Mathews Arm Campground
Shenandoah National Park · Virginia · 164 sites
Photos: Recreation.gov
Overview
Mathews Arm Campground is a National Park Service campground in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, with 164 sites in 4 loops. Very shady: nearly every site is under trees. Verizon reports coverage at every site; AT&T at 79 of 163; T-Mobile reports none.
158 of 163 sites shaded
0 of 163 sites in full sun
9 of 163 sites with clear sky
Map of the campground
Every site from the Recreation.gov listing. Choose a layer to see it across the campground; tap a site to open it in Roam.
Layers
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Questions
Which sites at Mathews Arm Campground are the shadiest?
Nearly all of them. 158 of 163 sites at Mathews Arm Campground have good shade from the trees, including from the hot afternoon sun.
See the tree canopy in RoamWhich sites at Mathews Arm Campground get the most sun?
None are truly sunny; the sunniest still have trees over about half of the site.
See the tree canopy in RoamWill Starlink work at Mathews Arm Campground?
Only at a few. About 9 of 163 sites have a clear gap in the trees for Starlink and 18 a partial one; most sit under tall trees. Satellite texting on a phone needs less open sky, but still works best from the most open spot you can find. This is our estimate from tree heights — check with the Starlink app's obstruction check when you arrive.
See the tree canopy in RoamWhich sites at Mathews Arm Campground are the most level?
2 of 163 sites are flat, and 18 more have a gentle slope most RVs can level with blocks; 143 are steeper, better for tents. Sites that take RVs or trailers fit rigs up to 52 ft.
See the slope at each site in RoamDoes Mathews Arm Campground have cell service?
Mostly. Verizon reports coverage at every site; AT&T at 79 of 163; T-Mobile reports none. That's the coverage each carrier reports to the FCC, not a measured signal, so under trees or below a ridge it can be weaker.
See the coverage map in RoamWhen is the best time to see fall color at Mathews Arm Campground?
October. In a typical year the leaves around Mathews Arm Campground are at their best in mid to late October, though any one fall can run a week or two early or late. Roam’s fall foliage map shows how far the color has come this week, free every September through November.
See this week’s fall color in RoamWhat’s the weather like at Mathews Arm Campground in October?
In October, expect highs around 64°F and lows around 42°F, with about 3.5 inches of rain over the month. Every month’s averages are in Roam Premium.
Open Mathews Arm in RoamCampground facts
- Sites
- 164 in 4 loops
- Kinds
- 155 for RVs or trailers · 6 tent-only · 3 group sites
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 52 ft
- Accessible
- 4 sites
- Elevation
- 2,732–2,887 ft
- Amenities
- Food storage lockers
- Every site
- Drive-in · Picnic table · Fire ring · Pets allowed · Campfires allowed · Check-in 12 PM, check-out 12 PM
- Managed by
- National Park Service
- Booking
- Reserve on Recreation.gov
How we know Sources and limits
Shade, sun and Starlink are our estimates from Meta and the World Resources Institute’s canopy-height model (about 2 m pixels, from satellite imagery calibrated with space lidar; CC BY 4.0). From 2 m above each site we trace 72 lines out to 60 m and note the tallest tree in each direction. Shade counts trees overhead, the canopy within 30 m and how much of the afternoon sky is blocked. Sun counts how open the southern sky is. Starlink needs open sky above 35°, with the northern half counted twice because US dishes tilt north, and we keep the best spot within 8 m of the site’s post. The model sees tree heights only, not trunks, buildings or hills, so check with the Starlink app when you arrive.
Slope is the ground at each site’s post over about 4 m, from USGS 3DEP 1 m lidar: level under 2%, gentle to 4% (most rigs level on blocks), sloped to 8% (fine for a tent), steep beyond.
Cell coverage is from the FCC Broadband Data Collection (carrier filings as downloaded May 2026): each site is tested against each carrier’s modelled outdoor 4G/5G coverage. It is what the carriers report, not a measured signal.
Fall color is the typical peak from NASA’s MODIS satellite record of when leaves change (2001–2023), limited to deciduous and mixed forest with USGS land cover (NLCD), calibrated to the USA National Phenology Network’s ground reports of colored leaves (CC BY 4.0). It is an average of many autumns, so the page gives a window, not a date.
Weather is NOAA’s 1991–2020 climate normals for the campground. Sites and facts are from Recreation.gov’s open data (July 2026). Map imagery: USGS The National Map. Photos: Recreation.gov.
From the campground’s Recreation.gov listing: “Mathews Arm is a family-oriented campground, offering plenty of open spaces in the nearly 166 available campsites. All sites include a place for a tent or RV, a fire ring and picnic area. The campground also offers amenities like flush toilets, drinking water and one dump station, which create a comfortable camping experience. There are no showers in this campground. Shenandoah National Park includes 300 square miles of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the southern Appalachians. The park rises above the Virginia Piedmont to its east and the Shenandoah Valley to its west.”
Page data as of October 15, 2026. Full source notes are in each layer’s info in the app.