Gooney Creek Campgrounds, Front Royal

This place is an affordable little gem. No its not the most private, but its private enoug. No its not the cleanest, but the propritor does what she can. But It has a lot of character. The office is set up like a flea market, but im into that. It has a lot of weird charm. If you're looking for something eclectic, unusual, and quirky, this is the place for you.

The campgrounds were on top of eachother. There was no privacy whatsoever. The proprieter was an 84 year old woman, so the campgrounds were not kept up. Toilet paper never stocked. We found a crack pipe in our fire pit when we were cleaning out the trash the previous campers left. The website is very misleading. I actually live an hour and a half away from there so we were unable to go see before we went. It doesn't look like the website at all. I went for Memorial Day weekend with a total of six adults and five children under seven. We were nickeled and dimed. I think the total bill was 205 for three nights. She doesn't allow you to make a reservation for less than three nights. And the night we got there, she pointed to our campsite to show us where it is. After we were fumbling around in the dark for twenty minutes, she got on her riding mower, came down there to show us the boundaries. I asked her " Is this section ours?" She says to me "In your dreams honey!" Apparently I was actually pointing to three different sites. Your camping neighbors can literally hear conversations you're having in your site. They're that close. This is the place to go if you like camping in other peoples backyards

The camping areas were right on top of each other. There was basically no privacy. The creek was very small, not suitable for young children. The bathhouses were always out of toilet paper and the showers were dirty. The additional fees for extra vehicles and extra adults were not as bad as most places but we still spent 200 to go for memorial day weekend. If you're coming here more to sightsee in Front Royal and less for the camping, this ould not be that bad. It is very convenient to skyline drive and the caverns. Not a place you want to spend 72 consecutive hours though

Our annual memorial day camping trip has taken us to many campgrounds and I'd have to say that this one is my favorite by far. While some of the campsites are a little small, as other reviewers have mentioned, if you book in advance, you'll be able to get a great site. We fit 4 tents and three cars on ours. The site was right on the Gooney Creek and a short walk upstream leads to a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole that you can play in. We spent the majority of the day playing around in the creek and then floating on back down to our site. While I expected there to be ton of bugs because of the water, there weren't that many. It wasn't anything a little bug spray couldn't fix. Though the site isn't as tightly kept as a commercial site, it has hot showers, flush toilets, which is much more than I find at other campgrounds. The woman who runs it is a no nonsense kind of lady, but she is really nice and has lots of great information about the area. The "salvage yard overflow" mentioned in another review is actually toys that Gloria (the proprietor) has collected for children to play with and some odds and ends that other campers have left behind. The only think that I didn't like was that there was a noisy bridge which can be heard from the site. However after a while it just becomes distant white noise and the traffic stops running over the bridge almost completely at night. Overall, my friends and I had a fantastic time at this quaint little campground on the creek and we're looking forward to booking again for next year!!

I have been camping in many places and have enjoyed most of them -- this was extremely unique. with the towering rock sides and the beautiful creek (with a snake or two). Girls got in the creek at noon and stay till 5:00. Place was a little cramped, but I met one cool lady who runs the place. Thanks Gloria -- see you next year

Just got back and planning next trip. Location to Skyline Drive and surronding area was excellent.The lady they say is rude is just like the website, short and to the point. haha But a joy to talk to and listen to. If you are looking to be pampered pay at least double the rate and go elsewhere. If you want to camp and enjoy outdoors go here. a Tenters paradise even though we went in our class C camper. Electric is basic 110 volt but we loved it.

We found Gooney Creek after a long day's motorcycle ride. We absolutely loved the seculded sites along the creek. The cliffs and the trees by the creek sheltered us during high winds and heavy rains the night we were there. We even stayed an extra night to take advantage of the area. We swam in the creek (no snakes found at that time), and just sat in awe of the beauty around us. Afterwards left to ride Sky Line drive and the Blue Ridge parkway - the warm shower we got at Gooney Creek was the last we had for quite a few days - on the parkway they don't even have hot water in the bathrooms. We loved the women who owns the place, God bless her for being able to continue to care for the place the way she does. Would recommend it to everyone that has a sense of adventure and doesn't need everything to be spotless, especially while camping.

This campground is wonderful! The older woman who owns is is a blessing! She is very friendly! Listen if she wants to tell you a story, you will be glad you did. The campground itself is beautiful! Don't miss gooney creek!

Owned by 1 old lady who does all the loading of your fire wood. It's well wooded so your in lots of shade. We go here a couple times a year. Hiking is great they have hiking up the creek it is off the well beaten track not many people hike there but if you do remember the tick spray. There's a swiiming hole not far up the path but if you go even further & are adventurous you can go skinny dipping a couple miles up the creek. There is a beautiful lagoon with a waterfall thats very secluded. If you stay down at campground they do have a rope swing with a deep swimming hole. Bathrooms aren't great but are fine, you are camping remember! It's better than peeing in the woods! The shade is really nice & room for games if your into that & bring your own. Remember happy campers leave it cleaner than they left it =D

We were there several weeks ago..... Lovely place, good rates, nice folks. Hot strong showers,as clean as one could expect...we're camping, Duh?.... Convienant to everything. town, canoeing, the Drive(Skyline)and Caverns. We didn't see any snakes...and we looked. The grassy areas were properly maintained and the creek is beautiful. All in all, it was a wonderful camping experience for our family.