Looking for campgrounds around Grafton West VA

Thanks.....we are in a tale spin....taking our precious granddaughter...we need to adjust.

Click here for a link to Stonewall Jackson. Note that you can use all the facilities at the lodge for a minimal extra fee.

Hope you find this helpful.

cjoseph wrote:
You could shift your search a little south to the area between the Corps of Engineers Lakes: Stonewall Jackson, Sutton, Summersville and Burnsville.

These are large lakes. They hold back water in the spring to maintain the Monongahela River, and thus, the Ohio River all summer. They also serve as flood control during snow melt and spring rains. They are recreation spots in the summer. Unfortunately, the USA COE campgrounds don't have full hookups usually.

I have a buddy who tows his 5th wheel down there every year in early summer. He has a storage spot. His wife and their friends coordinate for reservations. They plan their weekends accordingly. The owner of the storage area sets their campers up on their spots prior to the weekends of their reservations. All they have to do is show up.

There are also better private campgrounds on some of these lakes.

I would recommend Stonewall Jackson State Park for a nicer full-hookup CG. It is a "resort" state park with a nearby restaurant/lodge, Arnold Palmer Golf Course and spa. The fishing is excellent as it was a catch and release bass lake from its creation in 1989 until recently.

We go to the mountains more so than the water. If interested in that, you could shift your search East to the Canaan Valley/Seneca Rocks area.

X2...X3...regarding Stonewall Jackson State Park. The place is awesome beautiful & peaceful. The dear will come right up to you if you offer a piece of bread. Simply fantastic quite place.

VAfan wrote:
Thanks - Our initial focus is campgrounds in a more direct route to Grafton. Canaan Valley/Seneca Rocks area looks interesting.

This is our favorite place. We prefer Canaan Valley State Park. It has full hookups. They retain some first come /first served sites. Look up the phone number for the campground and call ahead. They can give you an idea of openings. That's what we do.

For a second chance, we have never had trouble getting into nearby Blackwater Falls State Park or US COE CG, Seneca Shadows -not full hook ups though. There is a private CG, Yokums, I think, in the Seneca Rocks area. We have never stayed there.

Also, the state park system still has a terrible reservation setup. You send in an application in February for the dates you want. Yeah, real 21st century stuff here. You can't post mark by a certain date or they reject that application. We go looking for the first come sites with a phone call ahead before the drive up, but we are just 1 hour away. We have never had to turn around and go home, though.

A new 4-lane road (US 33/Corridor H) is being built from the Virginia line near Wardensville, WV into the Davis/Thomas area. The last leg is under construction. This will better open up the area to visitors from the beltway. It will eventually be 4-lane to Elkins. That leg will make it 4-lane all the way to I-79.

Lot's of beautiful places in the Monongahela National Forest. There was once a movement to make this area a National Park to no avail. That's OK with us --less competition for the trails and campsites!

Thanks - Our initial focus is campgrounds in a more direct route to Grafton. Canaan Valley/Seneca Rocks area looks interesting.

You could shift your search a little south to the area between the Corps of Engineers Lakes: Stonewall Jackson, Sutton, Summersville and Burnsville.

These are large lakes. They hold back water in the spring to maintain the Monongahela River, and thus, the Ohio River all summer. They also serve as flood control during snow melt and spring rains. They are recreation spots in the summer. Unfortunately, the USA COE campgrounds don't have full hookups usually.

I have a buddy who tows his 5th wheel down there every year in early summer. He has a storage spot. His wife and their friends coordinate for reservations. They plan their weekends accordingly. The owner of the storage area sets their campers up on their spots prior to the weekends of their reservations. All they have to do is show up.

There are also better private campgrounds on some of these lakes.

I would recommend Stonewall Jackson State Park for a nicer full-hookup CG. It is a "resort" state park with a nearby restaurant/lodge, Arnold Palmer Golf Course and spa. The fishing is excellent as it was a catch and release bass lake from its creation in 1989 until recently.

We go to the mountains more so than the water. If interested in that, you could shift your search East to the Canaan Valley/Seneca Rocks area.

cjoseph wrote:

rjf7g wrote:
It looks like Grafton Parks and Rec operates a campground - http://www.campingroadtrip.com/campgrounds/campground/campground/25475/west-virginia/grafton-city-park

This campground is just outside of town with houses close. It is located near the tail waters of Tygart Lake Dam. The city leased it to someone to develop. The last time I was there (not for camping), it was half done. Pipes were exposed and gravel was sparse. That was two years ago.

The nearby Tygart Lake SP has a campground with electric only small sites, but the location is fantastic. It is in a wooded setting with a nice large Army Corps lake.

Maybe you could give a little more detail of what kind of rig you have and what kind of campground you want. If you are looking for a place to park it when visiting or if you are looking for a place to go with the family once you get up here might give us a better idea. There are some awesome outdoor experiences with great campgrounds within a comfortable drive of Grafton.

The WV State Park camping reservation system is terrible. Basically, you had to mail in an application back in February. I would suggest calling the park and asking about vacancies. I think park policy is to reserve half the sites and the others are first come.

Great!...just the info I'm looking for.

Ideally we are looking for "nice" campgrounds large enough to be able to reserve a spot in relatively short notice. I'm the outdoor experience person....wife not so much...so campground comfort is priority.

Water and electric would work if necessary but FHU is preferred.

Now we plan to tow back in forth but leaving it there in storage is an option. Maybe sometime in the future buy a another trailer to leave there for all of us to use.

THANKS!

rjf7g wrote:
It looks like Grafton Parks and Rec operates a campground - http://www.campingroadtrip.com/campgrounds/campground/campground/25475/west-virginia/grafton-city-park

This campground is just outside of town with houses close. It is located near the tail waters of Tygart Lake Dam. The city leased it to someone to develop. The last time I was there (not for camping), it was half done. Pipes were exposed and gravel was sparse. That was two years ago.

The nearby Tygart Lake SP has a campground with electric only small sites, but the location is fantastic. It is in a wooded setting with a nice large Army Corps lake.

Maybe you could give a little more detail of what kind of rig you have and what kind of campground you want. If you are looking for a place to park it when visiting or if you are looking for a place to go with the family once you get up here might give us a better idea. There are some awesome outdoor experiences with great campgrounds within a comfortable drive of Grafton.

The WV State Park camping reservation system is terrible. Basically, you had to mail in an application back in February. I would suggest calling the park and asking about vacancies. I think park policy is to reserve half the sites and the others are first come.

It looks like Grafton Parks and Rec operates a campground - http://www.campingroadtrip.com/campgrounds/campground/campground/25475/west-virginia/grafton-city-park