Best Glamping near Durbin, WV

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.

This campground is the highest in West Virginia, it has a total of 65 campsites 30 of which are electric and 35 are non-electric. Each site has a picnic table and fire pit, most of the campsites are open and have little privacy from neighbors. No tent pads, but no more than two tents permitted (but may be charged for the second tent). It has a bath house with hot showers, flush toilets, and coin laundry. There is a dumping station. Reservations can be made by phone or at campground registration but is otherwise first come-first serve. Pets are permitted. The sites are $25 a night.

The park has tons of hiking trails to choose from and two viewable waterfalls. There is a lake that is open to swimming, volleyball, basketball, and tennis courts are in the vicinity as well. Fishing is a large draw as well to this area, both catch and release and catch and keep permitted on the Blackwater River.

Campground Review: Canaan Valley State Park and Resort, Davis, West Virginia

The Canaan Valley State Park and Resort is situated in a very popular outdoor activity area...for every season. Winter brings copious snowfall and the skiing here draws thousands...downhill and XC. The summer sees backpackers, hikers, mountain bikers, gravel grinders, car-campers and RVers. Not only do you have hiking trails here on the State Park location...you can drive up to the nearby Dolly Sods Wilderness Area for camping, day-hikes or multi-day backcountry trips; Blackwater Falls (10 miles north) offers memorable falls, great hikes with long gorge views (Lindy Point a favorite). Even Seneca Rocks and Spruce Knob are only 30 minutes or so away. Possibilities are endless in this neck of the woods. This very weekend was to be the Mountainbike Festival, but due to Covid-19, well you know the rest of that story. The Abe Run Trail was a pleasant trail leaving from the campground.

The campground portion is not expansive but 34 sites are situated in three small loops (see photo of campground map). Primitive tent sites don't have water or electric and parking is roadside but you are within 100 yards of the "Comfort Station." The three "tent only" sites have only been around for a couple years...but sites 1 and 2 are in a nice grassy area away from the RV loop 2. Always verify current rates, but June 18, 2020...mid $30's nightly for nonresidents (WV residents get 30% off). Primitive tent sites were $17 a night.

The Resort Lodge, Golf course, swimming pool and a covered ice skating rink (obviously the last three mentioned being seasonal) were further up the windy park roadway. (See rates on park website).

The campground "Comfort Station," is a restroom/shower/laundry and soda machine building. The gender specific restroom/shower rooms each have two wooden stalled modern facility stools, two shower stalls (men's are separated by a shower curtain, women's by a wall); a separate unisex ADA restroom/shower sits adjacent to the men's and appears newer.

The grounds are well-maintained and manicured as are all WV State Parks. Trails are scattered throughout the park. some are foot traffic only, others permit bicycles. The Back Hollow Trail was predominantly a mown grass trail but occasional wooded sections were rocky two-track. This is Wet Virginia, so expect to experience rain and bring foul weather gear in the summer months. I have mastered the fine art of campsite tarping due to West Virginia camping. It also still gets chilly in these mountains during the early summer months.

Deer meander through the primitive tent sites with their fawns each morning and evening. A kid's playground is situated beside (separated by a field) primitive tent sites 1 & 2.

We spent three days in June and experienced afternoon rain showers daily, but arranged our hikes and bikes around them.

Site 034 Loop Morr Dates of Stay: August 30-Sept 1 Average Daily Temp: 78 Average Nighlty Tem: 64 Pet friendly spot with access to firewood on site for small fee. Tent pad, fire pit, one picnic table, and lamp post on site. Close access to Lake area with a 100 yard walk through pathway off the site. Great shade for those hot sunny days. Plenty of room on the site for tents and vehicle parking. Neighboring sites offer fair amount of privacy. Site had some trash scattered around by previous visitors. Needed to do some checking for broken flashlight pieces and glass before I allowed my dog free roam.

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.

A friend and I stayed here 3 nights while visiting Marlinton for the annual Roadkill Cook-off. Facilities are decent however Wi-Fi is extremely weak if you are more than a couple hundred feet from the restrooms. Because this entire area of WV is in the National Radio Quiet Zone, there is zero cellular service with 1-2 hours drive in any direction. If you can't get the weak WiFi service, you won't be using any data services. (Not necessarily a bad thing, but don't expect to notify family that you have arrived or are ok. Also, make sure any electronic devices you will be using for navigation have offline maps loaded before visiting.) One huge gripe is that technically you are limited to 1 sleeping unit per site, even if you only have 2 or 3 people sleeping in individual 1-person tents or a hammock. This either is not listed in the reservations information or is buried in the small print. The person checking us in told us about this, but allowed the 2 of us to camp in the same site. Being strictly a motorcycle camping person, neither I nor any traveling companions would be packing s large tent that could house all of us. The same thing could be said of 2 or 3 backpackers traveling together. For the nearly $30/night charge, this would become FAR too expensive and I'm not likely to stay here again simply because of the fear that the campground's silly rule might be enforced the next time.

Spruce Knob is the highest point in West Virginia and offers great views. You can drive all the way up to the summit and hike around the small loop trail that leads to the observation tower and then to a small wooden look-out on the far side of the loop. The trail is only a ½ mile and well worth the drive. There is a picnic shelter that has picnic tables, no running water, but there is a pit toilet.

We camped off the Huckleberry Trail, which has lots of camping spots off the trail. The forest is silent and beautiful, looks like it belongs out west in the PNW. The moss-covered ground and rocks make it the perfect oasis for a weekend trip. You can even backpack the trail as it leads down the mountain. This is a must see any time of the year!

This is a hidden gem right outside of town. We utilized one of the rv sites with 50 amp service and full hookups. The rv sites are very close together but in the week that we stayed we never heard any noise other than our own children. And it was a holiday week so there were lots of people. The location is amazingly located right on the Shavers Fork river on a section that was shallow and calm enough for our small children to enjoy it. We figured the river would be a crowded place since the campground was nearly full and it was hot but we were pleasantly surprised that most of the week we were the only family on the river! We walked up river to the end of the property and were able to tube down to the lower end of the property. The view and sunsets over the river made for gorgeous pictures. We also spent a little time fishing.

The amenities were no doubt a luxury. Clean bathhouses with endless hot water, laundry, cable and wifi, a fire ring and if you would like they will bring firewood to your campsite for $5. The owners are literally the nicest people that you will ever meet. They come around daily to check on each person to make sure all of your needs are met. These are definitely people that take pride in their campground! And we had cell service since we were right outside of town which is hard to find in WV.

There are many things to do in the vicinity. There's a wonderful park nearby that has a walking/biking trail, splash pad, and a large playground. The Monongahalia National Forest is really close for hiking, views or additional swimming and fishing.

Overall this was a great experience and we truly enjoyed our weeklong stay. We will definitely being staying here again.

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. Two loops - one with electric sites and one without. Very reasonable rates - $25 for electric ($22.50 with senior discount) plus you don’t need a state parks sticker as you do for other states. Rates are also the same for residents and non-residents. Not all sites are level and some are very close together (which would be good for people camping together). Inside sites have no privacy between them; some of the outside sites have some trees offering privacy. Flush toilets and showers plus coin laundry. Bathrooms were clean but although the showers appeared to have new shower heads, they were a bit sketchy looking (shower shoes would be a definite). Very limited cell service but WiFi is available in the lodge and cabins. Great hiking trails.