West Virginia

Places in WV that we have camped and I would recommend:

*Cedar Creek State Park (several ponds, a river nearby, pool, etc.)

*Holly River State Park (absolutely beautiful area)..very shaded, with a small river and waterfalls nearby

*Anything in what I call the "Canaan area" - Canaan Valley, Blackwater Falls, Seneca Shadows (This has always been my favorite part of the state)...so many things to see within an hour's drive (Smokehole Caverns, Seneca Caverns, Seneca Rocks, etc..)...We have also stayed at Revelle's Retreat along RT 33- right on the river and a good base camp to go see everything. There's a lot to see and do, but the CG's (esp. Canaan Valley and BW falls) are nice enough that you would be happy just to stay there all week.

*Pipestem and Stonewall Resort are VERY popular. Someone already mentioned the attractions at Pipestem. Stonewall has sites right on the lake..not sure about trails. Camp Creek is another nice CG near Pipestem. As mentioned, the New River is beautiful and offers hiking, fishing, and rafting.

*Watoga State Park is also very popular. The Riverside CG there has sites right along the gorgeous Greenbrier River. Watoga offers many trails, a lake, and a nice pool. It is hard to beat an inner tube float down the river...you can put in several miles upstream and float right down to your site. The Greenbrier River trail runs right by the park also, and is the best and easiest family biking trip we have ever done. Other attractions nearby include Cass Railroad, Beartown (very nice trail through rock formations, all on a wooden walkway), and Droop Mountain (lots of history to learn here and several scenic trails)

* We have also camped along the western part of the state. North Bend State Park is a nice park, and offers two CG's and a very nice lake. The North Bend Rail Trail is accessible from the park, and is a very nice hike/bike ride along the Hughes River. If you go to North Bend, take the Harrisville exit; you can get there from the Cairo exit, but it is an interesting road.
We recently tried Beech Fork State Park near Huntington. It is about fifteen minutes from Marshall University. The road there is windy, but I've done much worse. They offer many sites along the lake, and the CG has to be the quietest CG I have ever been to. There are several trails there as well.

Well, I didn't mean to be too long-winded, but that should give you a few places to research. Places on our bucket list are Battle Run, Cacapon, Tygart Lake, Bulltown, and Babcock State Park.

Wherever you choose, you won't be disappointed. I am very fortunate to live in such a scenic state. We are big fans of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and have stayed there a lot over the last couple of years, but this year we are staying instate as we have missed the beauty here. Happy Camping!!!

Forest Service campgrounds that we have stayed at are Trout Pond and Seneca Shadows.Both have electric hookups.Trout Pond has a small lake with swimming and some hiking trails.Burnsville Lake is a COE campground with sites right on the lake.They have a swimming beach,historic displays and hiking trails.Gerald R Freeman Campground has electric hookups and is at the end of Sutton Lake.There is a swimming beach that you have to drive to.Not sure about hiking trails.They are all nice campgrounds.

WVbassmistress wrote:
First...thanks all for the nice comments about WV. We get alot of bad raps as a state, but it is beautiful.

Why?? It's beautiful country!! We plan on a 1-night stay in WV on our way south, next month and probably again on our way home.

mister_d wrote:
Our kids will be 9 and 6 at the time. A playground would be nice but we vote for a scenic cg first. A clean showerhouse would be fantastic. This trip is to catch up with family so we will be hanging out at the CG and hiking. Horseback riding and other activities aren't necessary. Any part of the state is OK.

Pipestem offers these attractions. Granted the bathhouse is not the newest or nicest but we take Navy showers in the TT. They have a gondola which is great for the kids to ride and experience, have horse back riding(6 year old may not be old enough as our 5 year old could not do it last summer) and great hiking. Have an olympic size pool as well.

Our kids will be 9 and 6 at the time. A playground would be nice but we vote for a scenic cg first. A clean showerhouse would be fantastic. This trip is to catch up with family so we will be hanging out at the CG and hiking. Horseback riding and other activities aren't necessary. Any part of the state is OK.

Battle Run on Lake Summersville is where we stayed. Near New River Gorge. Water and electric with dump station. Reasonable rates.

First...thanks all for the nice comments about WV. We get alot of bad raps as a state, but it is beautiful.

Elise, Mountain Lake like on Summersville Lake? I prefer the Battle Run ( http://www.recreation.gov/unifSearchResults.do?topTabIndex=Search )campground... unless you have a pet. No pets allowed. Mountain Lake is up on a hill (like most things in WV) They have alot going on there. Many things to entertain the kids. We have only driven through it and never stayed. Bathhouses are very important to me and it didn't seem like there were very many or they were overly nice. That might be a huge misconception on my part. If you want to PM me, maybe I can give more of my perception.

In addition to Battle Run, have you looked at Summersville Lake Retreat? http://summersvillelakeretreat.com/

In other parts of the state, the Seneca Rocks area is pretty cool. There is a campground there called Seneca Shadows that I have heard good things about.

Hope you all have wonderful trips

Anyone been to Mountain Lake Campground in WVA? We are thinking about planning a long weekend trip there, perhaps in early fall.

As mentioned, you can't really go wrong with any of the state parks. We have camped all over this beautiful state. If you could give a little more information (kids?, specific interests, water/ river preference, etc..), maybe we can steer you to a specific area. My personal preference is the eastern/southeastern part of the state, but there are great CG's all over. We already have trips planned this year for Watoga State Park, Stuart Recreation Area, and either Holly River or Canaan Valley.

I have not RV'ed in the area, but I hope your travels will take you to the New River Gorge. Awesome scenery. Awesome bridge. In May, the river is roaring and white water rafting is great.