The Dyrt – find campgrounds for tents, RVs, cabins, glamping and more.
Open in App

Best Campgrounds near Glady, WV

575 Reviews
CAMPER SUMMARY PRESENTED BYFord

Dispersed camping options near Glady, West Virginia include several primitive sites in the Monongahela National Forest, with Gandy Creek offering free tent and RV camping without developed amenities. The mountainous region encompasses established campgrounds like Spruce Knob Lake Campground and Seneca Shadows, providing varying levels of facilities from basic to more developed. Seneca Shadows features tent-only sections with views of Seneca Rocks, while Little River Dispersed Campsites offers free camping with basic amenities. Most camping areas sit at higher elevations between 3,000-4,800 feet, creating distinct forest environments dominated by spruce and hardwoods.

Road conditions vary significantly throughout the region, with many campgrounds accessible only via narrow, winding forest roads that may be unpaved or contain potholes. "The drive to the Spruce Knob Lake Campground is on a combination of narrow, winding, mostly unpaved roads. Go slow because there are plenty of blind curves," noted one camper. Weather patterns at these elevations can change rapidly, with cool temperatures even during summer months and frequent rainfall throughout the year. Cell service remains limited or non-existent at most sites, though some established campgrounds like Five River Campground maintain better connectivity. Campers should prepare for potential wildlife encounters, including bears, requiring proper food storage in this remote region.

The natural landscape dominates the camping experience near Glady, with several visitors highlighting the exceptional night sky viewing opportunities. Many campgrounds provide access to hiking trails, fishing areas, and scenic viewpoints. Spruce Knob, West Virginia's highest peak at 4,863 feet, remains a popular destination accessible from several nearby camping areas. A visitor described the region as "one of the most beautiful and often most remote trail I have had the privilege of bikepacking." Primitive sites generally offer more seclusion but fewer amenities, while established campgrounds like Blackwater Falls State Park Campground provide more facilities including showers, flush toilets, and electric hookups. The region experiences significant seasonal variation, with some campgrounds closing during winter months and others remaining open year-round but with limited accessibility during snow and ice conditions.

Map showing campgrounds near Glady, West VirginiaExplore the Map

Best Camping Sites Near Glady, West Virginia (125)

    1. Gandy Creek Dispersed Camping

    16 Reviews
    Whitmer, WV
    8 miles
    Website

    "Some you walk-in a short distance but are rewarded with amazing sites on the creek, secluded and wooded. Other places you can camp in your vehicle or park at the site."

    "Just camped there with two of my friends this past weekend, really cool site we were lucky enough to get a site next to the river! Get there early as it’s first come first serve!"

    2. Spruce Knob Lake Campground

    17 Reviews
    Riverton, WV
    12 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 567-3082

    $15 - $32 / night

    "It is about 5 miles from the summit of Spruce Knob (highest peak in West Virginia).  Tow campers smaller in size can certainly make it, although mostly tent camping which I like. "

    "The Spruce Knob Lake Campground offers extra-large camp sites with lots of shade and so much undergrowth I only saw my neighbors when I took a walk to check out the campground."

    3. Seneca Shadows

    32 Reviews
    Seneca Rocks, WV
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 567-3082

    $17 - $65 / night

    "I stayed here for a single night while I was exploring West Virginia, but I wish I had stayed longer. This is one of the most beautiful campgrounds I've ever seen."

    "West Virginia is packed with some of the best hiking, climbing, rafting, biking, canyons, mountains, rivers, valleys, and forests in the U.S...and the beauty is few people take advantage of it."

    CAMPER SUMMARY PRESENTED BYFord

    4. Spruce Knob and Spruce Knob Observation Tower

    8 Reviews
    Circleville, WV
    9 miles

    "Spruce Knob is the highest point in West Virginia and offers great views."

    "Spruce Knob is West Virginia's highest peak and on a clear day offers breathtaking 360 degree views from the Observation Tower.      https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mnf/recarea/?"

    5. Blackwater Falls State Park Campground

    52 Reviews
    Davis, WV
    25 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 259-5216

    $50 / night

    "Blackwater State Park, Davis, WV https://wvstateparks.com/park/blackwater-falls-state-park/ Camping anywhere in West Virginia is a highlight, but this area offers hiking views aplenty."

    "This was our first stay in a state park campground in West Virginia and it was a great stay. Arrived during a steady downpour and rented a cabin for the first night but camped the second night."

    6. Revelle’s River Resort

    6 Reviews
    Bowden, WV
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 636-0023

    "Restaurant, Shavers Saloon, was walking distance and had full bar with good food. Service there was great. Bathrooms were older but very clean. Plenty of hot water."

    "This seemed to be a well laid out campground with sites for weekenders in maybe the best location right along the river and the seasonal campers spread out around."

    7. Laurel Fork Campground

    5 Reviews
    Glady, WV
    4 miles
    Website

    "Laurel fork campground is a nice place to go if you are looking to get away from the busy life. It’s not a very large camp ground or heavily populated. Finding a spot shouldn’t be a problem."

    "Biggest surprise, given the location on the creek and remoteness of the campground ( settled deep in the woods) , there were No Bugs to speak of! Tons of wildflowers and butterflies!"

    CAMPER SUMMARY PRESENTED BYFord

    8. Five River Campground

    27 Reviews
    Parsons, WV
    21 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 478-3515

    $15 / night

    "This is a hidden gem right outside of town. We utilized one of the rv sites with 50 amp service and full hookups."

    "It sets at the end of a side street (Walnut St) at the edge of town (Parsons). A small, quaint mountain town."

    9. Bear Heaven Campground

    6 Reviews
    Bowden, WV
    9 miles
    Website

    "It’s a nice base camp if you don’t mind driving to other trails nearby. Visit in spring with mountain laurel, rhododendrons, etc. are blooming in the nearby lands, it’s like nothing else!"

    "You can either walk through or climb these boulders. The area has several great hiking and mountains biking trails."

    10. Lower Glady Dispersed Campground

    8 Reviews
    Harman, WV
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 636-1800

    "simply would not like it all, but might be ideal for your purposes, such as two or three areas where there is essentially a big field with a short loop road with maybe half a dozen campsites right next to"

    "No one next to me. There were a couple of small groups, like two rigs together. Nice and quiet. A few friendly fishermen each day, sharing local knowledge."

Show More
Showing results 1-10 of 125 campgrounds

2025 Detourist Giveaway

Presented byToyota Trucks

Review Campgrounds. Win Prizes.

Enter to Win

Glady Contest

Enter to Win

Recent Camping Photos near Glady, WV

367 Photos of 125 Glady Campgrounds

Recent Reviews near Glady, WV

575 Reviews of 125 Glady Campgrounds

  • J
    Dec. 5, 2025

    Dispersed camping at Mower Basin

    Great Camping right on the Blue Ridge Parkway

    A quiet, easy-access campground with good site privacy and great lake views. Some site boundaries feel a bit unclear and the bathrooms can get crowded, but the location is perfect for exploring the Blue Ridge. A solid stay, especially with the RV and primitive areas kept separate.

    https://youtu.be/3NspCX_Zgnw

  • R
    Dec. 5, 2025

    Lower Glady Dispersed Campground

    An odd mix of campsite types, but something for just about everybody!

    So this is quite large, I'm guessing at least 25 to 35 campsites along a 4-ish mile long dirt road that deadends. It is dispersed camping, free. And I guess it just depends on what you were looking for. I like to have something a little bit remote, where my campsite is not visible from other campsites. There isn't a lot of that here, but I did find maybe three or four that fit that description, all visible from the dirt road that goes through it. 

    There were many sites that I simply would not like it all, but might be ideal for your purposes, such as two or three areas where there is essentially a big field with a short loop road with maybe half a dozen campsites right next to each other. These are bordered by trees but there are no trees on those sites. Definitely not my cup of tea, but might be ideal for those who are in campers or motorhomes and what to be near a group of other people doing the same thing. 

    The pit toilets are good, reasonably clean. They are however even more dispersed than the campsites— roughly one every mile. Keep that in mind while you are picking a campsite. You may want to be close to one, and then that would limit your choices. If you don't care how close you are to one of the toilets, then you have lots and lots of choices. 

    One of the best things about this location is if you are into mountain biking or hiking or trail running. There are an absolute ton of choices for you, some of them starting right there from the campsite or right at the end of it and several more within half a mile. The Allegheny trail runs right through the campsite with the road itself serving as part of the trail, then immediately turning into singletrack trail on the far ends of this several-miles-long dispersed camping area.

  • R
    Dec. 5, 2025

    Gladwin Dispersed Camping

    lovely and remote camping place ... but small

    the size of the available campsites were not small, but the overall place is. Near as I can tell, there are pretty much just five traditional sites and also a field or two where one could choose to camp but there's no driveway or parking area. 

    I camped at the site closest to the river— right next to it in fact! 

    And it was quite large. I was camping by myself, but there were at least three different places in that one campsite that could fit a large tent— so then actually three large tents total could comfortably fit in this one Spot -- possibly good for a group then. 

    The campsite's driveway itself is long enough that you could park a good-sized camper trailer in there. 

    As others have pointed out, it's a little hard to get to this place, and a little hard to figure out you are there when you are there because it's not well marked. If you do dispersed camping much, you sort of recognize the signs— not literal signs but rather the fact that it is dispersed camping. 

    The furthest two campsites among them— the one I picked and the one on the other side of the creek/River a little ways down — were the most private..  Both are visible from the road, and the one right by the water that I was in is a deep enough lot that you can choose to put your camper or tent further the back of it, further from the dirt road that goes through it. 

    Note that there were signs suggesting that the road going over that bridge is not usable when the waters are running high. Given that the campsite I was in is directly next to it, I imagine it would also flood, not just the low bridge. And that would mean that the other campsite's not reachable when high water is happening. 

    Other notable things: 

    1. absolutely no cell phone reception, no hint of it nearby that I got. 

    2. Do not confuse the open farmer's field with a couple dozen campers that is very nearby— that is not Gladwin dispersed camping but rather a private long-term rental spot.

    3. enjoy hiking? The 330 mile long Allegheny trail is right there next to the dispersed camping grounds

  • R
    Nov. 22, 2025

    Dispersed camping at Mower Basin

    Not for everybody, but definitely for me! dispersed camping at its finest

    I do a lot of dispersed camping, and have done several dispersed camping sites in West Virginia recently. Mower Basin is, hands down, my favorite one so far. And I suppose it depends on what you value and what you are looking for, but here's why I'm particularly fond of Mower Basin camping: 

    1. Many of the sites are legitimately dispersed, i.e. nowhere near other campsites, and sometimes not even visible from the main dirt road. 

    2. Remote enough that it is often not crowded because it does take a bit of work to get to it. 

    3. Significant variety from one camping spot to another. Some have stellar views from their 4000 foot-elevation perch, loooking down into the fog covered valleys far below, while others will have you surrounded in dense forests of pines, and some have tons of sun exposure -- handy if you've got a solar generator to charge. 

    4. Trails nearby— some of the finest trails I've experienced in WV— which is a lot of trails since that is one of my prime reasons for camping is to be near trails for hiking or trail running. There is a gorgeous network of trails defined as multi-use but designed particularly for mountain bikers, complete with berms, moguls, and generally sufficient width for navigating without hanging up a handlebar. Most noteworthy: the trails are beautifully groomed, well-maintained(which is definitely not the case in many of the national forest trails in the region). 

    5. Many of the sites are very tent-friendly, and most are also camper/RV friendly. Because of the roughness of the road to get up to Mower Basin, I doubt you could get easily get a large motorhome up here, but I have seen MANY fifth wheel or campers up to 25 feet in length. I wouldn't call the road four-wheel-drive, high clearance terrain, but it is fairly rotted, so you want to drive slow. 

    Reasons why it might not be perfect for everyone: 

    1. Really remote. I'm pretty sure the nearest hospital is at least an hour away, and I never get cell phone reception at any of the sites I have camped at. At best, I might get a momentary rush of incoming emails at one or two spots along one of the trails. But, for the most part, you will be truly off the grid here.

    2. Definitely not perfect if you aren't into dispersed, primitive camping, so look that up if you aren't familiar with it. The short story: if you need to go#2, be ready to dig a hole unless you've got a camper.:-) 

    3. Because of its remoteness and high altitude, it could be impassable for any vehicle in winter when there's heavy snow.

  • VanRumschpringa V.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 13, 2025

    Braley Pond Campground

    It’s good

    Follow the sign pointing to the picnic area. Sort of defined sites. Sort of flat. A Thursday in November and there were 2-3 others here before me. Big travel trailers.

  • RThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 28, 2025

    Audra State Park Campground

    Quiet

    A beautiful park located on a river very quiet. Campsites are small only electric is available bathhouse clean. The roads are very narrow with sharp turns.

  • Sonder B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 21, 2025

    Dispersed camping at Mower Basin

    Clean, Remote, Pristine, off the beaten path = Mower Basin

    I chose for this trip to pay a visit to the Monongahela Nation Forest in West Virginia. I plan on dispersed camp in the Mower Basin for seven days. 

    The first three I would be solo and on that Friday my partner in crime would come to camp. I went to the primary camp site, and it was occupied. 

    I had four other camp sites chosen and continued to the other four. I found that other campers were on the other spots. I went to the last one and found it to be open. In setting up camp I found two piles of bear scat. 

    One pile was clearly fresher than the other, but still two piles! The attached photo is the last dispersed camp site. It was a little over a mile from the other site. I was dispersed camping in the Mower Basin. You can drive right up to your camp site, but don’t be fooled, this is primitive camping. 

    You need to bring everything with you and take it all out with you.

    Nearest Cell tower is here 38.688719,-79.979097

    Fuel &  small gocery store can be found here 38.710707,-79.979095

    Minor Automotive shop and tire repair here 38.713085,-79.979352

Guide to Glady

Dispersed camping sites near Glady, West Virginia provide access to remote forest areas at elevations between 3,000-4,800 feet throughout the Monongahela National Forest. Many sites feature creek-side locations on rough gravel roads that require high-clearance vehicles to access. Winter camping remains possible at lower elevations, though temperatures frequently drop below freezing from November through March.

What to do

Fishing in mountain streams: At Gandy Creek Dispersed Camping, visitors can find excellent fishing opportunities along the creek. "Great dispersed camping area. Camped here in winter and just pulled into the first designated spot. There was snow but the fire pit was easy to dig out. Very quiet in late December and the sound of the creek was really peaceful," notes Justin L.

Swimming in forest creeks: During summer months, several spots along the creeks are deep enough for swimming. At Little River Dispersed Campsites, "When you park and walk down to the river, if you turn right, there's a beach area about 50 yards down that offers a great spot to take a dip!" according to Tommy S.

Hiking on interconnected trail systems: The area contains numerous hiking trails across varied terrain. Jennifer R. describes Gandy Creek: "There are lots of trails, LOTS, all around that area. There's a really cool rock formation where the creek goes under the Whitmer Road Bridge."

Exploring unique rock formations: The region contains distinctive boulder fields and rock structures. Adam W. notes that at Bear Heaven Campground, "Right beside the camp ground is a really cool area to explore unique boulders and rock structures. You can either walk through or climb these boulders."

What campers like

Dark sky viewing: The area offers exceptional stargazing opportunities due to minimal light pollution. Bryan G. from Spruce Knob and Spruce Knob Observation Tower states: "Spruce Knob Lake was a great spot for Milky Way star gazing."

Creek-side camping: Many campers appreciate sites directly along water features. At Little River Dispersed Campsites, Ashley W. describes "Beautiful spots by the river. Wildflowers and ferns and grassy spots right by the river. Some spots even have picnic tables and fire pits."

Privacy between sites: The natural spacing between sites provides seclusion. At Spruce Knob Lake Campground, Jennifer B. observed, "The Spruce Knob Lake Campground offers extra-large camp sites with lots of shade and so much undergrowth I only saw my neighbors when I took a walk to check out the campground."

Cool mountain temperatures: The higher elevation provides relief during summer heat. Jean C. notes that Spruce Knob Lake is "a great spot to take a day trip to for fishing or site seeing. They have an awesome wooded hiking trail that goes around the entire lake approximately 1 mile long."

What you should know

Wildlife encounters: Bear activity requires proper precautions. Luke M. from Little River Dispersed Campsites warns: "Not even 2 minutes from our dispersed camp site we were charged by an extremely aggressive black bear... We decided to keep ALL FOOD in the car's trunk those nights and not hanging in a tree just to be safe."

Frequently Asked Questions

What camping is available near Glady, WV?

According to TheDyrt.com, Glady, WV offers a wide range of camping options, with 125 campgrounds and RV parks near Glady, WV and 23 free dispersed camping spots.

Which is the most popular campground near Glady, WV?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Glady, WV is Gandy Creek Dispersed Camping with a 4.9-star rating from 16 reviews.

Where can I find free dispersed camping near Glady, WV?

According to TheDyrt.com, there are 23 free dispersed camping spots near Glady, WV.

What parks are near Glady, WV?

According to TheDyrt.com, there are 28 parks near Glady, WV that allow camping, notably Monongahela National Forest and Burnsville Lake.

Keep Exploring

  5. View all West Virginia cities for camping