Sherando Lake Recreation Area

About this route

Sherando Lake Recreation Area is a Forest Service site in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, administered by the Glenwood-Pedlar Ranger District. Its address is 96 Sherando Lake Road, Lyndhurst, in Augusta County. The Forest Service calls it the jewel of the Blue Ridge Mountains and describes a shaded, woody area with a sandy beach on a 25-acre spring-fed lake. Driving directions from I-64 use exit 96 just east of Stuarts Draft, then south on State Route 624, which becomes SR 664 (Mount Torrey Road) at Lyndhurst, and roughly eight more miles south to the entrance on the right. The agency lists day hikes among the activities here alongside swimming, single and group picnicking, and visitor programs, and it notes access to multiple trailheads. On-site facilities include a 25-site lakeside picnic area, a 40-site picnic area at Williams Branch, a group shelter holding four picnic tables for up to 50 people, flush toilets, and potable water. Horses and pack animals are not allowed.

Treat this as a gated, seasonal, fee-operated destination rather than a trailhead you can drop into at any hour. The day-use area is open April 1 through December and the campground from early April to late October, and potable water runs April 1 to October 31 only. Day use costs $8 per vehicle for up to eight people, or $2 per person for buses carrying more than eight passengers, vans and walk-ins. A $30 seasonal hang-tag pass, sold at the Sherando Lake entrance station along with district offices and the Cave Mountain Lake and Bolar Mountain stations, buys unlimited day-use visits at a list of forest sites that includes Sherando Lake Day Use Area. Senior and Access interagency pass holders get 50 percent off day-use and standard camping fees, but the five sites where an America the Beautiful pass fully covers day use are named on the forest's passes page and Sherando is not one of them, so budget for the fee. The entrance gate closes daily from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., quiet hours run the same window, and camping is booked through recreation.gov or 877-444-6777 with a two-night weekend minimum, a three-night holiday weekend minimum, and a 14-night maximum stay.

Standing Forest Orders shape a lot of what happens on the ground. Swimming is allowed only between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. and only inside the outer rope and buoy markers; swimming in Upper Sherando Lake is prohibited outright, as is being on the concrete dams or spillway risers of either lake. Boats must be hand-carried, gasoline-propelled boats are barred, anyone under 12 needs an adult along to operate one, and private boats have to come off the water before dark. Glass bottles are prohibited at the beach, alcohol is prohibited in the beach, picnic and swimming areas and in parking lots, and dogs must be on a leash no longer than six feet and stay off the beach and out of the swimming area unless they are service animals. A separate order running through August 30, 2028 names Sherando Lake and requires food and refuse to be stored in a bear-resistant container, in a closed solid-sided vehicle, or hung well off the ground. One honest gap is worth planning around: the Forest Service publishes no distance, elevation gain, difficulty rating, route type or tread surface for any trail here, so none is given on this page. Come with your own map, and confirm current conditions with the Glenwood-Pedlar Ranger District at 540-291-2188.

Highlights

• 25-acre spring-fed lake with a sandy beach, described by the Forest Service as a shaded and woody area
• Upper Sherando Lake, the second lake named in the site's Forest Order
• Hand-carry boats only; gasoline-propelled boats are prohibited on either lake
• Lakeside picnic area with 25 sites plus a Williams Branch picnic area with 40 sites
• Reservable group picnic shelter with four picnic tables, maximum 50 people
• Campground with single, double and electric-hookup sites, reservable via recreation.gov
• Flush toilets, and potable water April 1 through October 31
• Access to multiple trailheads, with day hikes listed among the site's activities
• Covered by the forest's $30 seasonal day-use hang-tag pass, which is also sold at the Sherando Lake entrance station

Map and trailheads

Approximate locations for orientation only. Carry an offline map — cell service is unreliable on much of this network.

Know before you go

Route type

Not yet verified

Surfaces

Not yet verified

Setting

Forest, Mountain

Amenities

Parking, Restrooms, Water, Shade, Picnic facilities, Camping

Parking

A day-use fee is charged per vehicle at the entrance station, and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources lists on-site parking at this location. Forest Orders prohibit parking or leaving a vehicle outside the space assigned to your own camp unit, possessing or parking more than two vehicles (motorcycles and bicycles excepted) per camp unit, and camping within 300 feet of any developed parking area or boat ramp. The Forest Service does not publish a parking capacity or an overflow arrangement for this site.

Restrooms

Flush toilets are listed among the site's facilities.

Water

Potable water is available at the site from April 1 through October 31. The Forest Service does not list it outside that window, so carry water on shoulder-season visits.

Fees

Day use is $8 per vehicle for up to eight people, or $2 per person for buses carrying more than eight passengers, vans and walk-ins. A $30 Seasonal Day Use Pass, a hang tag for the vehicle rear-view mirror, allows unlimited visits to a list of forest day-use sites that includes Sherando Lake Day Use Area; it covers the day-use fee only and is sold at district offices and at the Sherando Lake, Cave Mountain Lake and Bolar Mountain entrance stations. Camping is $25 per night for a single site, $40 for a double site, and $7 per night for an electric hookup; the group campsite is $50 per night (1-15 people) and the group picnic shelter is $25 (maximum 50 people). The cancellation fee is $10. Interagency senior and access passes give a 50 percent discount on day-use fees and standard (non-hookup) camping fees. The forest's passes page names five other day-use areas where America the Beautiful interagency passes fully cover the day-use fee; Sherando Lake is not among the sites it names.

Permits

Camping requires a reservation through recreation.gov or 877-444-6777. The maximum consecutive stay is 14 nights, and a Forest Order caps camping at 14 days in any 30-day period. Weekend stays carry a two-night minimum (Friday and Saturday nights together), and holiday weekends carry a three-night minimum.

Hours

The entrance gate is closed daily from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., and quiet hours run 10:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. A Forest Order prohibits being in the developed recreation area between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. except for people camping there or visiting a camper. Being on the beach or in day-use areas after dark is prohibited, and swimming is allowed only between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. The Glenwood-Pedlar Ranger District office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed on federal holidays.

Dogs

Dogs allowed on leash

Accessibility

Not yet verified

Stroller friendly

Not yet verified

Good with kids

Yes

Seasonal notes

The campground is open early April through late October. The day-use area is open April 1 through December. Potable water is available April 1 through October 31 only.

Weather exposure

Not yet verified

Cell service

Not yet verified

Emergency

Not yet verified

Hazards and wildlife

• Black bear activity: a Forest Order effective August 30, 2023 through August 30, 2028 names Sherando Lake and requires food and refuse to be stored in a bear-resistant container, in a closed solid-sided vehicle, suspended at least ten feet clear of the ground and four feet horizontally from any supporting limb or pole, or placed in bear-resistant receptacles
• Swimming is allowed only between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. and only inside the outer rope and buoy markers; swimming in Upper Sherando Lake is prohibited outright
• Being on the concrete dams or spillway risers of either lake is prohibited
• Glass bottles and other materials that may cause injury are prohibited in the beach area
• Being on the beach or in day-use areas after dark is prohibited, and non-campers may not be in the developed recreation area between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
• Private boats must be off the lake before dark, and anyone under 12 may not operate a boat unless accompanied by an adult
• Alcoholic beverages are prohibited in the beach, picnic and swimming areas and in parking lots
• Forest Order violations carry fines up to $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, and/or up to six months imprisonment
• The Forest Service publishes no distance, difficulty or route description for the trails at this site, so carry your own map and navigation

Sherando Lake Recreation Area is named under the Glenwood-Pedlar Ranger District in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests food storage and disposal Forest Order for bear safety, effective August 30, 2023 through August 30, 2028. Food and refuse must be stored in a bear-resistant container (solid non-pliable material capable of withstanding 200 foot-pounds of energy, with no cracks, openings or hinges a bear could use), in a closed vehicle of solid non-pliable material, suspended at least ten feet clear of the ground at all points and four feet horizontally from any supporting limb or pole, or disposed of in bear-resistant receptacles.

Read the Virginia wildlife and safety guide