Bluefield is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Bluefield is surrounded by family-friendly activities. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Bluefield, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
$25 / night
"You will have the whole property to yourself to fish the 1 acre pond and hike around the 76 acre land.
We want to make you feel welcome so feel free to reach out!"
"Nice campground outside Bland, VA. The road up needs a 4x4. Nice vault toilets and a hand pump water. There are 5 sites at this location."
"Good hikes nearby, nothing too difficult and all are beautiful. The Appalachian Trail is close to the site, find some thru hikers and make some trail magic!"
"There is a shelter at the top; this location is located along the Appalachian Trail and has wodden bunks and single platforms for pads and sleeping bags."
"Don’t make the same mistake I did and tent camp outside in a huge storm - just stay inside!"
$11 - $79 / night
"We camped in the "primitive loop" for a long holiday weekend. Tent sites were spaced a decent distance apart. Most were treed and had some shade during the day."
"Beautiful lake surrounded by gorgeous mountains, hiking, fishing and boating, amazing staff, very clean shower houses and laundry facility! Very family oriented and pet friendly!"
"No showers but there is a store 10 minutes away where you can pay to take a hot shower. In back of store."
"I didn’t camp here, but I took out my kayak at the boat ramp and looked around. Vault M/F toilet, BYOTP. No hookups and I didn’t see a water spigot. Plenty of shade. Closed during flood."
"Beautiful spot on the New River in Giles County, VA located right outside downtown Narrows. There's a Disc Golf Course, Fishing, Camping, and Community Events. Well kept, clean, and perfect."
"West Virginia at its finest! Blue stone state park is right next door to the lake so there are wonderful water activities here."
"Camp ground was clean, bathhouse was clean and neighbors were all spaced out pretty good. Staff was kind and helpful. We enjoyed ourselves and will for sure go back."
"You’ve struck gold here at Bull Falls Campground if you’re looking to get away from it all, discover solitude in the heart of West Virginia’s lush, verdant nature garden of Eden."
LegendRANGER REIVEW: PRIMUS 4-SEASON STAINLESS STEEL 0.3L MUG AT GRANDVIEW SANDBAR CAMPGROUND, NEW RIVER GORGE NATIONAL RIVER, WV
CAMPGROUND REVIEW:
Grandview Sandbar Campground situated along the New River, just outside of Prince, WV off Route 41 offers upclose and personal riverside camping. https://www.nps.gov/neri/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm
This and the other riverside campgrounds in the New River Gorge National River offer a minimal number of sites, no water, no electric, no modern facilities…however, they are free and its all about location. Site availability is first come, first served. Length of stay is limited to 14 days.
On the higher, wooded loop to the right as you travel down a very narrow, serpentine gravel road, there are 10 campsites. There are gravel parking pads that could accommodate a small RV/Camper/Pop-up…and a couple Pop-ups were present. How they navigated the winding steep park gravel road, is a mystery to me…the rains were eroding corners causing my truck to scrape.
The sites do have a picnic table, lantern post and firepit. Depending on thr site you choose, the initial sites to the right are all below the campground roadway you wind down. The pit latrine is a short walking distance and directly next to the host site in the River Access parking lot and boat ramp area.
The 8 tent sites are located on the far side of the boat ramp parking area and all but the two Handicap sites require a short walk to reach.
Numbers are on the lantern posts and blend together but are distinguished by the firepit. These are directly on the sand "beach" area of the New River…and as seen in my photos are not only a bit angled, they can be a dangerous choice.
The two handicap accessible sites are bordered by timbers, leveled and much more desirable, but you must possess a handicap placard/permit. It is not permissible to utilize them as overflow without a placard/permit.
The walk-up tent area has its own pit latrine. Nothing special…but private.
There is a river trail that will take you to Glade Creek and additional trails. Within a short drive are several additional nice hiking trails in the New River Gorge and nearby State parks.
Note: This is a busier campground with the public access boat ramp and very busy on weekends. A very popular spot for locals. While alcohol is prohibited, there was substantial physical evidence to the contrary, mere steps from the dumpster. Also keep in mind, during rains, tributaries flow into the New River causing it to overflow its banks with some regularity in thr spring and early summer.
Spring weekdays still saw several campers, even with the torrential rains and flooding. Free is a big draw.
PRODUCT REVIEW:
PRIMUS 4-SEASON STAINLESS STEEL 0.3L MUG
https://primus.us/products/four-seasons-mug-35l-stainless-steel?variant=358039683090
The Primus 4-Season Stainless Steel 0.3L Mug is a great option for the outdoorsperson searching for a do-all cup.
With it's all stainless steel double wall construction, it offers rust resistance, a clean appearance, the ability to keep contents their desired temperature longer, and remains odorless/tasteless. The mug is lightweight at just under 4 ounces.
The 0.3L/10 oz. mug is convenient and held single servings of beverage and food. However, I might migrate to Primus' other offering in the 0.2L/8 oz. mug for the volume I prefer.
The only potential achilles heel, would be the same with any other mug and that is the handle. Though I experienced no issues and don't foresee any…if there were to be one, it's likely with a mug's handle.
All in all, a great mug choice!
TravelerStone Cliff campground is a sandy, walk in campground. There is one site that you can park beside which I think is supposed to be ADA accessible. The rest of the sites require a short walk in or down about a flight of steps.
We camped right below the stairs. There was a pole for a lantern but no picnic table (although there are some near the parking area), no fire ring (previous campers had made one out of stone that we used), and no flat tent pad area. We pitched our tent in the flattest spot and it was acceptable.
There are vault toilets up the stairs and across the parking lot. They smelled awful and needed to be cleaned. Although it didn't seem like Stone Cliff was a busy campground (we only had a couple neighbors) the rafting companies put in right there and bring bus loads of rafters who use the vault toilets so they are used by lots of people.
You have to bring your own water. There are garbage cans in the parking area above.
It is right on the New River on a sand bar which is nice except there was SO MUCH BROKEN GLASS. Honestly it was the most broken glass I've seen on a beach. There was also quite a lot of litter which is obnoxious.
Overall it was fine. It was free and it was close to the Visitor's Center and most of the trails I wanted to hike. But it wasn't a beautiful or serene nature setting.
LegendStopped by on my way up north. Beautiful view of the river, which was high. There’s 5 pull in sites and 5 walk in tent sites. Multiple bathrooms, including ADA friendly, all clean. There were 2 other campers on a Saturday night, which was nice and quiet. It’s about 5 miles down a nice dirt road, easy to drive on. There’s no AT&T service upon arrival. A few spots you could locate a bar to send a message, but that’s it. Lots of trees to hang a hammock. Each site had a fire ring, picnic table and a pole to hang food from. No electricity or water so be sure to bring your own. Overall, enjoyed my stay!
LegendGLADE CREEK - New River Gorge
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
70 yr olds in 17’ trailer:
Overall Rating: 4.5
Price. Free
Usage during visit: Trailer sites usually filled up by the end of the day.
Site Privacy: 2. Little understory plants Site 1 is very private.
Site Spacing: 5. Very large sotes
Site surface: Gravel/ mud
Reservations: First come, first serve
Campground Noise : 5. Very little
Road Noise: 4.5 Glade Rd is behind site 1., but not close. Site 1 is still the best trailer site. Traffic can hardly be seen through the trees. Minimal traffic and minimal noise .
Through Traffic: Access to the boat ramp is through the campground. Though, traffic is minimal, folks on the way to the ramp and picnic area often drive pretty fast.
Electricity: No
Water: River only - bring drinking water.
Sewer: No
Dump: No
Generators: Allowed
Bathroom: Nice pit toilet near site 2(a nice handicap site.
Showers: No
Pull Throughs: Most sites
Cell Service (Verizon): No
Setting: 5. We can hear the river from all sites, which is just a short walk away.
Weather: Rain, clouds, sunshine
Bugs: None
Solar: Minimal and surely less when the trees leaf out more. Site 2 looks to have the best solar for a roof mount. Still minimal .
Host: None
Rig size: Limited by a narrow one lane . bridge on Glade Rd . A 30’ trailer arrived. There is plenty of room in the 5 trailer sites.
Access: 20 minute drive from 41 on maintained and pretty smooth gravel road. UPON ARRIVAL, IF PULLING A TRAILER , I SUGGEST THAT YOU OCCUPY THE FIRST SITS YOU SEE. That is because reentry into the campground, while pulling a trailer, requires extra driving away from the campground entry for turn around.
Sites: Site 1 is best for a trailer - isolated from the rest . Site 2 is a handicap site, which is not enforced by park service . Sites 3-5 are nice and large but not very private . Site 6, as looping back around, is the absolute best site, right on the river. It is suitable for truck campers, vans, and tents. A small trailer which can be hand maneuvered will also work there. There are some walk-in tent sites I did not evaluate.
Notes: There are reports from others of safety concerns. I checked with park ranger officers and they said there are no safety concerns, “especially way back here.” We didn’t experience any issues. That said, this issues reported in other reviews took place at the boat ramp, which is in ear shot of the walk-in sites, for sure.
TravelerThe ranger informed us someone who stayed here in a rv had a close call crossing the train tracks and now they have decided to make this campground a tent only place. Which is very unfortunate since this place is beautiful and the sites were big enough for rv and tent use. You have to cross train tracks to get here and it’s 4 sets of tracks all are very active with trains coming as often as every 20 minutes and they do not stop. The have a vault style toilet one for men and one for women. No water and no electric. There is a river nearby but it has a very strong current. The trains are fun to watch but very loud and frequent. The wind here is also very strong and without strong anchors could easily pull up your tent. We were having to restake the corners throughout our stay and thought we might loose our rain fly a few times. The wind just seemed to come out of nowhere being in a small valley the storms were very strong. We have Verizon and had 1-2 bars of service while here. It’s a shame they felt they had to close it to all rv and trailer use because of one careless act but that is what happens.
LegendHungry Mother State Park, just a short drive off I-81 in southwestern Virginia, is an easily accessible gem offering modern cabins, yurts, and campgrounds equipped for tents or RVs, with limitless activities.
We stayed in one of the cabins after Hurricane Michael rained out our plans for tent camping. This was our first time in one of the VSP cabins, and will not be our last. There are three types of cabins; log exteriors, part of the original Civilian Conservation Corps structures; wooden frame cabins with wooden interiors, and cinderblock exteriors with tile floors. Cabins range from economy to three bedroom, and all have a kitchen with microwave, stove, and refrigerator/freezer, a bathroom with a shower, and a fireplace, as well as heating and air conditioning. Most cabins also have covered porches, exterior picnic tables, and exterior fire rings.
The Creekside Campground loop has water and electric hookups, picnic tables, and fire rings. The layout is similar to most water/electric sites in state and national parks in Virginia; not much privacy between the sites, but fairly shaded, and a quiet atmosphere. This loop is true to its name, and right on the creek running through the park. We were there during the rains from Hurricane Michael and the creek was running so high that sites 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, and 19 looked like they were in danger of flooding.
The Royal Oak campground has platforms for tents set into the mountain rather than dirt or gravel tent pads, however as there are hooks in each of the pads to anchor your tent they can only accommodate tents with a 20x20 footprint. These sites have picnic tables and fire rings on the dirt beside the platforms. The two VSP Yurts at Hungry Mother are in the Royal Oak loop, along the entrance that are set up from the road. This loop overall offers a lot more privacy for each site that I have typically seen in state parks due to the platforms, though you will still see/hear your neighbors. Both camping loops have bathrooms with electricity, flush toilets, and showers with warm water.
Amenities in the park include a lake with a swimming area, boat/canoe rentals, fishing (with license), a restaurant, hiking, biking, and ranger programs. The park office also has several cool displays of local wildlife and history of the area, as well as backpacks you can check out with books and gear for tree, wildflower, and animal identification. Hiking varies from short and easy trails with minimal elevation gain, to the difficult Molly’s Knob trail with one of the most epic sunset views I’ve ever hiked in Virginia.
I love Virginia State Parks, and this is definitely a new favorite. I’m skeptical of the comfort of the wooden platforms for future tent camping trips, but the cabins will definitely be a future stay for us, particularly during the winter months, and there is so much to do in this park even the most reluctant adventurer will find fun.
**Product Review **
As as Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time — on this trip I tested the RōM pack, from RōM Outdoors.
I was skeptical about this pack when I first received it—it felt extremely heavy for a day pack, particularly as it doesn’t have a hip belt, and while I was impressed with the removable pockets, it didn’t seem like the pack itself had a lot of cargo capacity.
After using this pack on our trip, I am a convert. We used it to pack clothes for my husband and I, knowing we would be able to leave our clothes at camp when we went hiking. This freed up space in the car that would normally go to a larger backpack, and we got to take advantage of the pack’s ability to convert to both a poncho and a blanket, not just for review purposes, but out of necessity.
The poncho’s rain resistance held up well, considering we were hiking in the outer bands of a hurricane. The first hike we took this on we started in the rain, and my husband wore the poncho—he stayed dry for the first half mile of our hike, but by end of our mile the water had started leaking through so he did get a little wet—though mostly around the the seams/openings. On our second hike he wore it as a backpack. Because it was raining when we set out and we anticipated needing the poncho feature again, we elected not to bring the detachable pockets, but the interior of the pack was enough to hold our 5 year old’s day pack once she got tired of carrying it.
It stopped raining by the time we got to the summit of our hike, and we tested the blanket feature of the pack for a picnic. It unfolds to a size that was perfect for our family of four. The canvas is thick enough to make a great picnic blanket—it protects from damp ground and sharp rocks, and the lining makes for a very soft surface to sit on. On the way back I took advantage of the poncho. By this point it had gotten extremely windy and was getting dark quickly, and the poncho was excellent at keeping me warm. It’s very heavy, which was welcome in the strong wind, though it did make it hard to hear with the hood over my ears.
Pros to this pack:
-Versatility. In one trip we used the backpack, poncho, and blanket feature, and were grateful for all three.
-Durability. This is definitely a well-constructed pack, with heavy materials that seem like they will last for a long time.
-User-friendly. The pack looks intimidating at first, but it unfolds/folds from pack to poncho/blanket very easily. Combined with the drawstring inner pack and detachable pockets it’s easy to convert while still keeping track of your gear.
Cons to this pack:
-Space. This is great to bring on a camping trip where you can bring additional packs/bags for your gear, but it doesn’t hold much on its own.
-Weight. It only weighs in at 4.6lbs, which is less than a lot of backpacking packs, but as the pack doesn’t have the hip belt it’s a high starting weight.
-Thin straps. The width of the straps is comfortable, but they could use a little more padding.
GuideNice 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.
ScoutThis is a great spot to get away from almost everything. No cell, no wifi, no hook ups, no showers.
Lots of hiking with a short 1.3 loop mile trail right out of the campground, and several trails nearby, including a few different connectors to sections of the AT.
Usually few if any campers here, but lots of wildlife to be seen and heard in and around the campground.
Theres a camp host who takes care of both bath houses, which have sinks and flush toilets. No hot water, and no showers. There are a few water hydrants throughout the campground for water.
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.
Tent camping near Bluefield, West Virginia, offers a variety of scenic locations and outdoor activities for nature enthusiasts. From peaceful lakeside spots to rugged trails, there’s something for everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Bluefield, WV?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Bluefield, WV is Goforth Mountain Homestead with a 5-star rating from 1 review.
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