Campground Host / Visitor Center & Day Use / Entrance Station - Sherando Lake

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Sherando Lake, located near Waynesboro, Virginia, is situated in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains within an easy half-day drive of Washington, D.C., the Tidewater Virginia area (including Virginia Beach and Williamsburg), and only 1 ½ hours from Richmond, VA. The recreation area offers many activities for the visitor (and volunteers too) to enjoy. These include a 25 acre lake for swimming, fishing, and small boating; a 7 acre lake for fishing; 65 family campsites; a large group camping area; stocked trout waters; sand beach; hiking trails; and picnic facilities. The Blue Ridge Parkway is located within 5 miles, and the Shenandoah National Park is only 20 minutes away.

"It is like a jewel set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Augusta County". These are the words Congressman A. Willis Robertson used to describe the Sherando Lake Forest Camp in 1938. Sherando Lake Forest Camp, now known as Sherando Lake Recreation Area, is situated on the shores of a 25-acre spring-fed lake and was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) and opened to the public in 1936. Using large native stone and timbers, the facilities were built to blend into the natural and rugged surroundings. The "boys" of the CCC Camp Sherando (F-8), Company #351, near Waynesboro, Virginia, were handed the monumental task of constructing the facilities for the forest camp. By July 4, 1936, Sherando Lake Forest Camp was opened for restricted use, although the area was incomplete. Available to the public were facilities for swimming, boating, and picnicking. During opening weekend over 2,500 people visited the area. During the 1936 operating season, it was reported that 22,000 people enjoyed the Sherando Lake Forest Camp. Built on the edge of the 30,000-acre Big Levels Game Refuge, already in the national limelight, Sherando Lake Forest Camp was part of a unique combination of recreation and wildlife management.

Our volunteers are provided with an RV campsite (complete with water, electric, and sewer hook-ups). Telephone service is not available to the volunteer sites. Wi-fi is available at the administrative house. Satellite tv and cellular phone service is not reliable and is dependent on your carrier, your location in the campground and the weather. Laundry facilities are available on site for volunteers. We have 14 campsites available for volunteers from April through October. In exchange for the free campsite and utilities, we ask our volunteers to help out at least four hours per day each, five days per week per person. Due to weekends being our busiest time, we will schedule "days off" for less busy weekdays. Sometimes needs change within the recreation area, and you may be asked to assist with other volunteer responsibilities other than what you initially "signed up" for. Just let me know the recreation area/campground where you would like to volunteer, what type of position suits your interests and when you would be interested in volunteering (specific dates). To assist with scheduling and site availability, we request that our volunteers stay at least 4 weeks, typically arriving at the first of the month and leaving at the end of the month.

Start Date - 2025-04-01

End Date - 2025-10-31