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Best Campgrounds near Brandywine, WV

967 Reviews

The mountainous terrain surrounding Brandywine, West Virginia encompasses diverse camping options within the Monongahela National Forest and nearby public lands. Brandywine Lake Campground in the Shenandoah Wildlife Management Area provides established sites with showers and basic amenities, operating from May through early December. Just a few miles away, Switzer Lake Dispersed Camping offers free primitive sites for those seeking a more rustic experience. Seneca Shadows Campground, approximately 30 miles north, features both RV sites with hookups and a memorable tent-only section with views of Seneca Rocks. Spruce Knob Lake Campground, situated near West Virginia's highest peak, provides a remote camping experience with extra-large, shaded sites and access to numerous hiking trails.

Road conditions vary significantly throughout the region, with many campgrounds accessible only via narrow, winding gravel roads that may challenge larger vehicles. As one camper noted, "Once you turn onto Switzer Lake Road, be prepared to drive another 2 miles on a single lane and very bumpy dirt road. Go slow as there are several sharp corners with huge drops." Cell service is limited or nonexistent in most areas, requiring advance planning. Summer brings afternoon thunderstorms that can arrive suddenly, while higher elevations remain cool even during warm months. According to visitors, "In June, you can anticipate random, short afternoon or evening cloudbursts. Nights were cool and most mornings I wore a long-sleeve Merino shirt."

Wildlife encounters rank high among camper experiences, with deer commonly seen at dawn and dusk. A visitor to Brandywine Lake noted, "Amazing doesn't even describe how beautiful this place is. A short walk from your campsite to the lake to enjoy kayaking, fishing, swimming and picnicking." The area's natural features draw outdoor enthusiasts year-round, with fishing particularly popular in stocked lakes and streams. Campers consistently praise the cleanliness of facilities at established campgrounds, while those seeking solitude gravitate toward dispersed sites in the national forest. Bear activity requires proper food storage throughout the region, with several campgrounds providing bear-proof trash receptacles rather than dedicated food storage.

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Best Camping Sites Near Brandywine, West Virginia (147)

    1. Seneca Shadows

    32 Reviews
    Seneca Rocks, WV
    16 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."

    2. Brandywine Lake Campground — Shenandoah Wildlife Management Area

    9 Reviews
    Brandywine, WV
    3 miles
    Website

    $20 / night

    "A short walk from your campsite to the lake to enjoy kayaking, fishing, swimming and picnicking. The camp has a bath house with showers. The camp host is very nice and keeps the campground spotless."

    "This campground is mostly level, so bike riding for kids is great, walking to the lake or shower houses is very easy for those who have trouble with hills. The lake has a small but clean beach."

    3. Switzer Lake Dispersed Camping

    10 Reviews
    Brandywine, VA
    6 miles
    Website

    "Once you turn onto Switzer Lake Rd from U.S. 33 and find the parking area to the lake on your left, be prepared to drive another 2ish miles on a single lane and very bumpy dirt road."

    "Some things to note- the lake front campsites fill up quickly and they are not drive in. Since I sleep in my Jeep, I needed a drive in spot."

    4. Flagpole Knob

    8 Reviews
    Brandywine, VA
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (540) 432-0187

    "There’s plenty of camp spots close by with some cover from trees. Very spaced out. Everyone you run into is nice and welcoming."

    "I drove to Switzer Lake first and from there stayed on the trail all the way to Flag Pole. The drive took a few hours but was a ton of fun."

    5. Spruce Knob Lake Campground

    17 Reviews
    Riverton, WV
    17 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."

    6. Hone Quarry

    10 Reviews
    Mount Solon, VA
    12 miles
    Website

    $5 / night

    "The first camp sites are easy to get to are close to bathrooms and a creek if you keep going down the road the road does get pretty rough and I wouldn’t recommend any cars or less the 4 wheel drives at"

    "Hiking,trout fishing & wheeling close by."

    7. Big Bend Campground

    14 Reviews
    Cabins, WV
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 358-3253

    $27 - $50 / night

    "Forest, West Virginia."

    "The campground is situated in the middle of a bowl in the canyon(you're surrounded by mountains)."

    8. Gandy Creek Dispersed Camping

    16 Reviews
    Whitmer, WV
    20 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!"

    9. Smalltown Campsites LLC

    1 Review
    Brandywine, WV
    6 miles

    "Walked the dogs to the river and had a blast.

    Had the place all to ourselves.

    Dark sky and silence.

    Six sites now. Owners told me they are planning to expand a little at some point."

    10. Switzer Lake

    1 Review
    Brandywine, VA
    7 miles
    Website
    +1 (540) 432-0187

    "Good little spot, used to go here a lot in college, the drive in can be done by a sedan but I’d definitely recommend AWD/4WD."

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Recent Camping Photos near Brandywine, WV

515 Photos of 147 Brandywine Campgrounds

Recent Reviews near Brandywine, WV

967 Reviews of 147 Brandywine Campgrounds

  • Aileen C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 3, 2025

    Blackwater Falls State Park Campground

    Clean Campground in a Beautiful Park

    This is one of our favorite places. The park is beautiful, and so are the nearby Canaan Valley Wildlife Refuge and Canaan Valley State Park.

    The campground is better suited to tents and small to medium size camping units. I think the person who designed it was not familiar with camping units other than tents. Loop 1-30 is one way going clockwise. Loop 31-65 is one way going counterclockwise. But in both loops, to have your door facing away from the street, you have to drive counterclockwise if your site is on the outside of the loop, and clockwise if your site is inside the loop.  In some sites, the electric pedestal is on the wrong side, so you'll have to use a long cord and take it under your unit to reach your electric hookup.

    There are two water fill stations, one at the camp store where you check in, and the other at a water fountain near the bathhouse in loop 31-65. They are supplied supplied with a green garden hose, not a white potable water hose, so we unscrewed the hose and used our own. The water tastes unusually good.

    The dump station is in a section of loop 31-65. You have to go the wrong way on a one way road to be close enough for your slinky to reach it. The non potable rinse water is across this road from the dump station and it has a white hose--beware--this is not the drinking water! You stretch this hose across the road to rinse your gray and black tanks and slinky.

    Some of the sites are not very level, and many of the pull thru sites share some driveway space with another pull thru site or a back in site. There are two pairs of sites that share a pull thru--OK for people traveling together, but otherwise a headache if you're arriving and leaving at different times.

    Once you have dealt with all this inconvenience and oddness, you'll find you're within walking distance of the falls, a small lake, hiking trails that go through beautiful forests with rhododendrons, hemlocks, spruce, and hardwoods. The camp store is limited, but the staff is very friendly and helpful. The nature center is one of the best I've ever visited, and park naturalists provide programs on weekends. There are kayak rentals in summer. The lake has a swimming beach, but you can pay to use the swimming pool at the lodge for better swimming. The lodge also has a huge lobby with a cabinet containing jigsaw puzzles. We worked on one on a rainy day when we didn't want to be outside. Davis and Thomas have some interesting shops and good restaurants.When you get back after a day of adventures, you'll find clean restrooms with hot showers that are actually hot. And the T-Mobile service was good enough for my husband to stream a movie while I sent photos to my family. The park was very busy for Labor Day weekend, but it was a family atmosphere and after dark, there were few lights and little noise.

  • Joel R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 2, 2025

    Big Meadows Campground — Shenandoah National Park

    Quiet, lots of room

    This is a National Park campground so there are no hookups! Generators are allowed during designated hours. (Please don’t bring one.) Hot shower, bathrooms and laundry are available. Camp store with basics. The sites are large, some are not level but are workable. Lots of wildlife. Near trails.

  • Lee G.
    Sep. 2, 2025

    Big Bend Campground

    Big Bend Campground…Definitely Worth the Experience

    Big Bend Campground is a beautiful place with a great family atmosphere. The campsites are large and accommodate RVs and/or multiple tents. The best part about this place is the nearly 360° lazy river tubing experience. This place has no cell service and you’ll have to travel along a 2 1/2 mile dirt road to finally get to the campground. The Camp Hosts were great and offered a lot of local information and tips. While this is a great location and provides memorable adventures, it would be great if the picnic tables and some of the fire rings could be updated as they’re nearing the end of their service life. However, this is simply a great place to unhook from the daily grind.

  • Werner S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 1, 2025

    Loft Mountain Campground — Shenandoah National Park

    Perfect Shenandoah stopover

    Good amount of first come first serve spots. We visited during a weekday and there was more than enough availability. Nice small trail that runs around the campground. The campstore offers more than enough! We bought a smores-kit, very handy. I dont know if there are (enough) full hook ups?

  • Werner S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 1, 2025

    KOA Luray RV Resort

    Just turned into a KOA?

    Wright next to the Luray caves and near the starting point of the Skyline drive. Nice, quietly located camping, surrounded by fields. You have all the necessary amenities that you would expect on a KOA camping. (I think they just now became KOA, last month it was still the big skies camping). There is a small but nice swimmingpool. Fun; lots of fireflies (in the right seasons?)

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 31, 2025

    Spacious Skies Shenandoah Views

    Very clean and Nice Views

    Very clean campground with super friendly staff. I really enjoyed my time here.

  • Lindsay C.
    Aug. 28, 2025

    Little Fort Campground

    Nice secluded campsite

    There are 9 campsites, each with at least one fire ring, a tent pad and a picnic table, and there is a vault toilet in the middle. I arrive at 7:30pm on a Saturday in late August and thought I might be too late to get a spot but there were only two other groups there so I had my pick of most of the sites. 

    Overall it's a nice secluded spot, although I had a couple of complaints. The picnic tables at most of the sites had seen better days and I'm not sure if I would have wanted to sit at them if I had stayed at the site for any meals. Also, I could hear some cars drive by and some dogs barking while I was trying to sleep, which was a bit disruptive. Otherwise, I would recommend this campsite. 

    Note: this page says that Verizon has limited service but I have a Verizon prepaid plan and I had no service at all starting from about 20 minutes away from the site, so I wouldn't count on having any reception.

  • scott K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 23, 2025

    Gladwin Dispersed Camping

    Go a little further

    Decided to try it even though other review said private property- and seems they were correct but incorrect. Initially you do come to private land with several campsites and campers present. But if you go down the dirt road a little to the low water bridge you will find a wonderful site on the right with several fire pits. Or another 100 yards after bridge was another nice site on the left

  • Sophia Z.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 17, 2025

    Gladwin Dispersed Camping

    Spot is on Private Property

    Spot is amazing, but we got told to leave due to it actually being private property, not part of the national forest camping.
    There is a private property line next to the entrance, so we thought we were in the clear being away from it, but locals, although incredibly friendly, kindly asked us to leave.

Guide to Brandywine

Camping near Brandywine, West Virginia, offers a mix of beautiful scenery and outdoor activities. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventurous getaway, there are several campgrounds to choose from.

What to do:

  • Hiking: Explore the numerous trails around the area. Many campers enjoy the hiking trails accessible from campgrounds like Blackwater Falls State Park Campground. One reviewer mentioned, "Hiking trails accessible by foot from the campground is a plus for us so we don’t have to pack up each time we venture out."
  • Fishing: If you love fishing, head to Seneca Shadows. A camper shared, "The campground was great!!! Lots of fun outdoor areas to explore in the area such as Dolly Sods and Spruce Knob."
  • Sightseeing: Don't miss the stunning views at Spruce Knob Lake Campground. One visitor noted, "The views are stunning from the site and trails."

What campers like:

  • Clean Facilities: Campers appreciate well-maintained restrooms and showers. A review for Blackwater Falls State Park Campground stated, "Bathrooms and showers are very clean."
  • Spacious Sites: Many campgrounds offer roomy sites. A camper at Seneca Shadows mentioned, "The sites are spacious and well placed."
  • Friendly Staff: Campers often rave about the helpfulness of campground staff. One visitor at Harrisonburg - Shenandoah Valley KOA said, "Nice people at the camp shop and camp sites were well kept."

What you should know:

  • Limited Cell Service: Be prepared for little to no cell service in many campgrounds. A camper at Spruce Knob Lake Campground advised, "Download your maps before you come, because there's no cell service."
  • Primitive Camping: Some campgrounds, like Red Creek Campground, are more rustic. A review noted, "This is a small rustic campground on the edge of the Dolly Sods wilderness."
  • Seasonal Access: Check the campground seasons before you go. For example, Wolf Gap is open all year, while others have specific seasons.

Tips for camping with families:

  • Kid-Friendly Activities: Look for campgrounds with activities for kids. One family at Harrisonburg - Shenandoah Valley KOA enjoyed, "Kids activities on the weekend."
  • Safety First: Ensure your kids know the campground rules. A parent at Seneca Shadows mentioned, "The camp host was friendly and helpful."
  • Plan for Meals: Bring easy-to-cook meals or snacks. A camper at Endless Caverns RV Resort & Cottages said, "The campground itself is situated on a mountain and can be hard to maneuver."

Tips from RVers:

  • Check Site Sizes: Make sure your RV fits the site. A reviewer at Seneca Shadows noted, "The parking pad was gravel but fairly level."
  • Electric Hookups: Look for campgrounds with electric hookups if needed. Harrisonburg - Shenandoah Valley KOA offers various hookups for RVs.
  • Road Conditions: Be cautious of road conditions leading to campgrounds. A camper at Wolf Gap mentioned, "The drive is back-woodsy and populated in a rural way."

Camping near Brandywine, West Virginia, has something for everyone, from families to solo adventurers. Just remember to plan ahead and enjoy the great outdoors!

Frequently Asked Questions

What camping is available near Brandywine, WV?

According to TheDyrt.com, Brandywine, WV offers a wide range of camping options, with 147 campgrounds and RV parks near Brandywine, WV and 32 free dispersed camping spots.

Which is the most popular campground near Brandywine, WV?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Brandywine, WV is Seneca Shadows with a 4.5-star rating from 32 reviews.

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

According to TheDyrt.com, there are 32 free dispersed camping spots near Brandywine, WV.

What parks are near Brandywine, WV?

According to TheDyrt.com, there are 26 parks near Brandywine, WV that allow camping, notably George Washington & Jefferson National Forests and Shenandoah National Park.

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