Best Dog-Friendly Camping near George Washington & Jefferson National Forest

Learned a hard lesson. Should have called the campground to confirm pets. They have a large population of ducks. I’m assuming that’s why they don’t accept any pets.

Great Place if you like to hike. Wonderful trails. The peole are nice and Its beautiful. Only thing I didn't like was I couldn't being my dog because pets are not welcome. As of right now July 2016 the are closed due to flooding hopefully they will be back up and running soon cause I'm ready to go back.

Site 034 Loop Morr Dates of Stay: August 30-Sept 1 Average Daily Temp: 78 Average Nighlty Tem: 64 Pet friendly spot with access to firewood on site for small fee. Tent pad, fire pit, one picnic table, and lamp post on site. Close access to Lake area with a 100 yard walk through pathway off the site. Great shade for those hot sunny days. Plenty of room on the site for tents and vehicle parking. Neighboring sites offer fair amount of privacy. Site had some trash scattered around by previous visitors. Needed to do some checking for broken flashlight pieces and glass before I allowed my dog free roam.

Douthat (Doubt-that) State Park is a campers dream!  Level sites with or with out hook ups, well spaced apart, fairly private, and in the middle of a pretty good forest!

Kid and pet friendly, this park has a nice lake for Kayaking/canoeing, multiple hiking trails with views, excellent opportunities for wildlife watching, and great biking trails.

It is off the beaten path so it appears to be less visited than other Virginia State Parks.

Very relaxing. Great to take a couple days relaxing out of the hurry of city life. There is plenty of room to walk your pet and some of the sites provide shaded areas. You are just about .25 miles from the freeway, but you do not hear it. Staff is very friendly. They have propane and a little store for those that might need.

This campground was off the grid and beautiful. We had site #17 but if I stayed again I would prefer site #18. Both sites were VERY spacious, secluded, and right on the lake except 18 had a little bit better view of the lake. The sites were also right near the bathrooms. This campground does not offer electric or water hookup but if you are prepared for that then this campground is a 5 out of 5. They do offer showers, and have a very small store with some essentials like ice as well as kayak and canoe rental but it closes after Labor Day.

The lake was beautiful. There is a great hike around the lake as well as other hikes offered that are accessible in the campground. Make an effort to get up and see the sunrise over the lake - you will not be disappointed at the beauty of the sky and the mist over the lake. Kayaking around the lake was fun, and there are many types of fish in the lake.

The site is pet friendly - we travel with my dog and cat who also enjoyed the spacious, secluded campsite. Jim the camp host was friendly and always around if you had a question. Site offered picnic table, fire pit, and bear hook to hang items out of reach of the black bears. We did not see any but did see deer, rabbits, red squirrels, and other little creatures roaming around. 

Bathrooms offered flushable toilets as well as showers. They were clean but did have lots of daddy long legs to keep you company. Water was hot and had good pressure. It was a push button timed shower but you could keep pressing the button if you were not done yet. 

This is off the grid and does not really have provisions especially after Labor Day. It is a stretch to call it a store but it did have ice, drinks, bait, peanut butter and few other essentials. Again closed after Labor Day. Had no cell service (Verizon) as well. Also not near town - closest was about 45 minutes. As long as you are prepared and bring what you need, this place is a beautiful campsite and made it in my top five favorite campgrounds. 

I included some pictures and follow us on Instagram @pawsfuradventure for more pictures and reviews.

Battle Run Campground at Summersville Lake, WV (https://www.recreation.gov/camping/battle-run/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=73075 ) offers a unique camping experience. Of the 114 campsites available, a large percentage are waterfront, which is what most that camp here desire. In fact, most campers will have their powerboats moored at their site. Claims of the acreage of Summersville Lake vary between 2700-3000 acres, but most agree on around 60 miles of shoreline, making this the largest lake in WV. Summerville Lake is man-made, built in the early 1960's…but it is clean, clear and deep!

Cliffs line much of the lake, which lends itself to daredevils plunging off into the water..but know what lies below. Because this is a man-made lake, they flooded it over the existing wooded areas…so when water levels are low, you could be impaling yourself. Locals know the best spots.

For obvious reasons, this is boater heaven…and Battle Run Campground is always packed. Want to go…reserve your site 6 months in advance or better. There are also 7 walk-in tent sites along the shoreline. Just know, there is little privacy. Also take note: No Pets! Scuba divers love this lake, as it goes as deep as 327 feet…and there are the remnants of the town Gad at the Lake's bottom that once called this area home.

Battle Run Campground basically looks like the outline of an oak leaf, with a series of half loops lined with camp sites. While sites are electric, water is centrally located as is the two showerhouse/restroom facilities. Basketball and volleyball courts are in the center of the campground, as is a horseshoe pit…and kids activity area. The campground beach and boat ramp are located down the road.

Several marina's in the area offer various boat rentals and boat ramp fees. Battle Run Boat Ramp Day Use fees are minimal at a few bucks. Local dive shops also have scuba rentals.

Summerville Lake Dam feeds the Gauley River, so if whitewater rafting is your thing, you've come to the right spot. Spring and Fall releases brings the wildest rides, but the Gauley has Class V rapids all year. Having done the Gauley at both Spring and Fall, both are fast and fun!

If you are looking for quiet, wooded solitude…its right around the corner. So if you camp at Battle Run, don't despair…Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park (https://wvstateparks.com/park/carnifex-ferry-battlefield-state-park/)) is about 5 minutes away, where the trails offer that solitude and great views…surrounded by history. Carnifex Ferry Battlefield was a pivotal Civil War victory for the Union, turning the Confederate Army from the Virginias. Cool stuff! Numerous other trails dot this area too.

Definitely visit the Custard Stand on your way too and from Rt.19…you'll thank me later.

My friend recommended New River Junction to me and I'm glad that I listened to him. The campground is not far from Virginia Tech and so there were several other campers staying a few nights with plans to go to the football game. The RV sites are along the river and two sites share an electical box and the water hookup. The staff was friendly. The bathrooms are single occupancy per gender. Tubing rental and a shuttle bus are available on site. The campground is dog friendly and they offer tubes for dogs too. I think the only downside is that the campground is flanked by railroad tracks and the trains run periodically throughout the day and night. So be sure to bring earplugs if you're a light sleeper.

Just a wonderful small RV park in rural West Virginia. We needed to stay overnight and Ann was terrific in finding us a spot to stay in. Great hospitality and reasonable prices for the spots. Absolutely gorgeous views across the pastures and hills. As we were leaving in the morning Ann mentioned we should come down the road to her little shop in the adjacent lot to the RV park. It was a Saturday and we were just driving another 4 hours so we stopped down there. Cute little shop, fresh strawberry jam canned. It was almost lunch so we (Me, wife, and our five kids) had pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs, and soda pop. Some of the best pulled pork and slaw I've had! Can't speak highly enough of this little RV park

Friendly owner. Friendly campground dog who likes to roam free and check on tenants. Stayed one night on 9/8/19. Campgrounds was dog friendly. I was able to let my well behaved dog off leash to play frisbee for a bit and walk around. $18 for two people. Has showers. Sites are mostly level, wooded and the grass was mowed nice. Not a lot of dirt or mud which is always a plus. Had AT&T and Sprint cell signal. Most campsites filled by dark except for the cabins. Just pull in, stop, pay the lady and pick a spot.

Amazingly beautiful! Relaxing!quiet! Recharge here! Full hook ups, dog friendly, very level gravel site with a stunning view of the pastures.

Camped out for one night, great place. Owners are real friendly, they have a store as well. The trains though! My dog did not appreciate them, but overall nice place.

We camped in this park for one night as we were just passing through Virginia on our way south. Overall, we liked the park and was what perfect for our overnight stay. The best thing about this park was all the space we had to walk our dog and the creek that runs at the edge of the property. We had been traveling for about six hours and were so happy to have a place to stop and one where our dog could get a good long walk and have clean, cold water to wade in. There is lots of green space and a even few benches to sit and relax on your walk. 

Since we did not want to unhitch our tow car, we chose a nice long pull-thru. The site was easy to get in and out of and the roads were easy to navigate. Our water spigot was way at the back of our site but luckily, I was able to reach it with our 50’ hose. The sewer was placed in the middle which was convenient. The sites are fairly close together but we didn’t have neighbors on either side so we didn’t feel cramped. Not all sites are level and would have been a problem for us, but fortunately, ours was level. We had a nice fire pit with pavers around it and a picnic table. 

There is not much in the way of amenities except for a pretty basic playground, pavilion for large gatherings, and laundry. Most of the campers are transients so there is a big daily turn-over. The seasonal campers seemed to mostly be on the back row and some of their sites were pretty junky. The campground was really quiet and a great place to stop for one night. The campground is located very close to Interstate 81 so road noise in unavoidable, but it is very convenient if you are traveling. There are a couple of fuel stations at the exit which is also handy.

So the pluses for this place: It is right on the property of the caverns. Take the tour! If you are an avid hiker, like me, it is only about 30 minutes from triple Crown access points for the A.T.

The downfall is it is near the highway and you hear highway traffic at all times. If you have dogs there's not really a great dog walking area. The spaces are very close to each other. The park has what appears to be some full time Riggs... That the properties are not well maintained. With that it doesn't make the park look appealing. If you like campfires again you are super close to each other, But not only that you have the highway noise when you're sitting outside.

The hill to climb to get there is SUPER sketchy but it’s a gorgeous location. If you want to go ride dirt bikes or UTVs this place is definitely the spot. The staff are excellent, they brought us firewood in the rain and stayed to chat with us for a bit. Dogs are allowed, in fact, the owners have a couple that “watch over” the property. 10/10 will be back.

Great Campground, for tent campers there are vaulted toilets that are normally clean! We have returned here year after year. The upper sites you can get a faint ATT signal. The only downside is that during peak times( holidays etc) there were a bunch of sites with generators running all night and yappy dogs LOL! Other than that we love it here!