Best Tent Camping near Gilbert, WV

Most campground reviews are from the RV crowd.  This is from the tent camper perspective, particularly motorcycle tent camping.  The roads/lanes in the park are paved, but otherwise where you would ride are lousy for motorcycles.  The "gravel" parking lot from the road to the office and in the RV/electric loop is more like rocks, and you stand a good chance of dropping your bike.  Park your bike on the asphalt drive and walk up to the office.  In addition, the tent parking spots are sloped upwards with some very slick crushed rock and are challenging for a motorcycle.  The office closes at 5 (4 on Sunday and probably Saturday) and there is no campground map posted to see where the tent camping area is. They have copies of the campground map in the office and I suggested they put one on the outside of the office door so people arriving after they close have a map to view.   The tent camping (primitive) is off a paved lane a lot further down the hill past the office.  The sign for the lane says primitive.  Straight up at the top of the hill for that lane is site 6 which is somewhat acceptable for motorcycle parking although you are not going to get good enough of a cell signal there to use any internet apps. You might get one bar to make calls or text.   At the top of that hill, take a left and go up a steep hill to the shower house and where sites 1 &2 are at.  At sites 1&2 and outside the shower house you can get a good enough signal (2 bars) to use internet apps.  The campground does have an open wifi, but it doesn't reach to the tent camping sites.  They should add some directional antennas to extend to that area.  Sites 1&2 are best for motorcycles if you can reserve one of them.  2 has a wide enough turn around that you could easily park a group of motorcycles there.  When you check in you are assigned a 4 digit code to unlock the shower house doors.  If you arrive after hours you'll have to ask another camper if they'll share their code with you like we had to.  Don't bother trying to call the campground number after hours to check in or ask for a code because you'll just their voicemail.  Bring a hammer or find a rock to hammer your tent stakes in because the ground where you would want to pitch a tent is mostly rock.  Being primitive there is no electric at the tent sites.  There is an outlet by the sink in the shower house if you need to charge your phone.  There aren't any external outlets at the shower house.  There is a spigot outside the shower house, but I did not open it to make sure it worked.  We got our water using the shower house sink.  The rate as of July 2024 is $10.50 PER TENT per night.  There is no discount for only using one site with several tents.  We (four bikes with 4 tents) stayed there four nights.  We would have left after the first night, but had paid for all four nights and also didn't want to have to pack everything up to look for a different campground.

We had 2 of the larger campsites (#2 and #3) for Memorial Day Weekend. We had a great time all weekend with hiking,picnics,campfires and ghost hunting. However,on Sunday night a strong storm came through that brought down trees with it's fierce wind and torrential rain. The power went out in the campground. The Park superintendent offered a free room in the lodge to anyone who wanted to stay where there was electricity. We were camping in a tent which ended up with lots of water in it. Kudos to Superintendent Ken for making a bad situation better. We will recommend this beautiful park to everyone.

Camp Creek State Park is well-managed and beautifully-maintained with an active foundation that raises money for cool stuff like the conversation fire pit with swings, located in the Mash Fork Campground, which is only 2-miles off the I-77 at exit 20 in Mercer County, WV.

Mash Fork is one of four campgrounds at Camp Creek  State Park which all offer picnic tables, grills and fire rings.  Mash Fork has RV and tent sites:  9 sites with electricity, 8 sites with electricity and water, or 9 sites with electricity, water and sewer.  The bathhouses are super nice, there's free WiFi, and they sell exceptionally generous bundles of firewood which the camp host will personally deliver to your site.

There's a small store in the Mash Fork Campground with camping supplies and some souvenirs.  Make sure you check the cooler for local free-range chicken eggs… Yum!

If you're looking for more rustic tent camping, head to the Blue Jay Campground.  If you're a horse owner, the Double C Horse and Rider Camp has 2, 4, or 6 horse occupancy sites all within the 6,000 acre Camp Creek State Park and Forest.

Camp Creek State Park has two beautiful waterfalls.  You can drive to both, but Mash Creek Falls is a short walk from the Mash Fork campground, so make sure you check it out. Campbell Creek Falls has a deep pool at the bottom where you can swim.  Camp Creek is stocked with trout in the spring, so expect to see lots of fishermen along the banks.

If you have time, you can check out 33-miles of trails which are loaded with wildflowers in the spring.

*A little local trivia:  Mash Fork gives you a hint about the area's moonshining past… wink, wink!

Very nice and comfy! Don’t make the same mistake I did and tent camp outside in a huge storm - just stay inside!

Tent camped here a few weeks ago. Been on several day trips to the park. I love the trails, the waterpark and the views. Camp site is nice, but could use some work and an update.

Nice spot to stop for a night on our way north - level private spot for our rooftop tent. Sites 38-45 have the most privacy. Check website as we were there during a fire ban.

Army Camp is my favorite place to camp. 10 tent sites. 2 are handicap. Has always been quiet with good people camping while I was here. Area for people to swim in the river or fish. One trail on far side of parking area that I haven’t been on yet. Great area.

I enjoyed this campground. A nice playground for children. Lots of deer about. The tent sites have water, fire ring, table and nice shade.  Lots of lovely trails to explore. It was quiet and super clean. The only drawback is that you need to drive to the restroom because the walk is a little too far.  But the restroom was super clean.

Absolutely beautiful park. Nice sized campsites. Perfect for tent camping. Good white water rafting w/dam openings daily

Trails: Needs better signage on trail, especially as trails merge. Very steep switchbacks and difficult trails. Trail markers difficult to read or non existent in some spots. Wash outs and downed trees blocking trail common. Seems to be common in VA state parks, most staff had zero knowledge of their trails.

20 minute drive to grocery, restaurants, etc

We state at the tent campsites for 4 days. Very clean and well kept. I will say the outhouses were a bit rough, but most are—a lot of hiking and sightseeing. I could not be there during prime trout season, so I didn't get any fishing in. I would recommend this state park.

One of my favorite places to visit, camp, and hike!! Its gorgeous Appalachia with hikes ranging from casual strolls to very difficult. This park offers all of the amenities, full hookup if you want it or primitive tent sites, a nice lodge and restaurant, horseback riding, and zip lines!!! One of the camp hosts, Teddy, was super friendly and helpful with anything we needed. I LOVE The Breaks Park!!!

We have stayed at Pappys multiple times this year and each time is better than the last. We tent camp and always have plenty of room. Campground is located right next to the East Lynn outlaw trails. The owner and staff very friendly and even set us up with a local group to show us around. They also offer parking and you don’t have to worry about any one messing with your stuff because there is alway some one there! Just an absolutely awesome place for kids and adults.

From whitewater rafting to the waterpark to their 15+ different adventures, Ace Adventure Resort has it all. The tent campsite I stayed at was out in the open and had no privacy, but the bath house was clean. The small cabins are very nice, with more room than it appears from the outside. The hot tub was a great addition for those cold nights after rafting.

Stopped by on my way up north. Beautiful view of the river, which was high. There’s 5 pull in sites and 5 walk in tent sites. Multiple bathrooms, including ADA friendly, all clean. There were 2 other campers on a Saturday night, which was nice and quiet. It’s about 5 miles down a nice dirt road, easy to drive on. There’s no AT&T service upon arrival. A few spots you could locate a bar to send a message, but that’s it. Lots of trees to hang a hammock. Each site had a fire ring, picnic table and a pole to hang food from. No electricity or water so be sure to bring your own. Overall, enjoyed my stay!

Campground Review: 

River Expeditions in Oak Hill, WV, is an all-in-one camping-to-glamping resort for outdoor adventures in the New River Gorge where I shared a 3-day adventure with a young lady who was a first-time camper. We both enjoyed the friendly, knowledgeable staff and all the amenities, including an outdoor swimming pool, game room, restaurant and saloon.

River Expeditions offers tent camping, safari tents, RV sites, bungalows, mini-cabins, deluxe cabins, and even luxury cabins with private hot tubs. Prices range from$15/night for tent camping to nearly $400 for the luxury cabins with a 15% discount for booking online, and a 50% discount from November 1st to March 3rd. All accommodations include a complimentary continental breakfast. 

River Expeditions is spread out over a 100-acres, with the tent camping located in open meadows, surrounded by trees. The RV camp sites are too close together for my taste and the gravel parking spots are all on a slant, so it would be a challenge for larger trailers to get level there. My camping buddy and I upgraded from my tent to my RV van due to thunderstorms and heavy rain. We selected spot#6 which allowed us to park parallel to the electricity and mostly avoid the downhill slant. 

The New River Gorge National River has some of the best whitewater rafting in the country, so we booked a trip on the lower New River and it was great! River Expeditions has good gear and great guides like Porter who had us cracking up when he shared some local folklore. He gave us lots of opportunities for a relaxing swim outside the raft. We also got to test the power of a whirlpool and jump off a huge rock, while we paddled downstream through the rapids. 

The New River Gorge is a climber’s dream, so we booked an evening of rock climbing with David Wolff, Director of the New River Climbing School and he was amazing! I would describe David as an expert instructor, combined with psychological counselor, who helped my camping buddy cope with her fear of heights during the rappelling portion of the outing. 

There are lots of great hiking trails in the New River Gorge. The 2-mile Endless Wall Trail has been rated the #1 National Park trail by USA Today. The view from Diamond Point is amazing, with the rocky outcroppings overlooking the New River. You’ll often see climbers scaling nearby rock walls and you can watch rafts negotiating the rapids in the river below. Tip: There are two small parking lots which can fill up fast, you may want to arrive early on the weekends. If you have a big party, you can carpool from the Canyon Rim Visitor’s Center which is worth a visit to use their flush toilets and get free trail maps. 

We also hiked the 3-mile Long Point Trail which gives you an amazing view of the New River Bridge, a steel arch bridge, more than 3,000 feet long, which spans the gorge. If you visit on the third Saturday of October, you can join tens of thousands of visitors who watch dare devils base jump from the structure during the annual Bridge Day celebration. 

On the final day of our visit, we tried River Expeditions’ 3-part zipline in the pouring rain, something I wouldn’t repeat because I was too soaked and cold to enjoy the experience. I’d describe it as a beginner’s zipline, so if you’re looking for something more dramatic, with better views, you may want to check out the competition at Ace Adventure Resort. 

The only negative caveat of our stay was a run-in with the resort owner caused by unpredictable hours for the pool and other amenities, which closed early with no advanced warning.  We were threatened with eviction when I used the half-covered hot tub at 9:30 PM after we were told at check in it stayed open until 10 PM.

Product Review: 

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time, so my camping buddy and I wore Banner and Oak hats during our 3-day adventure in the New River Gorge.

I want to be honest, without trashing Banner and Oak, because I love their American-made hats and would definitely recommend them. 

With that said, I’m disappointed that Banner and Oak has apparently abandoned their founding pledge to sell American-designed and fabricated hats, with 95% of the materials sourced in the United States. 

I noticed the recent change when I opened my sample box and two of three hats inside were made in China and Bangladesh. 

My favorite hat of the trio is the American-made Banner and Oak Scout with a patch that pleases my soul, featuring the phrase“Freedom To Explore” embroidered across the top with a stars and stripes tent centered underneath. This hat is well-made, with quality materials, and generates positive comments whenever I wear it. 

The quality of the China-made Banner and Oak Trailhead hat is fine, but the brand is unknown in West Virginia, so when I showed it to other campers, they wanted to know something about the company. I told them Banner and Oak is a relatively new American apparel brand headquartered in Arkansas, so they seemed confused by the“Made in China” tag inside. 

The hat made in Bangladesh is the Banner and Oak Pathfinder from the women’s line. The quality is noticeably inferior, with puckered seams and the front logo slightly off-center.

All three Banner and Oaks hats I tested have a list price of nearly $30/each, so my buying preference would be for any style of their top-quality, American-made hats, designed, fabricated and sourced in the USA.

This campground is just up the road from the Beckley Town Exhibition Coal Mine and attached to the town park. It offers 17 campsites and as of the COVID pandemic, is open only to self-contained RVs. Site are close to one another, back-in, able to accommodate large rigs, include water/electric/sewer. The bathrooms are closed and tent camping is not permitted. The campground is open April 1– December 1. Rates are daily, weekly, or monthly. Campground is not large and sites are sunny.

Check in at the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine…and while you’re there, take a tour of the mine, museum, and associated villages(both a coal town and an earlier pioneer community). The guides are knowledgeable and friendly. The other attraction in the area is the New River Gorge National Park. Check out sunrise from Grandview Point, get a view of the bridge from Long Point, drive to the ghost town of Thurmond and to Sandstone falls. Ride a raft or a bike. Take a hike along the river, the rim, from rim to river, or under the bridge. Babcock& Hawks Nest State Parks are worth visits.

We stayed the weekend of 3/13/20-3/15/20 and had fairly good weather despite the damp mornings. There is five drive-in sites and more walk-in sites on the edge of the camp. The drive-in sites filled and vacated several times throughout the weekend. The tent sites were closer than I thought, but were still nicely equipped with a fire pit, charcoal grill, and picnic table.

The camp had clean latrines (no running water) and was easily accessible from an offroad-like gravel entrance road. The camp is steps away from the Glade Creek Trail and the New River Gorge. The flowing Gorge can always be heard, the low rumble is peaceful at night. There is not much open space; this only proves to be a problem if your dog loves to fetch as much as mine does.

Overall, Glade Creek Campground is a nice and somewhat-remote camp that is accessible with a vehicle. The camp is presumably shaded year-round and is completely free.

     The God's Wilderness Campground wasn't much to brag about, but the couple who run this Christian-themed camp are super-religious, good-hearted people who live full-time on Paradise Island.

     Priscella Cline Smith and her husband host a lot of church groups, revivals and Southern Gospel sings, but they also welcome tent, RV and ATV campers looking for cheap accommodations near the Hatfield-McCoy Trail system

     The campground offers tent camping,  hook-ups for RV's, and lodging in facilities with names such as "The Upper Room Inn," "The New Testament Bunkhouse," and "The Vineyard Bungalow."  I went for the primitive option at $7.00/night and camped next to the Guyandotte River which is known for its good fishing.

     They have some interesting oddities here such as the Teepee Chapel, the "Jesus Praying in the Rock" stone, and the "Passion Trail" portraying Christ's birth, ministry and resurrection.   

     To find Paradise Island, WV, set your GPS for 777 Paradise Island Verner, WV 25650

     If you camp here, I recommend a side-trip to Matewan, WV, a historic town know for the "Matewan Massacre" where abused miners revolted against coal barons and their security thugs.  You can actually see bullet-holes and slugs in the walls around town where Sheriff Sid Hatfield and armed miners shot and killed seven coalmine detectives who came to town with eviction notices for miners trying to organize a union.

RANGER REVIEW: Primus Trailspork Tritan at Glade Creek Campground, Prince, WV

CAMPGROUND REVIEW:

Glade Creek Campground is located off Glade Creek Rd. further down and beyond Grandview Sandbar Campground…and is also part of the New River Gorge National River. https://www.nps.gov/neri/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm

During our visit, in early May, it had been and was still experiencing heavy rains and flooding. Even then, it is a beautiful location. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ieJ-SoMxsMc

The Glade Creek Road to the campground is not too bad but there is a narrow one-lane bridge you must cross.

Glade Creek Campground has six (6) walk-in tent sites and five (5) drive in sites inside the loop for tents or medium sized RV/Campers. Keep in mind there is no water available (unless you filter from Glade Creek or the New River, which is sketchy) or electric. The pit latrines are state of the art and newer. Drive-in sites are gravel, fairly level and have picnic tables, lantern poles and fire pits. Walk-in tent sites are sand.

The price can’t be beat-Free! Maximum length of stay is 14 days. There is definitely enough to see and do to fill 14 days! There are no reservations…sites are based on availability…first come, first served.

Glade Creek Trail follows an old RR bed with easy terrain. Being early in the spring, there was still some deadfall across parts of the trail that required some maneuvering and even though it is a raised old narrow gauge RR bed, it still got muddy. Several trails break off Glade Creek trail…and worth taking. https://www.nps.gov/neri/planyourvisit/glade-creek-trails.htm Kates Falls being one of them. Bikes are permitted on the trails. There are plenty of additional noteworthy trails within a short drive. I always recommend stopping in at the New River Gorge Bridge Visitor’s Center…Rangers are a wealth of information for great local trails.

Home to the wood-warblers… birding is popular. Dedicated photographers were out in the downpour capturing photos of rare plant-life too. Pretty cool stuff.

A great campground to use as your base camp for checking out all the amazing sights in this area.

PRODUCT REVIEW:

Primus Trailspork Tritan

https://primus.us/products/trailspork-tritan?variant=38439223954 Note: This URL does direct you to the product listing. However, the first sentence is incorrect, this Spork model does not fold.

As a Review Ranger for TheDyrt.com I was provided the Primus Trailspork Tritan to test and review.

PROS

•Lightweight 7grams

•BPA-free Tritan

•Durable

•Won’t melt during cooking

•Won’t scratch pots or pans

CONS

•Not rounded enough

•Right edge of spork is sharp for plastic

The Primus Trailspork Tritan is a strong contender for the eating utensil “do all” category. The construction is robust…the girder style handle cutouts lighten it up but it doesn’t weaken the structure any. The cutouts resemble the pot cutouts on their Eta pots.

The “fork” portion works as good as any fork, even with short tines.

The “spoon” portion is where I, personally, see room for improvement. To me, the spoon cup is too deep and narrow, causing the sides to feel high when withdrawing the spork from your mouth. Which accentuates another problem. On the right outside sidewall of the spoon, the outside lip is a beveled edge to mimic a knife or spatula and is rather sharp…which with a shallower depth wouldn’t be an issue (but then the spoon might be ineffectively shallow). But I felt like that beveled edge is slicing my upper lip as I draw the spork out of my mouth. This sensation certainly slowed my eating down (which necessarily a bad thing).

The aforementioned beveled edge worked effectively both as a knife cutting through soft items and also as a spatula when scraping the last remnants of fettuccini from the pot walls.

I liked using the Primus Trailspork Tritan for stirring pot or pan contents without concern of it melting or deforming.

I won’t deny that I may be an oddity, but when camping or backpacking, I prefer using a spoon over a fork or combination.

Final Thoughts

It is very apparent I am not an engineer, nor pretend to be. So take my thoughts with a grain of salt. The Primus Trailspork Tritan is a good product and worth a look.

GLADE CREEK - New River Gorge (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good 70 yr olds in 17’ trailer: Overall Rating: 4.5 Price. Free Usage during visit: Trailer sites usually filled up by the end of the day. Site Privacy: 2. Little understory plants Site 1 is very private. Site Spacing: 5. Very large sotes Site surface: Gravel/ mud Reservations: First come, first serve Campground Noise : 5. Very little Road Noise: 4.5 Glade Rd is behind site 1., but not close. Site 1 is still the best trailer site. Traffic can hardly be seen through the trees. Minimal traffic and minimal noise . Through Traffic: Access to the boat ramp is through the campground. Though, traffic is minimal, folks on the way to the ramp and picnic area often drive pretty fast. Electricity: No Water: River only - bring drinking water. Sewer: No Dump: No Generators: Allowed Bathroom: Nice pit toilet near site 2(a nice handicap site.
Showers: No Pull Throughs: Most sites Cell Service (Verizon): No Setting: 5. We can hear the river from all sites, which is just a short walk away. Weather: Rain, clouds, sunshine Bugs: None Solar: Minimal and surely less when the trees leaf out more. Site 2 looks to have the best solar for a roof mount. Still minimal . Host: None Rig size: Limited by a narrow one lane . bridge on Glade Rd . A 30’ trailer arrived. There is plenty of room in the 5 trailer sites.
Access: 20 minute drive from 41 on maintained and pretty smooth gravel road. UPON ARRIVAL, IF PULLING A TRAILER , I SUGGEST THAT YOU OCCUPY THE FIRST SITS YOU SEE. That is because reentry into the campground, while pulling a trailer, requires extra driving away from the campground entry for turn around. Sites: Site 1 is best for a trailer - isolated from the rest . Site 2 is a handicap site, which is not enforced by park service . Sites 3-5 are nice and large but not very private . Site 6, as looping back around, is the absolute best site, right on the river. It is suitable for truck campers, vans, and tents. A small trailer which can be hand maneuvered will also work there. There are some walk-in tent sites I did not evaluate.
Notes: There are reports from others of safety concerns. I checked with park ranger officers and they said there are no safety concerns, “especially way back here.” We didn’t experience any issues. That said, this issues reported in other reviews took place at the boat ramp, which is in ear shot of the walk-in sites, for sure.