Free Camping Collection with

Camper submitted image from Hawk Recreation Area Campground - 1

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Roads

Camper submitted image from Hawk Recreation Area Campground - 4

Activities

Camper submitted image from Hawk Recreation Area Campground - 5

Camping

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Established Camping

Hawk Recreation Area Campground

15 Reviews

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About

USDA Forest Service

Hawk Campground sits nestled in the Alleghany Mountains surround by a spectacular nature setting. Experience an exciting hiking experience with easy access to the Tuscarora Trail right from the campground. In the fall, this inviting location offers hunters a secluded environment to stay overnight. Fall asleep to the mellow sounds of the trees gently swaying overhead and the simple harmony of nearby crickets.

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Location

Hawk Recreation Area Campground is located in West Virginia

Directions

From I-81: Take exit 296 and turn west on VA 55. Drive 14.5 miles and cross into West Virginia at top of mountain (VA 55 becomes WV 55). Descend for 1.0 mile and make a sharp right turn onto Forest Road 502 (gravel road). After 2.7 miles, turn left onto Forest Road 347. Camp entrance is on the right.

Coordinates

39.11599188 N
78.50036936 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Good
Verizon
Available
AT&T
Good
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group

Features

For Campers

ADA Access
Picnic Table
Phone Service
Drinking Water
Toilets
Pets
Fires

Enjoy camping on government land. Limited or no services at this camping area.

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

First Come - First Served

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Contact

General Info

Reservations

(540) 984-4101

christiana

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 6, 2023

Nice for the price

Only 3 sites occupied when we were there. We have a 19 ft trailer and about half the sites would have worked for us. Very peaceful spot in the worlds. Connector trail to Tuscarora trail well marked. Biggest surprise was the strong T-Mobile signal. 2 bars 5g.

Site7

Month of VisitJuly

Jessika R.

Scout

Reviewed May. 26, 2023

I can’t believe this is free

Spent the last weekend in spot 14. It was beautiful and perfect spot close to the bathrooms and I still can’t believe it’s free. The spots are very big and you are well spread out

Site14

Month of VisitJune

laura

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 27, 2021

Camping

For free it’s great. Good size sites , picnic table and fire pit. I have Verizon. Poor signal The only drawback and negative is the constant sound of automatic weapons. Saturday it’s was all day and into the night. Sunday morning it was strong booming like cannons followed by gun fire. It seem to stop after a while on Sunday. Other than that it was great.

Site15

Month of VisitOctober

Ray G.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 14, 2021

Very Decent

My tent spot was #4. The picnic table was missing a board on top. The campground is basically one big circle. There was a couple arguing across the way. Didn't really bother me. But if your sensitive to noise at night just know there's that potential. There are lots of trees that provide some privacy between camp spots. The water pump was out of order during my visit. I saw a ranger come and check on it. I didn't use the vault toilets. I had my own set up. Having said all that I enjoyed my overnight there. I'd come again.

USDA manages this place. You can stay 21 consecutive nights then come back after 10 days.

Site#4

Month of VisitOctober

Daniel F.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 2, 2021

Free, quiet, cell service!

Tent sites are rough, some outside ring sites have tent pads.

Site7

Month of VisitSeptember

(4) View All

Indi

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 27, 2021

Amazing campsite

We loved our stay at this campground! It was clean and well maintained. Additionally, there was only two other groups there on a Sunday night.

Site12

Month of VisitAugust

Meredith P.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 20, 2021

Beautiful but crowded

We arrived on a Friday to find that almost all of the campsites were full, though some campers had not registered. If you go— REGISTER. It takes all of two minutes and helps arriving campers figure out if there’s actually space.

It looked like a relatively nice site, except that the sites were fairly close. My camping companion and I opted to find dispersed camping along the road— equally beautiful setting, but much less on top of others. There are some spots along the road leading up to the campsite and more as you continue past it. You’ll find spaces with fire pits and at least some room to pull off the road.

Be forewarned that the road is quite bumpy. I was fine in a small car with relatively low clearance, but if you have extremely low clearance or things hanging down from your car, you’re gonna have a slow, difficult drive in.

Lots of fun plants, animals, and insects around if you also enjoy Seek. We spotted a ghost pipe among other fun things!

SiteDispersed

Month of VisitJuly

Katherin

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 18, 2021

Great, quiet, woodsy free camping

Beautiful, secluded spot in the woods with level campsites, fire rings, parking area for your car, and picnic tables (in some disrepair.) No amenities other than toilets and water pumps.

Site8

Month of VisitJuly

Geoff P.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 8, 2021

15 nice flat sites

Free sites in a small loop not too crammed together. Easy dirt road access. Picnic tables and fire pits. 2 sets of pit toilets. Pretty disgusting at the moment. Think trainspotting. Mostly empty at the moment.

Site15

Month of VisitJuly

Jakob D.

Guide

Reviewed May. 11, 2021

Wow!

Hey y’all! Wow this was a perfect camping spot. Very few people around and they were all gone by Saturday afternoon. A few nearby trails but watch for bears! Saw one in the first hour of camping. Can stay up to 21 days at a time which I’ll be doing soon!

Site8

Month of VisitJune

(4) View All

Grace D.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 6, 2020

Both dispersed and campground

The Hawk Recreation Area has sites in a loop, these are numbered and near the water pump (which wasn't working when we were there) and the vault toilet. There are also dispersed sites along some of the gravel roads around the official campground. We stayed in one of the dispersed sites and it was un-numbered. The site was great. There was trail access right across the road, there was a fire ring, and a picnic table. There was plenty of wood around, we just drove around to pick up some bigger pieces. Also, you can't beat the free price! We had no service here so be sure to plan ahead.

Month of VisitNovember

Juliana B.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 3, 2019

Awesome spot!

This campground was neat and well kept. I was impressed to find toilet paper in the bathrooms. Extra points for that and water pump 👍🏼👍🏼

Ruby W.

Ranger

Reviewed Jun. 24, 2019

Great Location for New River Gorge Climbing

Good jumping off point to do some rock climbing at the New. Close to food, store, and other locations. Tons of stuff to do around the area!

Aaron W.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 22, 2018

simple, free, isolated

Although it's not immediately convenient to the various hiking trails in the Lee Ranger district of Washington-Jefferson NF, this little site is tucked away atop a mountain far from any crowds. Not too long a drive to get there, but long enough for some seclusion. The sites are well-built and serviceable, but don't expect working water or much else in terms of maintenance. It's free, of course, and have I mentioned that it's quiet and secluded? A babbling stream is close enough to ease your sleep, but watch for bears.

And despite the isolation, there's the nearby town of Wardensville, recently re-invigorated and worth a look...starting with the Lost River Trading Post.

Site6

Month of VisitJuly

Suzy W.

Guide

Reviewed May. 23, 2018

A nice spot to get a little off the grid a couple hours outside DC.

I only stayed one night, but plan to return for a longer stay as it was peaceful and scenic. The campground is free, open from late April through December, and campers may stay up to 21 days. However, there are no online reservations or staff in the area; I would want to have a back-up plan in case all sites are already taken.

Check-in and check-out are accomplished by filling out a 3 x 5 card at the entrance and placing it in the slot for your campsite. At the end of October, only 4 of the 15 campsites were occupied so I was able to select one spaced out from other campers for privacy.

The campsites are arranged on the outer perimeter of the loop drive, with a vaulted toilet outhouse and a pump water spigot located within the center island. (I did not use the water, but have read elsewhere that it may come out looking rusty, presumably from the mineral content). Campsites had enough space between them to feel private but close enough to feel that local bears would (hopefully) pass us by. Each campsite has a long parking area (not pull through), a cleared area for tents, a picnic table, and a fire ring and lantern pole. There is no electricity at the campground.

The road approaching the campground is not comfortably wide enough to pass oncoming cars (though I did not encounter any) so I would take it slow, especially around the many bends. My cellular reception cut out along one of the forest roads well before reaching the campground; I will have a compass and written directions in and out handy when I return.

Month of VisitNovember