Best Tent Camping near Craigsville, WV
Tent campers in the Craigsville area of West Virginia have access to several wooded campgrounds with varying amenities, particularly around the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Chestnut Creek Campground offers tent-focused sites with wooden platforms in a heavily forested setting, while the American Alpine Club's New River Gorge Campground provides tent platforms situated among boulders and rhododendrons. Both locations cater specifically to tent camping with minimal development, preserving the natural forest environment.
Most tent sites in the region feature basic amenities including picnic tables, fire rings, and access to vault or flush toilets. Chestnut Creek Campground provides showers and bathroom facilities with flush toilets at a central bathhouse, though campers at more remote sites may face a short hike to reach these facilities. The New River Gorge Campground offers coin-operated showers and communal kitchen sinks for cleaning. According to one visitor, "The bathrooms are clean, had several stalls, showers, sinks and electricity," though some campgrounds like Day Run feature only vault toilets with minimal maintenance.
The tent camping experience near Craigsville emphasizes privacy and natural surroundings. Many sites at Chestnut Creek are separated by trees for added seclusion, with one camper noting that "sites are designed for tents or smaller rigs mostly" and are "heavily forested with lots of songbirds." Some campgrounds like the American Alpine Club location limit fires to communal fire pits that are well-stocked with wood, creating social gathering spaces. Primitive tent sites along the Greenbrier River Trail provide free camping options with picnic tables and access to toilets. Tent campers frequently use these locations as base camps for exploring nearby hiking trails, climbing routes, and water activities on the New River and Summersville Lake, all within 15-30 minutes of most campgrounds.
