Best Cabin Camping near Clarksburg, WV

This was my first visit to Kumbrabow State Forest, but not my last!
   
     Kumbrabow State Forest offers lots of great trails, rustic cabins, and a primitive campground. This historic recreation area, carved into this 9,500-acre forest by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930’s, is a wonderful place to unplug and unwind. It’s located at 3,000 feet above sea level on the western edge of the Allegheny Highlands, so it’s the highest state forest in West Virginia.
     I stayed in space #7, located next to Mill Creek, where I enjoyed the relaxing sound of this gurgling stream all night long. Each camping spot has a picnic table, fire ring and lantern holder. There are pit toilets and a pump for fresh spring water in the campground. Two-miles down the road, there’s a bathhouse next to the Kumbrabow forest headquarters.
     If you hike the 2-mile Potato Hole Trail, you'll arrive at the top of Rich Mountain and an overlook with a fantastic view. You can also park at the Kumbrabow gun range and hike the longer, but less strenuous, Rich Mountain Fire Trail which intersects with the Potato Hole Trail.
     Make sure you check out Mills Creek Falls and admire the really cool CCC-built rustic cabins. The cabins don’t have water or electricity, but offer gas lights, gas refrigerator, fully-equipped kitchen, wood fireplace, and outside grill and firepit. My 99-year old mom and her siblings stayed here for their "sister parties" years ago and loved the cabins at Kumbrabow.
     I suggest a side trip to the Highland Scenic Highway where you can admire the Falls of Hills Creek, Cranberry Glades, and colorful foliage during the fall season.

There are many tent sites at this location, as well as RV lodging.  There is a pond you can swim and or fish at.  There are both, modern and rustic cabins to rent.  The rustic cabin has a double bunk, stove and fireplace but no running water or shower or sink.  There is a shower house a short walk away.  the modern cabin is 3 bedrooms with microwave, shower, sink, relax room....there is also the Klaer Lodge built by park enthusiasts in the late 60's made of stone and can accomadate over 50 people.  All made of stone, as 20+ bunk beds upstairs -- huge facility.

There are XC trails, an old school house and even a stage for the weekend music series performances.  Dog friendly as long as on a leash and a little shop where you check in and get necessary supplies, wood bundles...etc..very fun place.

This small campground is just a couple of miles from busy Hwy 68, but amazingly quiet. Sites are average to large, with a few that can accommodate larger RV’s. All have electricity, a picnic table, fire ring, and lantern pole.

There is almost no privacy between sites, but sites are spacious. The campground is kept very clean. Bathrooms are older, but kept clean and have nice HOT showers. There is also a small laundry room with dishwashing sink behind the bathhouse. Both ice and firewood are sold onsite.

There are many hiking trails in the area, including the very popular Raven Rock trail that leads to an incredible overlook of the Cheat River Valley and Canyon. Also very popular are both the Big Sandy and Cheat Rivers, both within 10 miles to the put ins. Lots of options nearby for just a few hours and/or a full day of whitewater fun.

Morgantown, about 10 miles away, is the closest town and is filled with everything you need. We enjoyed a great cycling day on the Mon River Trail which runs along the Monongahela River, accessible from downtown Morgantown or Star City.

As part of the Elk River Hotel and Café, there are four glamping tents located on the Elk River. We have the Dyrt to thank for finding these as I’m quite certain I would not have found them otherwise! We tend to take months-long road trips and every once in a while, we like to find unique accommodations, and this fit the bill. Possible future expansion plans include Vermont and Florida but for now, this is the only location for GlampOut Resorts (not to be confused with Glamp Out Resort– singular). 

Each glamping tent has a sink/small fridge, and coffee maker, a fully plumbed bathroom, and a king or queen-sized bed with linens. Bath towels are provided but no toiletries so make sure you bring them. The tents were spacious and clean, and the heater was appreciated during a cold, damp October stay. There is a sink and dorm-sized fridge but no microwave or way to cook a meal. Breakfast is optional, reasonably priced at $10 per person, and is served in the café at 8:30 am. The café is open for dinner Tuesday– Saturday from 4 pm– 9 pm and the food was good. I only saw one other breakfast/lunch eatery in town and no grocery store so plan accordingly, especially if you plan to be there on a Sunday or Monday! 

About a half mile from the glamping tents is access to the Jeremiah Carpenter Trailhead but use caution. There was a barrier at the entrance, but a local police officer told me I should just walk around it. I hiked about a half mile up the steep hill; when the trail turned to the right, it was overgrown and narrow and since I was by myself, I just turned around and came back down the way I came. I later learned there had been bear sightings on this trail! Nearby is the Flatwoods Monster Chair Trail. I wasn’t sure if there was a put-in area for kayaks or canoes and no one I asked seemed to know. In June, there is a Big Foot festival and a seasonal farmers market. 

When we were there, there was not much to do except relax. There is not much in the sleepy town of Sutton, however, it was a quiet respite for us during the last two weeks of our two-month trip. It is, however, a bit of a splurge at approximately $200 per night.

North Bend State Park is located at the halfway point of the 72-mile North Bend Rail Trail, so it’s a great camping spot for hikers, bikers and horseback riders who want to explore this scenic trail which crosses 35-bridges and cuts through 11-tunnels where the B&O Railroad used to travel. 

I highly recommend this trail to hikers because the scenery is spectacular, the wildlife plentiful, and the tunnels are really cool. The trail passes through some quaint towns such as the former oil boom-town of Cairo where many of the buildings from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s are still standing. 

North Bend State Park has a year-round lodge, year-round cabins and two campgrounds open from mid-April to mid-November. 

The Cokeley Campground has 28-sites with both water and electricity, picnic tables and fire pits. The bathhouse includes a small coin-op laundry. It’s close to the boat dock at North Bend Lake. I didn’t select this campground because it doesn’t have much shade.

I stayed at the River Run Campground which has 49-sites along the shores of the North Fork of the Hughes River with electric and non-electric sites to choose from. Four sites are ADA accessible. Each site has paved parking, a picnic table and fire pit. The bathhouse was clean and nicely tiled with hand soap and paper towels provided. The on-site staff was extremely friendly and you get a generous wheelbarrow full of firewood, cut from local downed trees, for$5. 

The lodge looked a little dated, but had a good home-style restaurant which was popular with travelers. The year-round cabins have been updated with ADA wheelchair ramps and wraparound decks. I may return and rent one after the campground closes so I can do some cross- country skiing on the North Bend Rail Trail this winter.

I paddled on the North Bend Lake which was extremely peaceful and beautiful, with the colors of fall surrounding me on all sides. I brought my own kayak, but they had boats for rent. There were several fishermen on the water and on the lakeside dock. They told me they catch bass and catfish at this 300-acre lake. The trail around the lake would be good for birders because I spotted ducks, hawks and wood-peckers.

North Bend State Park would be good for kids because they have playgrounds, mini-golf and an outdoor swimming pool(closed when I visited in October, but looked really nice).

This is the largest state forest in West Virginia, it has a total of 25 sites that vary in their privacy. Each site has electrical hookups, picnic tables, fire grates, and utility post. The sites in the middle of the loop lack privacy that the outer loop sites have. There is one bath house that has hot showers, flush toilets, water spigots, and now WIFI. Pets are allowed but must be kept on a leash. There are gravel pull-ins for the sites, there are a couple of pull through sites for RVs.

The campground gets busy during the fall because it is so close to Morgantown and Mountaineer games. There are lots of hiking trails, coopers rock is definitely a must to see during sunset. Ravens rock is also a beautiful look out trail. Rock climbers have a lot of rock outcroppings on short trails for climbers to utilize. Fishing, biking, and hunting are also popular activities that can be done here.

This campground has plenty to offer for the whole family. The privacy of each site varies, on the weekends it is very busy though. There are 88 campsites with electrical hookups, picnic tables, and fire ring. There are 2 sites with primitive campgrounds. They only allow one tent or trailer on a site. The campground has 4 bathhouses that are centrally localized, it contains flush toilets, hot showers, water spigots, and coin laundry. Dogs are allowed on a leash.

This park has lots of hiking trails, waterfalls, biking, fishing, and horseback riding. The park has a total of 4 waterfalls to explore. They have basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts, and a pool for campers to enjoy. They also have cabins to rent if you are not feeling up to camping.

This is a nice little park that used to have a lake…until it was undermined (literally) and destroyed by the nearby coal company. The trails are pleasant, especially the one leading to the old Chess Cemetery. The PADCNR works hard to make this park into an attraction despite the fact that it no longer has its lake as a focal point. This means that they maintain a cold water swimming pool in the summer. And they keep the campground open year-round, which makes it a rarity. If you want to go camping in January, this might be the only conventional campground in PA where you can do that. The campground is pleasant, if a little…spooky. None of the spots are very secluded, but that's okay because you'll probably be the only camper here. Like much of the park, it's bordered by a public road, which means that there's some traffic--usually loud pickups and frack trucks. I've only ever camped here in the fall, when Greene County is at its most beautiful, and I've always had the campground (and most of the park) entirely to myself. There are two tiny cabins as well as sites for tents or campers. Ryerson is worth a visit. Not sure why the state can't make the coal company pay for its destruction of the lake.