Are you planning a camping trip to Charleston with your dog? We've got you covered. Finding pet-friendly campgrounds in West Virginia is easier than ever. Whether you're looking for a quiet location in the woods or a happening campground near the attractions, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to go camping with your dog.
Located seven miles south of the capital city of Charleston, Kanawha State Forest is an outdoor lover’s haven. It is known for its extensive network of hiking and biking trails and has some of the state’s most popular picnic areas. Campers can enjoy hiking, playground areas, fishing, biking, and more.
46 sites, 25 of which have electricity and water hookups
Each campsite has a fireplace and picnic table
The campground has two bathhouses and a coin-operated laundry
RVs or trailer/truck units longer than 26 feet are not recommended
$35 - $40 / night
Rifrafters Campground provides tent and RV camping and economy cabins in the woodlands near Fayetteville, West Virginia (WV) -- only two-miles south of the New River Gorge Bridge. Our cleanliness, accessibility, and quiet family atmosphere have earned us a place among West Virginia's most-popular camping areas. You'll also find a friendly full-time staff, exceptionally clean showers and restrooms, and plenty of space for small gatherings and walks in the woods behind the campground. Use our website to explore our camping amenities and find out more about the New River.
$15 - $44 / night
Welcome to Roadside Park in St. Albans, WV! This is the perfect place for your family outing as it features amenities like boat launching ramps that will make boating on Kanawha River more easy than ever before. There are also nice and cozy overnight RV camping spaces and picnic shelters where you can spend some time with friends or loved ones while enjoying scenic views of our beautiful Kanawha River nearby – not to mention inclusive playground equipment too!
Residents and visitors can enjoy a variety of outdoor recreational options including a well-equipped playground, picnic shelters, boat launch ramp, RV parking, and more. The park is also handicapped accessible with paved walkways and an asphalt parking lot.
There are also paved asphalt RV parking spots for overnight camping at St. Albans Roadside Park. If you are traveling through the area with your RV, pull behind camper or travel trailer, Roadside Park in St. Albans is a great place to stop while passing through town.
Pull-through sites are available at our quaint campground with a maximum stay of 2 nights within a 15-day period. Campers’ additional features include fresh water and electric hookups with a dump station when your stay with us is complete. Overnight Tent camping is prohibited on our property.
Reserveations are not required for RV camping spaces.
$30 - $40 / night
The closest campground to the New River Gorge Bridge. Chestnut Creek Campground offers quiet primitive camping in the woods. We are a mere half a mile (0.5mi) from the New River Gorge Bridge! That's walking distance folks. Our hygienic facility has hot showers, lavatory stalls, hand washing sinks, and a wash basin located outside for dish washing and filling up water jugs. Firewood and Ice are available on site as well. Each campsite has a picnic table and a fire pit. A general store and burrito bar are located literally around the corner; Both are within walking distance. Hiking and Climbing trail-heads (Fern Buttress, Endless Wall, Beauty Mountain; to name a few) are just down the way and access to the river is a stone's throw away (our drive is just across from Fayette Station Rd). If you're wanting to venture further to more local restaurants/shops; we are only a 5 minute drive from downtown Fayetteville. We are a pet friendly establishment for those with dogs who love to travel as much as you do. We keep quiet hours from 11pm-7am (starts @ midnight on weekends). Mainly we accommodate rustic tent camping, however; some sites are able to accommodate pop-up campers and trailers up to 20ft (we do not have hookups/electric). Call today to reserve a site for your upcoming adventure at the New River Gorge.
$10 - $11 / night
Located on 1500 wooded acres adjacent to the New River Gorge National River ACE Adventure Resort offers white water rafting trips on the New and Gauley rivers and great camping near Fayetteville. But, that’s not all! Over the years we’ve added all the outdoor adventures that our state is known for including the only zip line tours with views of the Gorge. We also host rock climbing, mountain biking, lake adventures… we even have a waterpark on base. Plus, at the end of the day, we have a range of lodging and camping options plus dining facilities on property. So, what are you waiting for? Live free this summer at ACE Adventure Resort!
$15 - $600 / night
$33 / night
This tent only campground located near the historic railroad town of Thurmond offers 7 walk-in sites, 5 on the sandy beach of the New River and 2 in the nearby forest. There are no drive-in sites at this location. RV, camper, or car camping is prohibited. The Stone Cliff Trailhead also starts at the campground.
Ranger
We camped here for 6 nights just before Halloween, enjoyed it. Not a lot to do unless you have a boat, but it's a scenic area. Ended up here because we had to avoid our original plans due to Hurricane Helene.
Traveler
As a car camper I was initially hesitant about paying for a partial hookup RV spot knowing that I wouldn’t be fully utilizing what I was paying for, but man am I glad I chose to stay here.
The location is great for getting in and out of town and the park alike, and it was the ideal location for a hike base. In terms of the campground itself, I think it set a new standard for me that’ll be pretty hard to beat. The bathrooms were incredible, and the shower was so good that it was almost annoying (I’m jealous and want it at home now too).
Checking in and out was easy, and the staff was very kind in accommodating me extending my stay another day on two separate occasions. I’d been most in and out in the dark, but finally on the last day got to check out the rest of the place and it really is super nice with a great aesthetic to match.
The big kicker for me was the lodge/Wi-Fi situation. As someone camping in a Prius, it can get pretty tight at times, so having a nice big space with great internet to get some work done was a huge bonus. Even in my car, the WiFi was plenty good enough to use, albeit not quite as snappy fast as the lodge.
All in all, I’d happily come back here again and again if I were to find myself back in the area. Could not more highly recommend.
Ranger
Very comfortable and quiet campground. Camp hosts (owners?) and staff are very friendly and helpful. Close to local towns for services. The full hook up RV sites seem crowded, but the electric only sites were spacious and shady. I had a little deck with a picnic table. Even though the land is hilly, almost every site was level. The area where I camped had a single porta potty, but the main service area had clean showers and reasonably priced laundry. Short hiking trails are nearby. A children’s area is available but looked little used.
ScoutBeautiful area, close to New River National Park. Very accommodating staff. Includes wifi, PBS TV, small dog run, small playground, picnic shelter, laundry, bathhouse, firewood, ice,etc. Clean, friendly without all the fancy extras. Reasonably priced.
Guide
Very nice spot, right by the river with plenty of spaces to hammock down by there. We were lucky and got one of the last spots, there’s only 11. Fire rings with grill, and bench at each site. The ground is great for tents, no rocks. If you’re planning on coming here, make sure and come early. Pit toilets also available.
Scout
Great spot and very close to the national park, but site 5 was very un-level.
TravelerWe stayed overnight on our way up the coast and had a great visit. I wish we could’ve stayed longer. The campground was very peaceful and shaded people were very friendly and the facilities were exceptionally clean.
Traveler
Overall not a bad campground. Very pricey in my mind, $43 after taxes for 1 night of primitive camping. Got there at 4 on a monday and no one was in the office, ended up riding 45 minutes up the road to call to reserve a spot, they said everything was a 3 night minimum. I ended up booking online for just 1 night. Campground was clean and quiet, directions aren’t super clear as to where the campground is. Would stay here again if I had to, but wouldn’t be my first pick.
Traveler
The Campground is small...Maybe 15 sites. It was full when we arrived. Luckily, there are 2 or 3 dispersed sites along the road into the Campground. They are on the river, too. Perfect for an overnighter.
TravelerPit toilets, but was nice to have something ++ FREE. Super cool river near by, great scenery.
Scout
If you tent camp they don’t allow access to the bathrooms other than a porta potty open to the public and no showers either. Kinda messed up. The fish were not biting for anyone. It’s part of a public park. The staff were excellent thought, and the price of $20 a night unbeatable. Cheapest to visit the Mothman
Scout
Fantastic campground! Staff was super friendly and we were escorted to our camp site. Facilities a little dated but clean! Pool area was clean! We tent camp, but walking around, the camping trailers did not appear to be crowded together. For us this is a fantastic place to overnight and will return again when traveling through the area!!
Traveler
We arrived from Cleveland late on a Thursday evening and every one of the 7 sites was full, luckily we met another couple who let us share their site for the night which was great because they let us have their site when they left in the morning. We were on site 2/3 which are right at the bottom of a large staircase down from the parking lot. We put our tent a few feet away from the water facing the river and our canopy further up in the woods by the firepit. Access to a hiking trail at the end of the parking lot - Stonecliff Trail, garbage bins and bathrooms available, no running water so bring hand sanitizer, Dunloup waterfall ~8 min down the road right off the side of the road was beautiful and a great place to swim, hiked a few trails down to town of Thurmond which is a a great little historical train town with a nice visitors center
Cons - No picnic tables on any of the sites, carrying our things up the 3 flights of stairs to the parking lot was a little exhausting but not bad if you’re more of a minimalist camper, road access to campground is well paved but is very very narrow and windy so be careful of other cars flying around the bends, trains go by on other side of the river ~2-3 times per night, be careful of glass in the sand as well as bees, sites 2-5 are all right on top of each other (within 10 feet) with minimal trees in between so they’re good for groups but not if you don’t want to be right next to people.
ScoutRifrafters is a wonderful family run campground that was the perfect location for us to explore New River Gorge NP and the surrounding area. The area is very hilly and the campground is no exception but they did a good job of creating roomy, mainly level campsites. Unlike Bear Mountain Campground, Rifrafters is far enough off of US 19 to avoid most of the road noise. The bath house was VERY clean and the showers had great water pressure and plenty of hot water. Cell reception for Verizon was 3 bars, but the campground Wi-Fi was awesome! It was strong enough and had enough bandwidth for my wife to work remotely while the kids and I went whitewater rafting(go with ACE Adventures, they're great). The details make or break your stay and Rifrafters gets them all right. Good, steady power and water at the site, Wi-Fi, dry firewood, great bath house and clean/tidy everywhere. Lastly, the location was perfect for us. You''re just a few miles from the bridge and visitor's center to the north and a few miles to shopping/necessities to the south. Having stayed here made us realize we'd rather camp near US 19 and use our toad to drive the windy roads into t
TravelerStayed in the tent area. Site was good. Bathhouse was great and newly remodeled. Had a band and food trucks.
Guide
Chief Logan has a lot of interesting things to see, including an outdoor animal exhibit, a lodge, a pool, a theatre, and a museum all close together.
Our site was full hook up and very level. There was creek nearby and walking paths all over. We went over to the lodge and was able to swim in the pool and hot tub as part of the price of our campsite. There was solar event with super rare aurora light show for this part of the world while we were there.
GuideStayed here for a few nights with 3 other people. We had 1 big tent, 2 vehicles and a few dogs and had plenty of room. The road getting back to the site is a little sketch but worth the trip in. Just remember you have to make that trip all the way back out if you forget anything at the store (like we did) so be prepared to have plenty of food and wood. Water access is not problem if you have a good filtration system. The view of the river is absolutely beautiful!!
GuideWe stayed here on our visit to Great Smoky mountain National Park on our way to Tennessee and then back home.
Nice shaded wooded sights that are quiet and right off the interstate. Would recommend for anyone traveling to and from the area.
Guide
We spent one night of dispersal camping here. It was a beautiful area with a vault toilet. We felt safe enough to leave our windows only screened.
There were fishermen coming and going several times through the night.
The vault toilet had not been cleaned recently, nor had trash been emptied.
Ranger
We had a great time here. A very clean, peaceful, and enjoyable campground. The staff were amazing and will definitely be back soon! Our site worked out but if your entry door is at the back of the camper you could have troubles, other than that we lived it.
Scout
Overall if your just passing through it would be a ok place for the night. Make sure to keep your stuff locked up Lots of vagrants and over grown men riding kids bicycles with backpacks
Guide
This is a great campground! I came here in June with my wife, daughter, and my parents. My wife, baby, and I stayed in a tent only campsite while my parents were in a pull through RV site.
This place is huge! There is so much to see and do. But because of this size, I would not recommend walking the campground or even using a bike to get around. I say this because on top of it being very large and spaced apart, it is also very, very hilly. You'll find yourself either having to drive your car or rent a golf cart.
The staff was pretty nice and helpful. We even met the owner. She was nice to talk to.
The camp store was a bit of a letdown, a lot of knic knacks, and not many actual camping supplies. The pool was small and very, very cold well maintained. The mini golf was fun, but unlike other campgrounds I've been to, you have to pay for it. The ice cream store was also satisfying.
The campsites themselves are roomy, plenty of space! Ours even had an amazing view of the small airport and surrounding hills. The restrooms were alright, about average for a campground. But they seemed to be cleaned every day.
The beach was nice, we definitely enjoyed it. Also, make sure to stop by serenity point for sunset. You won't regret it!
I would recommend either bringing your own golf cart or renting one. But make sure if it's electric, you book a site with a hookup to charge the cart when not in use.
All together, this is a great place. We will hopefully be back!
TravelerWe just arrived and haven’t even camped overnight yet! Love it! Waiting on n food from the Handlebar kitchen. Such a vibe! Just felt relaxed driving onto the property! The roaming goats are a treat!
RangerThe family that runs the place is very nice. Basic campsite was very level and easy to get in/out of. It was very peaceful and quiet at night.
Nothing much going on here but the bathrooms were clean and well kept. No views to be had at this campground but a solid stay in a great location run by people who care about it.
Guide
We had an amazing overnight stay at Rays Campground. The site we had, site 10, was large and secluded. Clean shower house and hot water and the owners were extremely friendly.
GuideThis state forest is expansive with lots of trails popular with mountain bikers. It is a bit challenging to reach with a large(ish) van like ours. Narrow, winding roads take you to the Forest entrance. Campground was quiet with few campers in mid-May. The weather was hot and buggy when we visited. We did find a few ticks. Campground does have playgrounds, showers, electric hook-ups, and a dump station.
RangerYou 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. Peaceful and quiet!
Discovering pet-friendly camping spots near Charleston, West Virginia, offers a fantastic way to enjoy the great outdoors with your furry friends. Here are some great options that welcome pets and provide a range of amenities and activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Charleston, WV?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Charleston, WV is Kanawha State Forest with a 4.2-star rating from 24 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Charleston, WV?
TheDyrt.com has all 53 dog-friendly camping locations near Charleston, WV, with real photos and reviews from campers.
