Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Athens, WV is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. Discover great camping spots near Athens, reviewed by campers like you.
"Our site was level. The pool was wonderful. Has everything you need... playgrounds, multiple laundry rooms, putt putt, store, restrooms... Would stay again"
"We spent our time on the Hatfield/McCoy trails which were about 20 minutes from the campground."
$35 - $40 / night
"There has been a lot of nice upgrades to the grounds and facilities ad well as things to do at pipestem since my last review a few years ago. "
"We camped at Pipestem in a 37' travel trailer. We love this campground. Quiet, well spaced, nice roads for biking."
"Army camp is nestled by the new river and has plenty of views of the mountains. None of us had cell phone reception, so if you’re looking for a tech free weekend then this is your spot."
"You can’t beat an established campground (picnic tables, fire pits, bathrooms) in a national park that’s also free! Good amount of spiders and ants but didn’t notice any mosquitoes in mid May."
"These are full hook up sites, very affordable and great proximity to the mid and lower areas of New River Gorge National Park.
It’s definitely a no frills location."
$30 - $35 / night
"We wanted to be near New River Gorge National Park and the interstate. Booking was a little strange, there's no website or confirmation. You pay by check in a lockbox. "
"quiet! Recharge here! Full hook ups, dog friendly, very level gravel site with a stunning view of the pastures."
"Full hook ups. Cable TV was a luxury for us! Great WiFi the entire time; even for a couple of zoom calls!"
"Sites are close to level. Nothing severe at all. All sited are full hookups. A single washer and dryer available onsite. Great wifi and cable hookups. 2 blocks from New River Rails to Trails."
"I stayed at Lake Ridge RV Resort for quite a while. Great place to spend the evenings after work. Pond and surrounding area are very well maintained."
"We stayed in one of the cabins after the high season. Comfortable and cozy, we really enjoyed our morning walks along the trails and lake. "
$35 - $38 / night
"Highway access to this area is easy for all types of traveler. there are several stores in the area with just about anything you could need or want only moments away from camp and if you are there in late"
"Fort Chiswell RV park in Virginia is a very clean park beautiful trees paved driveways and a bathroom that is very clean and at the end of the bathrooms actually have tables at Pavilion They have Wi-Fi"
"We stayed a weekend in one of the many cabins at the Campground; pet friendly! The RV/Tent camping sites were closed."
"Meador CG is up the Bluestone portion of the lake and the backwaters do have a swampy appearance."
"There is five drive-in sites and more walk-in sites on the edge of the camp. The drive-in sites filled and vacated several times throughout the weekend."
"In the New River Gorge National Park, you will not find the sprawling campgrounds found in many other national parks."
LegendAmy and I spent the Labor Day Weekend in Fayetteville, WV. The New River Gorge area is amazing. We camped at Rifrafters Campground. It is family owned and operated. The owners were great and made a point to stop by our site and see how we were doing. The campground is clean, well maintained and conveniently located. It is only about 7 minutes from the New River Bridge welcome center.
There were several long term campers, sites were very small and close together. Fire ring and picnic table ended up under our awning. Water, electric and cable service and a few sites had sewer. Campground WiFi was weak at our site (#27).
While this was a positive stay, we prefer State Parks versus RV campgrounds.
ScoutLittle Beaver State Park is a lovely little park just off Interstate 64 between Beckley and White Sulfur Springs. It has 16 sites with water and 30 sites with both electric and water. Some of the sites are pull throughs which could accommodate big rigs. There is a dump station available. There is a very nice shower house as well. Check out the website for more information.
TravelerMy family stayed in a cabin last week in this state forest and checked out the campground. Our cabin was charming and immaculate! The very large bathroom had amazing white towels all folded and hung over towel bars like a nice hotel. The kitchen was very well equipped. Each bed had sheets, a very soft wool blanket, and a quilt and nice pillows. The cabin had a fireplace for heat (free firewood) and two AC units (bedroom/living room) and a ceiling fan in the LR. The cabin area is so beautiful! While there are 14 cabins, they are spread out enough that you don’t feel like they’re too close. Most are under trees. Each cabin has a grill and a fire pit, and there at least three larger ‘community’ fire pits trough the cabin area. Our cabin and others are pet friendly!!! The only issue with the cabin was the beds. They were both very uncomfortable. One was a new fold out couch.
The campground was very wooded and seemed at first to be more like most rustic campgrounds in appearance, but it does, in fact, have electric at some sites. There are pull through sites, camper/tent sites and tent only sites. It’s beautiful, and I hope to camp there this fall!
There are many hiking trails throughout the park and a nice pool. The cabin and camping areas are pretty far from the pool area. Guests in either area would more than likely drive to the pool.
This state forest is within five minutes or so from a four lane highway (64) and several restaurants (Subway, Wendy’s, McDonald’s and a privately owned one) and gas stations. A Food Lion grocery store is about 15 minutes away in White Sulfur Springs, and there’s a hospital about 15 min away in Lewisburg, recently voted the Coolest Small Town in America! While this forest is very close to convenient amenities, we still felt away from the hustle and bustle of life.
RangerThis was a overnight stop but it was a great find! We were in a full hook up pull through site 20. Gravel pads with a picnic table and fire ring. Sites were open but a decent size, and mostly level. There was a lovely stream that ran along the property with beautiful shade trees and lots of grass. We have 2 dogs and there was plenty of great area to walk them. The bathhouse was very clean but there was no A/C and only a few small windows for ventilation. The whole property was very well kept and beautiful. Will definitely be back as we travel this way each year.
Verizon phone worked good, but not really any TV reception. But we were good with that!
LegendThis was our first visit to a Virginia State Park and we were impressed. The campground was really nice as our site was very long, had a huge patio, was level, and water and electric were well-placed. Our site (#43) was on the end of a row with our patio facing a hillside next to a stream that made for a very pleasant rushing water sound. The weather was great for the first few days of our visit so we made the most of being outside and exploring the park. We went for a few hikes which offered great views of the surrounding mountains, gave Spirit plenty of time to swim in the lake, and I paddle boarded around the lake.
The park itself is over 3,334 acres and packed with recreational opportunities with the centerpiece being Hungry Mother Lake. There is a swim beach, boat launch, hiking trails, restaurant, boat rentals, fishing piers, convention center, nature center, and plenty of camping. The campgrounds are divided into three sections– Creekside, Burston and Royal Oak. All campsites in the Creekside section are reservable while only some in other sections are reservable. The Burston Campground has the largest sites and offers some full hook-up sites and water and electric sites (50 amp) with pull thrus and back-ins. Sites are level and can fit big rigs but the only problem we had were that some of the trees need to be trimmed back and scratched the upper sides of our coach. The Royal Oak section is for tents only (no hookups are provided) and has really cool wooden pads that give you the feeling of hanging over the hillside.
The restrooms and shower house were very new and really clean. Each shower is in an individual room which makes for nice privacy. There is a laundry with two washers and two dryers costing $1.50/load. Also located here is a dish washing station with two big deep sinks and hot and cold water. There is free wifi at your site that worked fairly well and we were able to get about six over the air antenna television stations (albeit none were from major networks).
LegendSandbar:
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer)
Overall Rating: 4.5
Price: Free
Usage during visit: 80% full
Site Privacy: 4 Pretty good if you’re backing in a trailer or van
Site Spacing: 4.0. Pretty good
Reservations: First come - first serve
Campground Noise: 5. Very Quiet while there
Road Noise: 5. None. May be some boat noise
Through Traffic: None. Campground is a circle drive.
Electricity: No
Water: No
Sewer: No
Dump: No
Generators: Allowed
Bathroom: Yes
Showers: No
Pull Throughs: Most, if not all we’re back-ins. Short pads .
Cell Service (Verizon): 3 Fair .
Setting: 4.5 Very nice setting surrounded by deciduous forest. The trailer sites are all on the outer perimeter of a circle drive. Large diameter , so not close to the folks across the way.
Fixed Roof Solar: A couple sites might be okay
Host: None
Rig size: Some sites look like they will only accommodate a 20’ - 25’ trailer., Carefully check website There is enough room on the pad to park vehicle next to the trailer.
LegendMoncove Lake is a State Park in West Virginia right over the Virginia border and about 40 mins from Lewisburg in Gap Mills, WV. This park is off the beaten path, so be prepared to drive a ways on country roads to get there.
It is a small park, but so beautiful and scenic. There are two campground loops here, one is for electric sites and one is for non-electric. The non-electric site where we stayed are large and spacious wooded sites, some more shaded than others. They come with all the basic amenities of fire pit, picnic table etc. All campsites are walking distance to the lake and they will deliver firewood to your campsite. The bathrooms are in desperate need an update and a good cleaning.
The lake is so gorgeous! We brought our canoe and were able to row around the whole lake. They also offer kayak, boat and paddle boat rentals. There is a nice playground for the kids and some great hiking trails. There is a pool here (you have to pay to get in- it's not included if you're camping). Bring cash if you want to swim in the pool. There is no ATM at the campground and the closest town is like 40 mins away.
There is no cell or internet service here so we were really able to unwind and relax! Summer camping in the WV mountains is one of my favorite things. No bugs, cool nights, and beautiful views!
TravelerGreenbrier West Virginia State Forest campground - very nice, but limited amenities. Electric-only hookups, and no dump station on site. Water is available a short distance from the campsites. This small campground is nestled in the forest only a few miles off I-64 near Caldwell, WV. There are only about 20 RV sites, well-spaced for privacy. The dense tree canopy blocked StarLink satellite connection at our site, though it appeared that a few of the spaces with clearer views might be able to make a connection. Clean bathrooms. Good hiking trails, but watch out for poison ivy found in many spots. The small town of Lewisburg, about 8 miles distant, offers numerous good restaurants and small shops. Accessing the campground involves driving 3 miles off I-64 on State 60/14, Harts Run Rd, a winding and narrow two-lane road, which might be a challenge for larger RV trailers and motorhomes, especially if there is traffic from the picnic/events, area a mile before reaching the campground. Shortly after turning onto Harts Run Rd there is a small, narrow one-way-only tunnel that you must go through to enter the State Forest. There is a misleading sign indicating that the tunnel is only 9'2" tall, which is wrong. As one gets closer to the tunnel there is another sign that shows the maximum height (center of the arch) to be 15'4". We had no trouble getting through the tunnel with our 23" Airstream, and we saw other much longer and taller travel trailers at the campsite, so access is possible. Overall, we enjoyed our stay, although heavy thunder showers on 3 nights interrupted sitting by the campfire. We would be happy to return.
LegendDixie Caverns is a privately owned campground, slash tourist site ( dixiecaverns.com ) located at the outskirts of Salem, VA.
Warning: In the website, they do state the campground is "directly off I-81," and it is. The fact is, you are surrounded on three sides by roadway...and the actual Dixie Cavern is at the base of a mountain, so all the road traffic is above the campground and the noise reverberates off the mountain and surrounding walls 24/7. Trust me when I say, semi-truck noise is loud during the twilight hours when the din of the day has disappeared.
We spent two different multiple-day stays at Dixie Caverns in the Spring, partly out of necessity and partly because of its close proximity to a desired venue in Salem. So I can attest to the traffic noise never letting up.
The Positive: Dixie Caverns Campground serves a need...a campground close to Salem. The next closest campground is an hour's drive and in heavy traffic...longer. It is also one of the closest campgrounds to several of Virginia's most popular hiking trails (AT) and scenic overlooks (Dragon's Tooth, Tinker Cliffs, etc). So people will use this as a "base camp" of sorts.
The personnel that run the Dixie Cavern Gift Shop, are also those you see to pay for a camping site...and I found them very friendly and helpful.
If you are visiting there to tour the Dixie Caverns...you are a hundred feet away from the mountain doorway.
The campground is tiny, as in footprint, but they have carved out a number of RV/Camper sites along the mountain base and the inner loops...and during our stays very few openings were observed. Water, electric and cable is provided at each of those pull-through sites. They are of adequate size for the largest of RV's, but they are side-by-side the length of the loop. No vegetation exists between or on those sides but some grass and some spaced large trees. Perhaps the RV/Camper clan camp there out of necessity and convenience too. Though there is a limit on the days of your stay, it appears that some are exempt from this rule. Some campers are permanent fixtures...others that were not, were still in the same location from the first visit to the next visit 30 days later. Several employees live full-time on site.
Tent camping is in the grass along the creek that runs down to the Roanoke River across the roadway. During the heavy rains we received, I had concerns that this raging creek would overflow its banks, but it did not. Trash was visible washed along its banks. The sites are marked only by a picnic table and rock fire ring...no other designation, so you chose a side of the fire ring to pitch your tent. Even with the heavy rains, I did not notice low, soggy areas. There is several large hardwood trees that provide a nice canopy, but no foliage between tenting areas...so the entire campground is line of sight. I believe there were only six tent sites (technically), but overflow tent sites are also along the grassy field across from the Gift Shop. Important note: If you are considering a good night's sleep in a tent (not sure of the sound dampening qualities of RV/Campers), ear-plugs are a must!
The showerhouse/restroom are located at the beginning of the campground, which is just the other side of the day use picnic area and the Gift Shop/Attraction parking lot. The doors are locked 24/7 and only campers receive the "push-button" door code (which the code did not change from both visits...not a secure safety protocol). The showerhouse/restroom has running water, flush toilets and several showers, and an electric outlet. It shows its age and looks like a heavily used campground facility. For tent campers, its the only potable water source.
There is both cell service and free wifi...which is amazing! I can count on my one finger how many campgrounds in W.VA and VA that had cell service.
The Negative: You must leave the campground for anything you'd like to do, other than the Caverns...and sitting in your camp chair.
There are no trails or other amenities...and the trails closeby...are still a 20-30 minutes drive on a good day.
Whether or not tenters are in the tent area, this is the dog walking area. They are required to pick up...but it is aggravating...because if it doesn't pour, the smell remains.
Did I mention the truck traffic noise? The overall condition of Dixie Caverns appears dated, a bit run-down, and dirty.
Would I stay there again? Odds are I will spend one more collegiate softball post season and World Series staying at Dixie Caverns Campground next spring, purely out of convenience and necessity.
RV camping near Athens, West Virginia, offers a blend of scenic beauty and convenient amenities, making it an ideal getaway for outdoor enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular RV campground near Athens, WV is Brushcreek Falls RV Resort with a 4.7-star rating from 6 reviews.
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