Best Tent Camping near Bluefield, VA

Most campground reviews are from the RV crowd.  This is from the tent camper perspective, particularly motorcycle tent camping.  The roads/lanes in the park are paved, but otherwise where you would ride are lousy for motorcycles.  The "gravel" parking lot from the road to the office and in the RV/electric loop is more like rocks, and you stand a good chance of dropping your bike.  Park your bike on the asphalt drive and walk up to the office.  In addition, the tent parking spots are sloped upwards with some very slick crushed rock and are challenging for a motorcycle.  The office closes at 5 (4 on Sunday and probably Saturday) and there is no campground map posted to see where the tent camping area is. They have copies of the campground map in the office and I suggested they put one on the outside of the office door so people arriving after they close have a map to view.   The tent camping (primitive) is off a paved lane a lot further down the hill past the office.  The sign for the lane says primitive.  Straight up at the top of the hill for that lane is site 6 which is somewhat acceptable for motorcycle parking although you are not going to get good enough of a cell signal there to use any internet apps. You might get one bar to make calls or text.   At the top of that hill, take a left and go up a steep hill to the shower house and where sites 1 &2 are at.  At sites 1&2 and outside the shower house you can get a good enough signal (2 bars) to use internet apps.  The campground does have an open wifi, but it doesn't reach to the tent camping sites.  They should add some directional antennas to extend to that area.  Sites 1&2 are best for motorcycles if you can reserve one of them.  2 has a wide enough turn around that you could easily park a group of motorcycles there.  When you check in you are assigned a 4 digit code to unlock the shower house doors.  If you arrive after hours you'll have to ask another camper if they'll share their code with you like we had to.  Don't bother trying to call the campground number after hours to check in or ask for a code because you'll just their voicemail.  Bring a hammer or find a rock to hammer your tent stakes in because the ground where you would want to pitch a tent is mostly rock.  Being primitive there is no electric at the tent sites.  There is an outlet by the sink in the shower house if you need to charge your phone.  There aren't any external outlets at the shower house.  There is a spigot outside the shower house, but I did not open it to make sure it worked.  We got our water using the shower house sink.  The rate as of July 2024 is $10.50 PER TENT per night.  There is no discount for only using one site with several tents.  We (four bikes with 4 tents) stayed there four nights.  We would have left after the first night, but had paid for all four nights and also didn't want to have to pack everything up to look for a different campground.

We had 2 of the larger campsites (#2 and #3) for Memorial Day Weekend. We had a great time all weekend with hiking,picnics,campfires and ghost hunting. However,on Sunday night a strong storm came through that brought down trees with it's fierce wind and torrential rain. The power went out in the campground. The Park superintendent offered a free room in the lodge to anyone who wanted to stay where there was electricity. We were camping in a tent which ended up with lots of water in it. Kudos to Superintendent Ken for making a bad situation better. We will recommend this beautiful park to everyone.

Camp Creek State Park is well-managed and beautifully-maintained with an active foundation that raises money for cool stuff like the conversation fire pit with swings, located in the Mash Fork Campground, which is only 2-miles off the I-77 at exit 20 in Mercer County, WV.

Mash Fork is one of four campgrounds at Camp Creek  State Park which all offer picnic tables, grills and fire rings.  Mash Fork has RV and tent sites:  9 sites with electricity, 8 sites with electricity and water, or 9 sites with electricity, water and sewer.  The bathhouses are super nice, there's free WiFi, and they sell exceptionally generous bundles of firewood which the camp host will personally deliver to your site.

There's a small store in the Mash Fork Campground with camping supplies and some souvenirs.  Make sure you check the cooler for local free-range chicken eggs… Yum!

If you're looking for more rustic tent camping, head to the Blue Jay Campground.  If you're a horse owner, the Double C Horse and Rider Camp has 2, 4, or 6 horse occupancy sites all within the 6,000 acre Camp Creek State Park and Forest.

Camp Creek State Park has two beautiful waterfalls.  You can drive to both, but Mash Creek Falls is a short walk from the Mash Fork campground, so make sure you check it out. Campbell Creek Falls has a deep pool at the bottom where you can swim.  Camp Creek is stocked with trout in the spring, so expect to see lots of fishermen along the banks.

If you have time, you can check out 33-miles of trails which are loaded with wildflowers in the spring.

*A little local trivia:  Mash Fork gives you a hint about the area's moonshining past… wink, wink!

Very nice and comfy! Don’t make the same mistake I did and tent camp outside in a huge storm - just stay inside!

I have tent camped at the Meador campgrounds twice in the last year. Both visits were wonderful. The views from the roads are incredible. The campgrounds are great for biking and hiking trails.

My family went to tent camp and enjoyed our stay. We discovered others with campers that had wonderful campsites. The bathroom facilities are new and very clean. We enjoyed hiking. The location also had four bars of Verizon LTE. Amazing!

Nice spot to stop for a night on our way north - level private spot for our rooftop tent. Sites 38-45 have the most privacy. Check website as we were there during a fire ban.

We tent camped here in the Royal Oak section. Campsites in this section are tent only and very nice and have platforms. Rv sites are crowded. Clean bath houses, and plenty to do. The lake is beautiful and has boat rentals and a swimming beach! Great place to kayak! This place stays booked up, so reservations are suggested during the summer/fall months.

We stayed first week of October 2023. Campground was empty. Beautiful area. Only disappointing thing they have only tent sites near the water. It would have been nice if there were a few Rv sites near the water.

Twin rivers campground is located in Crumpler NC on the river.  It is a primitive campground with both RV and tent sites.  The tent sites are found by following a dirt road around the base of the mountain, at river level, which left us a little wary that the road could wash out.  We followed the path a bit to a private site down a ways, just past a porta potty.  There is a bathhouse up in the RV section of this campground, but we were camping in primitive tent land. 

The site we were on was fantastic!  It was steps from the river, we had a flat, grassy spot with shrubs creating some privacy between us and our neighbor.  Our next neighbor was as far down as we could see!  

The campfire was perfect, our site was superb and we had a great night sleep!  

(PLEASE NOTE!  THE CAMPGROUND HAS SINCE CHANGED OWNERSHIP AND SITES ARE NOW MUCH MUCH CLOSER TOGETHER)

With camping just a moderate day hike away from Mount Rogers, the highest point in Virginia, this campground is a hiker's paradise.

There is little to no cell signal here, so coming to Grayson Highlands is one of the few state parks in Virginia where you can truly go "off the grid" during the length of your stay--and you won't miss technology, because there is so much to do at this park. From the aforementioned Mount Rogers--an 8.5 mile out-and-back, to the 1.5 mile but difficult Cabin Trail that takes you to a waterfall, to the wild ponies who will approach hikers along the Rhododendron Trail, any fitness level will find hiking they can enjoy. When we stayed the outer bands of Hurricane Michael brought so much fog and rain that we were not able to see any of the ponies, but we did hear one a couple of times, very near Massie's Gap!

As for camping there are two frontcountry campgrounds. All sites have picnic tables and fire rings, and bathrooms with electricity and flush toilets*

Chestnut Hollow Campground:

-There are 23 sites here with water and electric hook-ups May-October, and this loop is available as primitive camping March, April, and November. *During this time bathrooms are pit toilets only

-Horse-friendly; there are stables located adjacent to this loop

-These sites are very small; if you are in a tent I recommend no larger than a 4 person.

-Not a lot of privacy between sites, especially near the back of the loop. Most sites are right agains the road and have little space to move around; I would not recommend this loop if you have small children who are going to want space to run and play

Hickory Ridge Campground

-This is the larger of the loops at GHSP; there are 64 campsites ranging from standard tent sites without water or electric, to full service sites with water and electric hookups.

-Tent sites 1-18 are the furthest from hookup sites and will therefore be the quietest; they are mostly small sites and very close to the road. Sites 10, 12, 13, and 14 are set back furthest from the road. There is a path behind sites 2-14 leading to the bathhouse behind site 14. Site 13 is easily the most private--and arguably the only truly private--tent site in this campground, with the driveway going behind a cluster of trees that shields the site from the road. We stayed in site 12 which easily fit our 6 person tent.

-Sites 31 and 32 are on a meadow the campsite loops around; they have no privacy and little shade, but ample room for kids to run around, and there is a set of swings near these sites. They are however right on the road so it may be easier to just walk to the swings and keep littles in a site without as much traffic. There is water right across from both of these sites.

-Even-numbered hookup sites 60-70 are also right on the meadow with very little shade

-All other sites are heavily shaded, although you'll be close to your neighbors

The camp store near the Hickory Ridge Loop sells ice, firewood, and just about anything you may possibly have forgotten to pack--firestarters, first aid supplies, marshmallows, and has as a gift shop with blankets, outerwear, and kitschy souvenirs.

Normally I would take off a star for lack of privacy of tent sites, however there is so much hiking here that your campsite can really be more of a basecamp than a place you want to sit and hang out all day long!

Great place for camping, plenty of tent camp, also plenty sites for campers with 30 & 50 amp service with water, dump station available onsite also. Best canoeing and kayaking on new river, class 2 & 3 rapids on the 10 mile float, worth the $20 shuttle to take you up river to float right back to camp ground. Also have have cabins/apartments , and store available

Army Camp is my favorite place to camp. 10 tent sites. 2 are handicap. Has always been quiet with good people camping while I was here. Area for people to swim in the river or fish. One trail on far side of parking area that I haven’t been on yet. Great area.

I enjoyed this campground. A nice playground for children. Lots of deer about. The tent sites have water, fire ring, table and nice shade.  Lots of lovely trails to explore. It was quiet and super clean. The only drawback is that you need to drive to the restroom because the walk is a little too far.  But the restroom was super clean.

We stayed a weekend in one of the many cabins at the Campground; pet friendly! The RV/Tent camping sites were closed. Cabin was stocked with minimal kitchen ware, we brought in our groceries, in the town of Hinton there are a couple of grocery stores; so easy access. There was a picnic table and satellite TV; to our surprise. Cabin had a fireplace, two bedrooms and one bath. Very quiet!

Thumbs up and we will likely stay there again, will look into bringing our TT to check out the RV/Tent areas.

This is one of the best Virginia State Parks I have camped at!

The area is just so incredibly beautiful and the park is huge, there is so much to do and explore. The ponies, hikes of all kinds, waterfalls, mountains. It is a trip I will remember forever.

We got a non-site specific tent site reservation so we rolled up and I think we got the best one, site 13. It is the most private and very comfortable. Close to the bathrooms and water. I have no complaints! It was great!

Check out Molly Chomper Cidery if you venture out of the park!

We state at the tent campsites for 4 days. Very clean and well kept. I will say the outhouses were a bit rough, but most are—a lot of hiking and sightseeing. I could not be there during prime trout season, so I didn't get any fishing in. I would recommend this state park.

We love using this campground as our basecamp. We enjoy hiking with the wild ponies, so we camp at the campground and then day hike up with the kids. You can hike to see wild ponies and hike to blueberry bushes! The campground is clean, offering lots of space for kids to run and play. We enjoy camping on the big field so we have a clearing to see stars at night. They offer camper hookups and tent camping - composting toilets with sinks are available as well.

Easy access off of interstate. Nice wooded, mostly private campsites. Smaller campground with less than 50 sites I believe, because of this it was fairly quiet. We tent camped, but mostly others were in RVs. Good sized pull in/ back in sites for large RVs. Clean bathrooms for a Nat Forrest (I’ve stayed in some NF campgrounds that were not as clean and kept up on a daily basis). Fair amount of stuff to do in area, close to WV areas around New River, Bluestone National Rivers, and several state parks in VA and WV. Would stay at again!!

I have tented camped twice at this state park … both at Meador. I really enjoyed both visits. The park is awesome with beautiful views and many roads to bike on. Also significant trails.

We stopped here for the night on our way to Kentucky. The campground is nice and the host was very friendly and attentive. There were showers, but when we were there there was a problem with the well, and we were advised to be careful about how much water we used. 

I have no complaints but that for just tent camping, the price seemed a little high. Now we could have found something cheaper, but I do feel it's a bit higher than what I typically pay for sites similar to this. 

At the end of the day, this was a nice spot, close to some trails and it's pretty well taken care of.