George Washington and Jefferson National Forests announce temporary shutdown of recreation areas, campgrounds amid COVID-19 concerns

Release Date: Mar 26, 2020

Contact(s): Nadine Siak (540) 676-7045

Use of certain day-use areas and other facilities will also be temporarily shut down

March  26, 2020 George Washington and Jefferson National Forest officials are temporarily shutting down use of all campgrounds, bathrooms, OHV trails, trail shelters and many day-use areas. We are committed to the health and safety of recreational visitors and our staff, and are taking these actions in accordance with USDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for reducing the spread of COVID-19.

Campgrounds and picnic shelters are temporarily unavailable for reservation on Recreation.gov. Those already holding reservations will be notified as soon as possible and refunds will be processed. Processing refunds may be delayed, however, due to the volume of cancellations. We appreciate your patience during this time.

As we work through an unpredictable and rapidly changing situation, health and safety is our number one priority. We are closely monitoring the situation and are responding to current conditions as we all work together to minimize the impacts and spread of COVID-19.

Contact a District Office for status updates on George Washington and Jefferson National Forests facilities and sites, or visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/recmain/gwj/recreation.

Please remember to review current recommendations from CDC at www.cdc.gov and focus on recreating safely while protecting yourself, Forest Service employees and our volunteers.