Best Campgrounds near Buckhannon, WV

CAMPER SUMMARY PRESENTED BYFord

Buckhannon, West Virginia serves as a gateway to diverse camping environments, with several established campgrounds located within a 30-mile radius of the city. Audra State Park Campground, situated along the Middle Fork River, offers 67 sites for tent and RV camping, with 13 featuring electrical hookups. Nearby Stonewall Resort State Park provides additional options including cabin rentals and glamping accommodations. Most campgrounds in the region feature standard amenities such as picnic tables, fire rings, and access to drinking water, while some like Kick Back n Camp and Broken Wheel Campground remain open year-round for extended season camping opportunities.

Seasonal considerations heavily influence camping availability around Buckhannon, with most state park campgrounds operating from April through October. Audra State Park typically opens in mid-April and closes in mid-October, while Holly River State Park extends slightly longer from early April through late November. Weather conditions can significantly impact the camping experience, particularly along waterways where river levels fluctuate with rainfall. The Middle Fork River at Audra can transform dramatically after heavy precipitation, creating challenging conditions for riverside campsites. A camper noted, "The Middle Fork River was at a tranquil flow when we first arrived, but after several days, it swelled into a wild ride."

Riverside camping represents a distinctive feature of the Buckhannon area, with many campsites positioned directly along waterways. Audra State Park receives consistently high ratings for its riverside sites, where visitors can enjoy the sounds of flowing water throughout their stay. Several campers highlighted the peaceful atmosphere created by the proximity to water. "Falling asleep to the sounds of the river every night was perfect," one visitor wrote. While riverside sites offer natural ambiance, they also tend to fill quickly during peak season. Campgrounds farther from town such as Holly River State Park and Tygart Lake State Park provide alternative settings with varying degrees of development and natural features. Most campgrounds in the region accommodate both tent and RV camping, though site sizes and levelness vary considerably across locations.

Best Camping Sites Near Buckhannon, West Virginia (112)

    1. Audra State Park Campground

    33 Reviews
    Volga, WV
    10 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 457-1162

    "Audra State Park, is a bit off the beaten path but well worth the journey. Tucked away, just outside of Buckhannon, WV...home of West Virginia Wesleyan College."

    "RANGER REVIEW: Midland X-Talker Extreme T77VP5 Dual Radio Set at Audra State Park, WV CAMPGROUND REVIEW:

    Audra State Park is located south of the city of Buckhannon about 15 miles, with 355 acres"

    2. Stonewall Resort State Park Campground

    15 Reviews
    Walkersville, WV
    14 miles
    Website

    "Stonewall Resort State Park is now the official name of this mountain retreat located around the edges of Stonewall Jackson Lake. "

    "However, secreted away on the bank of Stonewall Jackson Lake, in Briar Point Campground there are five token tent sites."

    3. Broken Wheel Campground

    3 Reviews
    Weston, WV
    12 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 269-6097

    "Plenty of trash cans around and a nice park to play at. We tied our doggos between two trees and let them run. Firewood for sale. None to gather around not even sticks so be prepared for that."

    CAMPER SUMMARY PRESENTED BYFord

    4. Kick Back n Camp

    2 Reviews
    Belington, WV
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 903-4161

    $25 - $40 / night

    "We called the campground, and they had availability for walk-ins! Usually, you’d have to book in advance. The campsite was a semi-private spot, and it cost less than $30 a night, without electricity."

    5. Tygart Lake State Park Campground

    20 Reviews
    Grafton, WV
    24 miles
    Website

    "There was a bathroom close by with running water and showers. It was beautiful and very close to the lake."

    "Trails to lakeside/shore where campers do swim although no swimming from shore is "not" allowed. Just be respectful and clean up after yourselves and usually no drama involved."

    6. Holly River State Park Campground

    15 Reviews
    Hacker Valley, WV
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 493-6353

    "I should preface each of my reviews for West Virginia campgrounds and state forests by stating...West Virginia has the nicest and friendliest people I've come across...and that is a pure pleasure in this"

    "We enjoyed the beautiful drive in with the fall colors and the little stream next to the road that goes through the campground. The sites are a little tight if you have a bigger camper."

    7. Five River Campground

    27 Reviews
    Parsons, WV
    31 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."

    CAMPER SUMMARY PRESENTED BYFord

    8. Bulltown Camp — Burnsville Lake Wildlife Management Area

    7 Reviews
    Napier, WV
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 452-8006

    $34 - $46 / night

    "Bulltown Camp, Burnsville Lake, WV https://www.recreation.gov/camping/bulltown-camp/r/campgroundDetails.do?"

    "Bulltown Campground offers a couple hundred spaces, multiple playgrounds, and clean restrooms on the edge of Burnsville Lake, managed by the U-S Army Corps of Engineers."

    9. Bulltown Campground — Burnsville Lake Wildlife Management Area

    6 Reviews
    Burnsville Lake, WV
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 452-8006

    "Much easier than driving around to find an open spot. We stayed at the waters edge this time. It was nice and quiet, close to the bath house, water fountain and playground."

    "good shady sites. good area for kids to ride bikes. some sites were tight fit for our tent but we still enjoyed it. took our kayaks we stayed right next to lake. good clean bathroom and campground. hosts"

    10. Blackwater Falls State Park Campground

    52 Reviews
    Davis, WV
    41 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."

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Recent Reviews near Buckhannon, WV

515 Reviews of 112 Buckhannon 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.

  • 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

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 18, 2025

    Canaan Loop Road Dispersed

    Great dispersed sites!

    We only drove down to the second site, but it was awesome! Big site, good fire ring, paths the walk right from the site. The moss was like walking on carpet


Guide to Buckhannon

Campgrounds near Buckhannon, West Virginia range from river-adjacent state parks to lakeside recreation areas with accommodations for various camping styles. Audra State Park Campground, located along the Middle Fork River, provides tent and RV sites with some electric hookups. Stonewall Resort State Park Campground offers cabin and glamping options in addition to traditional camping facilities. Most campgrounds in the region feature picnic tables, fire rings, and access to drinking water, while some provide additional amenities such as shower facilities, sanitary dump stations, and camp stores. Several sites accommodate both tent and RV camping, though not all locations are suitable for large rigs.

Seasonal availability varies significantly throughout the area, with many campgrounds operating from mid-April through October. Audra State Park operates on a first-come, first-served basis, making weekday arrivals recommended for securing prime riverside sites. Sites along water features tend to fill quickly, especially during summer months. Most campgrounds maintain well-kept facilities with clean bathrooms and showers. Cell service can be limited in more remote areas. Weather conditions should be considered when planning, as river levels can rise rapidly after rain. According to one visitor, "The outer edge of the campground has sites next to the river but be weary of low sites during rainy days as the river rises rapidly."

The Middle Fork River provides a key attraction for campers in the Buckhannon area, with opportunities for swimming, fishing, and riverside relaxation. Campers frequently highlight water access as a primary draw to campgrounds in the region. Trails throughout the area offer hiking opportunities and scenic views. Audra State Park features the Alum Cave Trail which follows the river and provides natural features to explore. While some campgrounds can become crowded during peak season, particularly on weekends, many sites maintain adequate spacing and privacy with tree coverage between campsites. A camper noted, "We were right on the river, surrounded by trees and could barely see the neighbors." Most locations accommodate pets, though rules require they remain leashed. Campgrounds in higher elevations tend to be cooler and may offer more seclusion from crowds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find camping near Buckhannon, WV?

Audra State Park Campground is the closest campground to Buckhannon, tucked away just outside of town. This beautiful campground is slightly off the beaten path but well worth the journey. For additional options within driving distance, Stonewall Resort State Park Campground near Weston offers drive-in camping with amenities including water, toilets, and sites that accommodate larger RVs. Both locations provide good bases for exploring the Buckhannon area and enjoying West Virginia's natural beauty.

What activities and things to do are available near Buckhannon WV campgrounds?

The Buckhannon area offers diverse outdoor recreation opportunities. At Tygart Lake State Park, you can enjoy water activities like fishing and boating. For hiking enthusiasts, Kumbrabow State Forest provides excellent trails through its 9,500-acre forest. Many campgrounds in the region offer fishing, swimming, and tubing opportunities in local rivers. Buckhannon itself is home to West Virginia Wesleyan College and has small-town charm with local shops and eateries. The area's mountain terrain makes it perfect for scenic drives, wildlife viewing, and photography throughout the seasons.

Are there private campgrounds available in the Buckhannon area?

Yes, there are private camping options near Buckhannon. Camp Holly is a beautiful private campground in the mountains of West Virginia that offers multiple camping styles including hammock, tent, cabin, or RV camping. Though off-grid, they do provide WiFi access. Another option is Broken Wheel Campground near Weston, which is a short drive from Buckhannon and features reservable sites with water, toilets, and big-rig-friendly spaces for RVers.