Dog-Friendly Camping near Alum Creek, WV

Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Alum Creek, WV

403 Reviews of 70 Alum Creek Campgrounds

• 

  Laura H.

  Legend

  Jul. 14, 2020

  Huntington / Fox Fire KOA

  Party Central

  We enjoyed our stay at Huntington/Fox Fire KOA! This is a holiday KOA that offers more amenities for vacationers. It has very close proximity to I-64 in West Virginia, and you can hear the traffic pretty clearly.

  The staff is wonderful, they obviously care very much about their jobs and we enjoyed talking to them. They keep the property very clean which is saying a lot because it’s a very busy park. Each day we watched the park nearly empty and by sundown it was mostly full again. On the weekends it was full to capacity, and it’s occupants were out enjoying their time!

  There is: great cellular for TMobile and AT&T, laundry, dog walk area, storage, cabins, a store, a swimming pond, small beach area, and some sites have fire pits. The picnic tables were pretty dated.

  The hookups are a little strange. You share pedestals in many of the sites. And the arrangement is a little strange but it works.

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• 

  Cheryl T.

  Guide

  Apr. 1, 2025

  Robert Newlon Airpark RV Park Huntington, WV

  Nice campground train tracks directly next to it

  The campground is small. Has a nice dog park. Pickle ball courts Cafe Sky diving right here. The Ohio river is visible. The only real problem comes with the train tracks right here. The trains are close and do blow their whistle for crossing by the office.

• 

  William I.

  Scout

  Jun. 11, 2019

  Moxley Branch Campground — Beech Fork State Park

  Looking for a great getaway with lots of stuff to do?

  Go to Beech Fork! I’ve been camping here with my family for close to ten years now and we always have a blast. I’ve stayed in primitive sites and RV sites and you can’t really go wrong with either (my review will be 4 stars until I check out the cabins)! Whether you’re looking to spend some time on the lake, fish, hike, bike, or even learn a thing or two about West Virginia history, Beech Fork will typically have you covered. The park stays clean and the staff are pretty good people as well!

• 

  Jennifer B.

  Legend

  Jul. 3, 2019

  Tawney Farm

  Kayakers' Dream-- Whitewater Wonder

      Tawney Farm is part of a growing trend of agrotourism in West Virginia where farmers allow visitors to camp on their land.

      The proximity to the Gauley River makes this primitive campground an ideal place for kayakers to stay during the whitewater season in September and October.  That's when the meadows and hills around Tawney Farm will be filled with tent campers ready to ride the rapids.

       James and Susan Tawney are the perfect hosts because they're super nice and sincerely interested in talking about their sheep farm, the history of Panther Mountain, and the best places to swim, fish and kayak on the Gauley River.

      I enjoyed a couple nights of "glamping" when I stayed at the Tawney Farm "Nut House," appropriately named because James crafted it from recycled wood, including cherry, beechnut and black walnut. 

      The primitive cabin has electricity, a full-sized roll-away bed and a futon.  There's no bathroom or running water, so I used the clean port-a-potties and community propane-heated shower and had access to a fire pit and charcoal grill.

       Great hospitality!  James prepped my fire pit with free wood and Susan made sure I had plenty of charcoal, then loaned me BBQ tools so I could grill my dinner without scorching my hands.  

       The Wild and Woolly Primitive Campground includes a group area where guests can cook, wash their dishes, and hangout.  There's a small store with raw wool crafts, fresh farm eggs and black walnuts, plus and a stage for live music during the peak season.

       I wanted to make sure I got some nice photos of their sheep, so James and Susan brought the flock down for a closer look and encouraged some young guests to pet them.

       The access road to Tawney Farm is gravel with a tree growing in the middle, so take caution at night.  The nearby roads leading to the Gauley River National Recreation Area are in good shape but a little nerve-wracking because they're so narrow there's not much room to get out of the way when you come face-to-face with tour buses shuttling paddlers to and from the Gauley River.

       I checked out Mason Branch and Woods Ferry where I enjoyed some nice hiking, paddling and swimming.  Since it was summer, the kayakers I spotted were using "rubber duckies" so they could negotiate the rocky river without getting stuck.

       Mason Branch has an unmarked, unmaintained trail near the parking lot where you can see a couple of nice waterfalls.  There's a trail to the left of the lower falls that takes you to a higher waterfall the locals call "Janie's Hole."  The story I heard is Janie was a young lady who died after she either fell or jumped from the top of this falls.

       There's another interesting local story about the nearby Summersville Lake.  This crystal clear lake was created when an earthen dam was built that covered the small farming community of Gad with water.  My 98-year old mom says no one wanted to call it the "Gad Dam" because it sounded like they were using the Lord's name in vane, so they settled on the next closest town and named it the Summersville Dam.  Water released from this lake in the fall is what creates the world-class whitewater on the Gauley River.

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• R

  Rose

  Traveler

  May. 2, 2023

  Eagle's Nest Campground

  New River Gorge NP camping

  The hostess was very accommodating and friendly. We had a packaged delivered to the campground before we arrived and had no problems with it. Ice and laundry facilities are available. The sites were level and easily accessible, no shade but that worked well for us using the Starlink.  There were pull throughs and back in sites, I think there are tent sites in the field beside the RV area.  The sites were full hookup and clean. Campground is pet friendly,  with a large area to walk dogs beside it. The New River Gorge NP visitor center was approx 20 min away, hiking trails were close by.  We did not do shopping or laundry at this location but I did see a Walmart in the vicinity and I am sure a laundromat would be in the city too. The campground had a small common area with chairs and a fire pit. for group gatherings.

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• 

  Jacqueline H.

  Scout

  Jul. 8, 2021

  Oasis Point RV Resort & Adventure Lake

  Very peaceful

  Quiet spot next to an industrial area. Nice view of man-made lake with a number of fishing huts for catch-and-release fishing. Pets allowed leashed, with no tie-outs permitted. Helpful owner who escorted us to our campsite with full service hookups but no picnic table or fire ring (some sites had tables). We had a peaceful overnight stay.

• m

  mike

  Traveler

  Apr. 6, 2022

  Saint Albans Roadside Park

  Decent for passing through

  Spent one night here, easy to pull in to and plenty of light overnight. Directly across from a grocery store, pet store, and auto supply store so great resupply stop! And free electric! Clean playground also.

• 

  Susan & Kevin W.

  Legend

  Jul. 8, 2022

  Huntington / Fox Fire KOA

  Dirty

  Pros: entrance/check-in area is very cute and welcoming, staff is extremely nice and accommodating. Cons: dirty, dumpsters were overflowing and the whole place smelled like a dump station, cats wandering around, our pull-thru site was unlevel and a mud pit, horrible road noise. Would never stay here again.

• 

  Jennifer B.

  Legend

  Aug. 28, 2019

  Cabwaylingo State Forest

  Coal Country Culture at a Historic State Park

  Cabwaylingo is off the beaten path, but definitely worth a visit! It's one of the oldest WV state parks, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's. Described as a"hidden gem" on the state website, I was the only camper in the entire 8,200-acre property on a warm Sunday afternoon. Sad this beautiful state forest is so underutilized. 

  Cabwaylingo sits on a portion of four different counties, namely: Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln and Mingo, which helps explain the origin of the exotic-sounding name. The forest has two campgrounds, lots of picnic shelters, 100-capacity bunkhouses with a huge kitchen, plus some gorgeous historic cabins which now have A/C. The outdoor pool is closed due to a lack of funding, but there's swimming hole in the nearby creek which is also used for baptisms by local churches. 

  The stonework in this park is amazing, especially the superintendent's residence which was built by Italian stone masons. It's located across the street from the park headquarters, so be sure and check it out. 

  I pulled into the Spruce Creek Campground which appeared nicely maintained, but there was no campground host, no other campers, and the bathhouses were locked, so I wasn't sure if it was open for use. I found out from the superintendent the next morning that it's difficult to keep a campground host because it's an unpaid position. He said I could have pulled in and picked one of 11 spots, then the night watchman would have shown up to check me in and unlock the bathrooms. Good to know, if you're just passing through with no reservation like I was. Here's another tip from the superintendent: If you pull up next to the satellite dish by the bathhouse, there's Internet service with no pass code.

  I ended up driving to the Tick Ridge primitive campground which lived up to its name. Again, no host and no campers, so this isolated campground tends to attract partying locals and ATV riders who use the nearby county road. The bathhouse here is permanently closed due to a dried up well, so the only facilities are the ancient pit toilets. I was surprised that I had phone service high on the hill, thanks to an AT&T tower on a nearby ridge. I wouldn't camp here again, but I might make the 2-mile drive to checkout the old Tick Ridge Fire Tower built by the CCC in 1935. I'm bummed I didn't know about it and missed it during my stay. 

  The drive to Cabwaylingo State Forest is half the adventure. You'll be motoring through the heart of southern West Virginia's coal country where you'll cross several single-lane bridges and pass through at least one historic tunnel chiseled out of the surrounding rock. 

  You'll see the economic impact of the decline of the coal industry with many businesses shuttered, so best to stock up on groceries and gas before you get too far off the beaten path where there's often no phone or Internet service. 

  I stopped for gas at the Dingess Service Center where locals can pull-up and pump fuel, but you'll have to go inside and leave your credit card before the manager will turn the vintage pump on. I bought a cold caffeinated beverage and visited with some local residents about their favorite pastimes, the coal industry, and the poor job market that's causing their young people to flee. Everyone was super-friendly after I explained I was reviewing Cabwaylingo in an attempt to encourage more tourism.

  The Dingess Service Center is located near the infamous Dingess Tunnel which is a former train tunnel, nearly a mile-long, stained with the bloody history of train wrecks and purported deaths of foreign laborers killed by locals. Whatever the truth is, the 60's-era conversion to a single-lane road for cars still makes for a nail-biting drive. They were paving the roadway when I came through, so the tunnel was closed, but I did drive through a similar, but much shorter, tunnel which runs between Dingess and Breeden. 

  There are lots of churches along the access road to Cabwaylingo, including a couple of Old Regular Baptist Churches, found almost exclusively in remote areas of Appalachia. This denomination does not use musical instruments so they have a song leader who chants a line of the hymn, with the congregation repeating a more elaborate version. It's a mournful-sounding form of worship called"line-out hymnody" which dates back to the 1700's. There are a few samples on YouTube which sound like remnants of some ancient Celtic church service.

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