barn with stalls for your horses near the campground entrance, or you can use portable corrals and electric fencing. Campers are to provide all equipment and feed for their horses; be prepared to pack stall shavings, hay, grain, and water tubs. The barn has a water spigot, and another spigot is in the middle of the campground. That said, these were the only two spigots I saw. We positioned ourselves close to one so it would be easier to water the horses.

If you plan on primitive camping with your horses, be prepared to be among non-horse campers. The campground is big, flat, and spacious but quickly fills up on Friday night. Kids wanted to see the horses, and others played catch with a baseball near the horse’s temporary pen. While the horses did well with the commotion, managing non-horse people near your horses always adds stress.

The barn at Graves Mountain Farm has 12 or so stalls made from round pen panels. The ground is a bit uneven in the stalls, with bluestone footing. Campers should provide their own bedding. Unfortunately, while all the stalls were empty while I was there, none of them had been cleaned. They sat dirty all week. I do not know if this was negligence from previous campers or oversight by the campground.

One aspect I appreciated about the campground is that it remained well-lit during the night. The lights in the barn turned on with a timer, even if there weren’t any horses in there. There were also lights placed sporadically around camp. Since I used my horse trailer as one side of the horse’s pen, the lights made it easy for me to look outside at night and check on the horses. It wasn’t so bright that it made sleeping impossible, but it provided some security from the darkness.

Graves Mountain Farm Riding Trails

Rating: ★★

While we did not get out on as many trails as we wanted to, there seemed to be a blend of beginner, novice, and advanced opportunities for trail riders. Since we had our colt, we stuck to the more accessible, smoother trails. Even riding around the campground paths and the gravel roads from the lodge was a good experience for the horses. There was a nice ride through the barnyard and into an apple orchard that we rode several times.

The trails were not well-marked. I saw no trail markers, arrows, or ribbons guiding the route. While we picked up a trail map at the Graves Mountain Farm Store, it was still tricky to follow it when there were no visual indicators of the way to go. I could only find trails by asking people I ran into for directions.

While some easy trails provide nice dirt or grass footing, the longer trails through the woods were very rocky. It would be nearly impossible for a horse to complete those trails without shoes or boots.

Graves Mountain Farm Facilities for Riders

Rating: ★★★

Graves Mountain Farm is massive, providing a lodge, bunk houses, numerous cabins and cottages, and a sizeable primitive campground. We opted to stay in the primitive campground. Near the entrance was a dump station where you could dump your tanks for a $40 fee. As I mentioned earlier, I spotted two water spigots across the campground where you could fill your tanks.

There were a few vault toilets in the middle of the campground. There were also a few bathhouses across the road where campers could shower. However, they were almost impossible to locate, as no signs directed you to them. One was in a very sketchy location tucked behind some old barns near one of the worker’s houses. The door didn’t lock, and it felt like a scene out of any horror movie. I opted to leave that bathhouse and find the one across the street near the lodge.

During the warmer months, campers can access a lovely, large swimming pool for $10. The pool was clean, well-kept, and not very busy. There’s also a store next to the campground where you can find basic necessities. Lastly, we could access the lodge’s Wi-Fi from the campground, so we didn’t have to up our Starlink. We were able to work during the day and stream Netflix at night. That said, our phone service did not work unless we contacted people over Wi-Fi.

Graves Mountain Farm Access and Convenience

Rating: ★★★★★

Graves Mountain Farm is easily accessible for horse trailers. The roads are wide and easily navigable on the way there, even for a large LQ horse trailer. The campground is across the road from the lodge. Don’t make the mistake I did, and try to get to the lodge with your horse trailer to check-in. The lodge is on a steep hill, with an easily missed turnaround and a very narrow bridge. You can go straight into the campground and complete the paperwork at the self-kiosk/board to check-in.

The farm is about 2o minutes from the small town of Madison, VA, which has gas stations, convenience stores, restaurants, and auto parts stores. Our generator starter battery ended up dying when we were camping, so I had to drive into town to get a new one. Since I was out, I decided to pick up some Chinese food for my husband and me.

Graves Mountain Farm is a busy place. Conferences and events were happening while we were there, making it feel like a college campus. While it was good exposure for the horses, it dampened the camping experience.

Graves Mountain Farm Campground Cleanliness and Helpfulness

Rating: ★★

While our experience at Graves Mountain Farm was pleasant enough, the camp was lacking in the areas of cleanliness and helpfulness. I routinely talked to staff, asking where to check in, where the bathhouse was, and where the trails were. It seemed like the staff did not know basic information or didn’t know where anything was. The staff in the lodge, in particular, were somewhat rude. The only helpful people we found were the workers at the trail riding stable. They were friendly and helpful in telling us where things were and what trails to take.

I was disappointed in the cleanliness of the facilities. As I mentioned earlier, all the stalls in the stables remained dirty for the five days we were there. Whether this was due to the previous campers or not, I don’t know. The bathhouses were riddled with bug nests and doors that didn’t lock. There was a nicer set of bathhouses, but even those were dirty. The vault toilets looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in a while. At first, I figured everything was dirty because it was a camp in the middle of nowhere. That’s how camps are. But now that I have been to other horse camps and seen how clean they are, Graves Mountain makes me a bit more disappointed.

Graves Mountain Farm Cost and Value

Rating: ★★

For $44/night for primitive camping and the above ratings, I would say Graves Mountain Farm is not a good value. You can camp at state parks with hookups and excellent horse facilities for less than that. You can even primitive camp on some public lands for $6/ night with cleaner vault toilets and better trails. I’ve stayed at campgrounds for $10-$20 more a night that were immaculate, provided full hookups, were adequately managed, and had great trail access.

Overall, I give Graves Mountain Farm a 6/10, or 3 out of 5 stars, for primitive horse camping. While the campground itself was mowed and maintained, and the trails we could find were beautiful, the cleanliness of the facilities was questionable, and the staff was not very helpful. For the price, I believe you could find a better deal.

Are you interested in horse camping but don’t know how to find places to stay? Check out my article How to Find Horse Campgrounds, Layovers, and Stays.