Hawk Recreation Area Campground

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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!

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.

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.