Best Cabin Camping near Dryfork, 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.

New Germany State Park is situated in Garrett County Maryland. The park has a small lake, a few trails, and two camping loops. The Hemlock loop- the only loop that allows pets, is smaller and is mostly made for tent camping, though one site has electricity, but only big enough for a teardrop camper. There is a bathroom with a hot shower. The problems with the Hemlock loop is the proximity to the other campers. Our neighbors were loud, their kids were louder and their dog was ear- splitting loud. The tent pads are varied in size with sites 52, 53 and 57 being just big enough for a large tent and not much else. Every site has a large picnic table ( that is impressively hard to move) and a fire ring. Some sites are not very level, not not as much that your rolling out of bed in your sleep. There is water, but just at the bathroom area. This makes sense since the loop itself is very small. Deer are dense in these parts, and bears frequent the area. Summer temps usually do not get as nice 85max most of the summer. There is also cross country skiing in the winter. Despite the smaller sites, the Hemlock loop is frequently full, as is the non pet loop, which can accommodate larger tents and RV’s., but no pets.

We spent several days in Seneca State Forest. I want to highlight the Thorny Mountain Fire Tower for this review.

Renting and staying in the Thorny Mountain Fire Tower is a special opportunity...and I believe everyone should enjoy its uniqueness and solitude...for several reasons. One selfish reason is so that perhaps other State and National Forests would do the same thing...refurbish, but leave rustic remaining fire towers and rent them out like a campsite or cabin. There is much history and lore that is behind every fire tower.

The Thorny Mountain Fire Tower was built by the CCC sometime around 1935...and is erected at an elevation of 3458 ft. Nearly 70 steps up the structure brings you to 3507 ft (by my gps). From that height, you get to enjoy long mountain views in both West Virginia and Virginia. The tower cabin structure has 360 views...11 windows and a windowed door...so you don't miss any of the show! It is not insulated, but then again it is not available during the winter months. There are no, I repeat, no amenities in the tower...but that's half the allure..only two spring cots/mattresses...four folding wooden chairs...and two tiny nightstands. Four can stay...but only two have the beds. My back preferred the floor. At the base of the tower there is a lockable structure that houses a pit latrine on one end and plenty of dry firewood on the other end. You do have a picnic table and fire ring on a gravel pad north of the tower base. No running water...period. So all water must be acquired 15-20 minutes down the mountain at the Park Headquarters (which also has the only showers/bathrooms(2)...and laundry room...super clean!). The State Park employees that operate the headquarters there are the most kind, gracious and hospitable folks you will find. You will need to reserve a spot far in advance...so don't leave it to the last minute.

Our stay was memorable and pleasurable. While some might balk at the expense per night...it is the rare opportunity you are paying for. And...I will do it again in the future!

Watching storms roll in across the mountain tops...fog settling into the valleys like white foaming rivers...being perched beside rainbows...moonlight piercing the night through your curtainless windows...and reveling in the surreal sunrises and sunsets did it for me! Your closest neighbor is waaay down the mountain.

Note: Do not make my mistake and not listen closely to directions up to the tower. I took the first gravel road right...well...dirt road. It happens to be an unmaintained alternate service road to the tower...not good. Ordinary vehicles will be damaged...and two-wheel drive probably won't make it. My SUV survived, but I was questioning my sanity at times. The roads are gravel most the way up Thorny Mountain...and the last bit up to the tower had experienced recent washout from storms, so the going was rough but very doable.

I think eight of the windows still open, and they provide slide screens to insert so the cross breeze is amazing day and night. But they must be removed and the windows shut when the rain rolls in or you will get wet. The roof does not have enough overhang to keep the rain out...nor does it amply cover the walk-around deck...so it'll drip on your noggin'. But hey, your camping...you're gonna get wet.

Can't recommend the experience enough...who knows how long this type of opportunity will exist. Just Do It!

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.

Swallow Falls has a great loop trail where you see four waterfalls. You can walk to the loop from the campground. It ma be adds a third of a mile to the hike. 

We stayed in cabin 58, which has a short, easy path to the bathhouse and even shorter to the mud sink. This was very handy when traveling with two young kids. Prior to going, I wished I could have seen the inside of the cabins, particularly to know how big the mini fridge was. I couldn't find any pictures, so here they are.

It is a one-room cabin, was impressively clean, and the beds were very cozy. There are blackout curtains on the windows, so we slept late and it was glorious. There is one small window in the door that does not have a curtain. I taped aluminum foil up over it.

Each bed had a mattress pad on it when we arrived, as pictured. One minor note is that the bunk bed mattresses seem to be a bit too big for the bunk beds. This caused them to not lay perfectly flat and also made me feel uncomfortable having my roly-poly kids sleep on the top bunk, where there were only a couple inches between the mattress and the top of the railing.

I have Verizon and could make calls, but could not reliably send or receive text messages and there was no data access.

Great park. Great cabin. Great stay.

Site was very large and private, surrounded by beautiful forest. Plenty of room for our pup, TV, pop-up gazebo, and gear. Each site had a fire ring with grill grate, and a nice, large, composite picnic table. We were right in front of the bath house, which was convenient, but the light was pretty bright at night. We were also the closest site to the loop entrance, so we could hear some traffic along the main park road. Didn’t bother us too much, but I imagine it would have been pretty noisy if we’d been there during peak summer season. Camping loop overall was nice and quiet, though; we had two neighbors while we were there, and barely saw nor heard anything from either of them.

Simply put, this park is absolutely gorgeous. Easily the most beautiful MD State Park we’ve visited. Everything, from the forest, to trails, to lake, to Meadow Mountain, is a camper/outdoor enthusiast’s dream. The fall foliage made everything even more beautiful. Apparently, the park is very popular amongst cross-country skiers in the winter, especially since they have full-service cabins and a warming hut by the lake. I’m not into cold weather at all, but I imagine I would love to spend a day by the lake in the summer time. Said lake area also has a concession stand, boat rentals, swimming beach, rec hall, and nature center, but these were all closed since we were there out of season.

Bath house in our loop was old and small, but kept very clean. I never used the shower, as it was too cold, but it looked adequate. LOTS of spiders, which don’t really bother me, but definitely a nightmare for arachnophobes.

We drove through the two other, non-pet-friendly loops, which were also beautiful. Sites were spacious and private, just like in our loop, but with the addition of tall pines. Saw mostly tent campers, and a few small TTs. The roads were very narrow, with a decent incline, so not big-rig friendly.

Note that there is very little to no cell phone reception in the park, so combined with the lack of hookups, this is definitely an unplugged, “connect with nature” type of camping experience.

Overall, I absolutely loved this park, and can definitely see why it’s referred to as Maryland’s “hidden gem.” The only negative was the lack of hookups, as it got pretty cold at night, and our battery was unable to sustain the needs of our heater. It would have been fine if it had been just me and my husband, but I think it was just too cold for our small kids, especially with the wind and rain we encountered. I would love to return in the summer though, especially since the area doesn’t experience the same type of extreme humidity as the more central and eastern parts of Maryland. Highly recommended!

We booked the Thorny Mountain Fire Tower two months in advance, it is pretty popular, so if you want to stay there you will have to book it in advance. It is $75 a night, which is pricey, but is well worth it.

To get to the fire tower you will want to take the Loop Road, it is gravel and there are pot holes on the edges of the road so you will want to be careful of those. The fire tower is secluded, so you will not have to worry about neighbors or noise while staying there. At the base of the tower there is a fire pit, picnic table, and a pit toilet. The toilet is part of a small shed that has already split wood on the other side for you to use. But no electrical hookups at the base or in the tower. They do have a shower house behind the rangers station, it is very nice and clean. The website says the tower can house up to four people, however, there are only two cots, so you will want to bring sleeping mats if you plan on having more than two people. The 360 degree views are breathtaking. One night we had two different storm systems blow through the mountains and the lightning show was amazing to watch. You will definitely want to watch a sunrise as well, absolutely stunning.

Seneca State Forest is one of the oldest forest in West Virginia, it has a small pond/lake you can fish at and even take small boats onto. They have plenty of hiking trails, which also allow mountain biking on most. They have cabins on the lake for rent as well and have plenty of tent camping spots.

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.