Best Cabin Camping near Fishtrap Lake

The Breaks are considered the “Grand Canyon of the south”. Great mountaintop views, hiking, geocaching, kayaking, paddle boats, a zip line, and seasonal white water rafting all available. A few miles from the campground you’ll even find river access with a sandy beach for summer fun. A wonderful getaway when you want to be away from it all. Several campground sections to choose from with primitive sites to full hookup with electric, water, and sewer. Dump stations are available also. There are laundry facilities and bathhouses (didn’t use either so not sure on condition), playgrounds, picnic shelters, cabins, and inns. Each campsite had a fire ring and picnic table. Spots are definitely not level, so bring a variety of blocks—you’ll need them. No outside lights at the sites so when it’s dark it’s d-a-r-k. Beautiful campground.

This park has some nice campsites, which can make your camping experience an awesome time, but that’s not why you should go there. Like a lot of state parks, it’s got the usual wooded picnic table, fire ring, the electrical hook-up thing if you need it (or BYOS - bring your own solar), even nice bathrooms with showers and everything. What it offers in terms of a get away from it all makes it the go to destination for everyone who’s just about had enough of everything average.  

First of all, where the heck is it?  About 200 miles from anywhere you’ve ever heard of, unless you’re lucky enough to have been born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains, or you’ve just nursed along a love of two-lane winding roads, it rewards the traveler who says“let’s take a road trip.” The closest town is Haysi, Virginia, which offers a selection of small regional grocery stores, gas stations and a few restaurants...but not much more. 

The park sits atop an ancient canyon cut through time by the Russell Fork River some 1000 feet below. The trails wonder through sandstone formations laid down some 250 million years ago when the area was covered by a shallow inland sea. The views as well as the geological significance instills awe in the best sense. 

The park offers a short scenic drive loop with a dozen or so stops all offering some look into the amazing scope of natural science. But in case that doesn’t inspire your 10-year-old, the mountain bike trails near to the campground will sure take some energy out of them. And in case they want to just go to the outdoor pool, or sit in the well-appointed cabin or guestroom, these are also available at this park offering a widely diverse accommodations for nearly anyone willing to make the drive to get there.  The Russell Fork is also a world class river offering everything from class 2-3 fun to serious Appalachian creekin’ paddling. But don’t tell anyone about this place, because I don’t want anyone else to find out about it.

I would give it a zero if possible. The cabin we stayed in was absolutely filthy-dirt and dead bugs on the floor, coffee pot was nasty, extremely small counter was dirty, no access to running water(no even a sink in the bathhouse) and I could go on but I think you get the point. The bathhouse looked like a shed and was also dirty. Were told there were groups going out every weekend, all day long and also night riding. Trails are not marked so you really can't go out on your own. We paid for 3 nights, but only stayed for 2. And of course, we were never offered a refund or partial refund. Like Share

We camped here for 3 nights with our dogs. Our site was in the B loop and had no water or electricity. It was surrounded by a lot of trees, so it had shade. It was a short walk to the bathhouse which was very clean with nice showers. 

The campground has 4 different loops. I personally liked the B loop the best because everything was very close to it like hiking trails, laundry facility, basketball court, and a little camp store which has ice and firewood available.  

The state park also has a lodge, cabins, and a beautiful lake. There is a restaurant in the park. We tried it for lunch and it was good. The landscape in the park was just beautiful. The overlooks, especially the tower overlook, are gorgeous. There are several hiking trails. Be aware that the loop is extremely strenuous and takes 4 to 5 ours. I really liked that the trails are not heavily trafficked. 

We would definitely camp here again. All the park staff, hosts and volunteers were super nice and very helpful.

Nice Campground, once you get here. The roads to this amazing State Park are two lane and twisting. We have a 38' 5er and a CrewCab Dually tow vehicle. We didn't have a lot of issues getting here but it is quite mountainous with a lot of climbs to get here. The Park is well appointed and the campsites are nice for a state park. Be careful when choosing a site as some are challenging to get into with larger units. We had a pull through which was big enough for our rig. Sites are gravel and spacious. Fire ring/grill combo provided at each site. Bathhouses were clean and well stocked. Be sure to bring all necessary supplies BEFORE you get here, nearest stores are a 20 minute drive away on crooked mountain roads. Will we return? Maybe for a special event but not for a general getaway