A gray 4x4 Sprinter with a roof rack on a two-track through a wildflower meadow, cloud sitting on the mountains behind.

Forest Service horse camp

Collins Cove Horse Campground

Forest Service horse camp in George Washington & Jefferson National Forest, Wythe County, Virginia. About 2,000 feet. 8.7 miles from Wytheville.

Managed by
Forest Service George Washington & Jefferson National Forest
Elevation
About 2,000 ft As the Forest Service states
Sites
11 11 equestrian non-electric
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Wythe County

Overview

Collins Cove is a first-come, first-served, primitive campground. Each of the 10 camping units have a wooden picnic table, fire ring, and hitching rails. This grassy campground is shaded with hardwoods, hemlocks, and pines and offers direct access to horse trails. Centrally located garbage bins and a vault toilet are available. A creek is located adjacent to the campground as a source of water for horses, but potable water is not available.

Horse owners need to have a current negative Coggins test certificate for any horse they take to a public place for recreation use in Virginia.

Recreation

Collins Cove is in the watershed of Cripple Creek that offers fishing and wading. The camp provides access to several trails: (4614) Ewing Mountain, (4504) Mike’s Gap, (4615) Moore, (4601) Raven Cliff and (337) Highlands Horse Trail.

Natural Features

The Collins Cove area is shaded with hardwoods, hemlocks, and pines. The elevation is approximately 2,000 feet. Summer days are warm with temperatures in the upper 70’s to low 90’s, and evenings cool down typically into the 60’s.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • camping
  • fishing
  • horse camping

The land around Collins Cove Horse Campground

The ringed pin is this horse camp; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated March 11, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.