Looking for an adventure where you can explore Gilbert and then fall asleep in your tent? Find the best information on tent camping near Gilbert, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. Whether you're looking for a quiet, dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
This tent only campground located near the historic railroad town of Thurmond offers 7 walk-in sites, 5 on the sandy beach of the New River and 2 in the nearby forest. There are no drive-in sites at this location. RV, camper, or car camping is prohibited. The Stone Cliff Trailhead also starts at the campground.
$11 - $79 / night
Choose from three day-use picnic shelters at R.D. Bailey Lake, a scenic reservoir with views of the surrounding tree-topped mountains.
The lake is best known for boating and fishing for largemouth, smallmouth, striped bass and channel catfish. Hunting enthusiasts can hunt small game such as rabbits and turkey in-season. Head to the Visitor Center for interesting exhibits, educational programs and tours of the dam and intake structure. There's also an impressive observation deck with viewing telescopes.
Each shelter has a playground, flush toilets, drinking water and plenty of grassy space for sports. All three are near excellent shore fishing areas as well. Big Branch Shelter Big Branch is close to the headwaters of the lake. It has the most space of the three shelters, with substantial room for extra cars and enough tables to seat 100 guests. Horseshoe pits, basketball and volleyball courts, and the largest, newest playground can be found here. The site is equipped with two grills and electric hookups. Guyandotte Point Day Use Shelter Guyandotte Point sits at the lake's headwaters, just a quarter mile past the Big Branch Recreation Area. This is the best location for those who plan to go boating, as it's the only location with a boat ramp. Electric hookups and a large charcoal grill are onsite. Visitor Center Day Use Shelter The Visitor Center Shelter is nearly 400 feet above the dam, offering spectacular views of the glistening lake. The shelter is, as named, right by the Visitor Center, which is worth a visit. It's also at the trailhead of two popular hiking trails and the Below Dam Fisherman's Access. Horseshoe pits are by the shelter. No electric hookups are available.
R. D. Bailey Lake Group Shelters are on the Guyandotte River in West Virginia, about three miles east of the town of Justice. The R. D. Bailey Dam reaches 310 feet high, and the lake's surface area in summer is 630 acres. The region of the Appalachian Mountains boasts an abundance of oak, hickory and beech trees.
Explore West Virginia's heritage at a living history pioneer farm in Twin Falls. Or traverse the beautiful Castle Rock Trail, great for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and ATVs.
$60 - $90 / night
$10 / night
The Goforth Mountain Homestead is nestled in the Appalachian Mountain range of wild and wonderful West Virginia! The property is 76 acres: approximately 80% forested; 10% pasture and meadow; 5% pond and surrounding land; and 5% residential homesteads. This camping site provides the opportunity to fully experience primitive camping; including the ability to catch, clean, and cook your own fish over a campfire of your making. If you enjoy free range hiking, journey to the top of the property where there is a nice view of East River Mountain (especially in autumn) and stay a while to enjoy birds and other wildlife. You are most likely to see the healthy deer and turkey population!
Nearby in the local community, visit Lotito City Park where you can hike, bike, play volleyball, take your kids to Yakkity-Yak playground, and board the seasonal ridge runner train around the park. Also, recognized by Charleston Gazette as one of the best kept secrets in WV, visit Lynn's drive-in restaurant! And if you enjoy flea markets then you are in luck! Less than 5 minutes away is the up-and-coming Route 52 Flea Market which is growing rapidly and great addition to the local community.
$25 / night
Note: Coordinates listed on The Dyrt are to the park entrance. Please call 833-WV-PARKS to obtain detailed directions. Pack It In – Pack It Out Campground is the ideal spot for those looking to travel away from mainstream facilities. To reach the campsite, guests must hike or bike more than three miles to the Almost Heaven Road and Trail. Advance reservations for this remote campground are preferred.
Double C Horse and Rider Campground is perfect for those traveling with horses to go trail riding. This separate campground offers two to four horse occupancy sites. Two horses per site is recommended. Note: Coordinates listed on The Dyrt are to the park entrance. Please call 833-WV-PARKS to obtain detailed directions.
Beautiful rustic cabin and campsites along the Little Coal River. Enjoy the unique experience of floating in with your kayak or canoe and staying for the weekend at The Lillian, our newly built cabin or at one of our campsites located on the bank of the river.
Enjoy the sounds of the rippling water while snoozing in the shade of the hammock or the nightly whippoorwill’s song as you are relaxing by the warm glow of the campfire. Once you have experienced this slice of “almost heaven” you will most surely not want to leave.
$50 - $150 / night
Want to get even more out of the time you spend partaking in outdoor West Virginia fun with the New & Gauley Adventures team? Stay with us! We have both cabins and a campground available to accommodate you.
If you love to rough it, we offer you your choice of campsite — in “the field” next to the shower house or in a site a short walk away down our wooded trails. Our campground is conveniently located on our base camp, and our newly built shower house has hot water, bathrooms and electricity. And just in case you don’t want to rough it too much (or campfire cooking isn’t your thing), right next to the shower house is our own Undercut Pub and our great room.
For those who wish to stay close to the action but want a little more luxury — or a lot more — our Cabins are available for rent. There are affordable mini cabins available on our base camp that are close to everything; these rustic cabins have no electricity, come with a queen-sized bunk with mattress and require you to bring your own sleeping bag.
Enjoy a night of camping!. Our camping facilities are complete with a newly built shower house and bath rooms with hot water and electricity. Our camp ground is located right on our base camp, and you are allowed to choose where you camp! Wonderful adventure hikes and a cliff overlooking the Gorge are just a few miles’ walk!
How do you like the freedom of choosing your own campsite? We have 2 areas for camping with your choice of campsite! You have the option of camping in “the field” next to the shower house facilities or you can camp down our trail of wooded sites, just a short walk from the shower house as well.
Electricity and water is provided in the shower house.
$12 - $160 / night
Ranger
Very scenic place!! We spent 6 nights here, hiked & biked a lot. Off season, so some of the amenities were closed (pool looks awesome). The campground itself isn't really all that great, prepare for some levelling. We lucked out in the B loop, as a small trail (Grassy Overlook trail) took us to see the northern lights one evening. I highly suggest stopping here for a few nights, an under rated area.
Ranger
We camped here for 6 nights just before Halloween, enjoyed it. Not a lot to do unless you have a boat, but it's a scenic area. Ended up here because we had to avoid our original plans due to Hurricane Helene.
Ranger
All 12 non-electric sites appeared to have fire ring, picnic table, trash can, flat parking area. They did vary a bit in size. I was there on Friday and Saturday and there were no more than 4 other sites occupied. I was surprised that the bathrooms had running water! Overall, everything was quiet and relaxing. Some traffic from people driving by, but not bad at this time of year. It was delightful falling asleep and waking up to the sound of the creek! There are miles and miles of trails, I hiked 16 and only encountered 1 couple. The other campgrounds in the park have more amenities, too.
Guide
Very nice spot, right by the river with plenty of spaces to hammock down by there. We were lucky and got one of the last spots, there’s only 11. Fire rings with grill, and bench at each site. The ground is great for tents, no rocks. If you’re planning on coming here, make sure and come early. Pit toilets also available.
Guide
Great place along the river. Low traffic, spots are large and spread out, there is s nice trail (5.6miles). Down side, no tmobile cell service, and a train runs on the other side if the river every few hours
LegendOne of three campgrounds in Camp Creek State Park; this is the primitive one (the other two are a horse camp and a developed one with hookups). Most sites are on the creek, but the road runs right past them. On a weekday in the fall, the road was very quiet, but I imagine that in the summer when carloads of people head to Campbell Falls, it would be a different story and would take away from the peacefulness of the campground.
This campground would not be suitable for large RVs, but our campervan fit just fine in the mostly level (but rooty) sites, Obviously, good for tents.
There are two vault toilets – one for women and one for men. They were in reasonably clean condition.
Campbell Falls is just down the road from the campground and there is access to many hiking trails.
No one other than us was there on a weekday in mid-October so it was very peaceful and quiet.
Scout
Stopped here for a quick overnight and this beautiful campground had us wishing we could stay longer.
Legend
This campground is situated in the woods, near Lake. Has a good WFI everywhere, very clean and quiet.
GuideNice 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.
Traveler
Overall not a bad campground. Very pricey in my mind, $43 after taxes for 1 night of primitive camping. Got there at 4 on a monday and no one was in the office, ended up riding 45 minutes up the road to call to reserve a spot, they said everything was a 3 night minimum. I ended up booking online for just 1 night. Campground was clean and quiet, directions aren’t super clear as to where the campground is. Would stay here again if I had to, but wouldn’t be my first pick.
TravelerGreat quiet spot. All primitive, does have a bathhouse with toilets only. Pretty good drive to any stores, so pack in what you need. It is about a 7 mile ride down a gravel road. I did the trip on a motorcycle so the road isn’t bad. I got there at 6pm on a tuesday and got the last spot! Get there early to make sure you get a spot. Very well maintained.
TravelerThe Campground is small...Maybe 15 sites. It was full when we arrived. Luckily, there are 2 or 3 dispersed sites along the road into the Campground. They are on the river, too. Perfect for an overnighter.
Guide
Laurel bed lake at top is beautiful. Waterfalls on way up and good fishing along the way in tumbling creek. Flat field area for camping on way. Several spots by creek for van or tent camping.
TravelerPit toilets, but was nice to have something ++ FREE. Super cool river near by, great scenery.
Traveler
We arrived from Cleveland late on a Thursday evening and every one of the 7 sites was full, luckily we met another couple who let us share their site for the night which was great because they let us have their site when they left in the morning. We were on site 2/3 which are right at the bottom of a large staircase down from the parking lot. We put our tent a few feet away from the water facing the river and our canopy further up in the woods by the firepit. Access to a hiking trail at the end of the parking lot - Stonecliff Trail, garbage bins and bathrooms available, no running water so bring hand sanitizer, Dunloup waterfall ~8 min down the road right off the side of the road was beautiful and a great place to swim, hiked a few trails down to town of Thurmond which is a a great little historical train town with a nice visitors center
Cons - No picnic tables on any of the sites, carrying our things up the 3 flights of stairs to the parking lot was a little exhausting but not bad if you’re more of a minimalist camper, road access to campground is well paved but is very very narrow and windy so be careful of other cars flying around the bends, trains go by on other side of the river ~2-3 times per night, be careful of glass in the sand as well as bees, sites 2-5 are all right on top of each other (within 10 feet) with minimal trees in between so they’re good for groups but not if you don’t want to be right next to people.
Traveler
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.
Guide
Chief Logan has a lot of interesting things to see, including an outdoor animal exhibit, a lodge, a pool, a theatre, and a museum all close together.
Our site was full hook up and very level. There was creek nearby and walking paths all over. We went over to the lodge and was able to swim in the pool and hot tub as part of the price of our campsite. There was solar event with super rare aurora light show for this part of the world while we were there.
GuideStayed here for a few nights with 3 other people. We had 1 big tent, 2 vehicles and a few dogs and had plenty of room. The road getting back to the site is a little sketch but worth the trip in. Just remember you have to make that trip all the way back out if you forget anything at the store (like we did) so be prepared to have plenty of food and wood. Water access is not problem if you have a good filtration system. The view of the river is absolutely beautiful!!
Scout
Roads in campground are rough in places. Electrical boxes are in rough shape at some sites. 30 amp kept tripping the breaker. WiFi does not work. Several sites have full hookup but sewer hookups need to be repaired and water hookups are far away.
GuideStayed 4 nights in section D. Our site was ok. There were a lot better sites to stay though. Staff was helpful and friendly. We had full hookups. Lots of shade.
Traveler
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.
GuideThis state forest is expansive with lots of trails popular with mountain bikers. It is a bit challenging to reach with a large(ish) van like ours. Narrow, winding roads take you to the Forest entrance. Campground was quiet with few campers in mid-May. The weather was hot and buggy when we visited. We did find a few ticks. Campground does have playgrounds, showers, electric hook-ups, and a dump station.
RangerYou can’t beat an established campground (picnic tables, fire pits, bathrooms) in a national park that’s also free! Good amount of spiders and ants but didn’t notice any mosquitoes in mid May. Peaceful and quiet!
ScoutCamp next to a quiet bumbling creek with beautiful scenery.
Ranger
Very nice and comfy! Don’t make the same mistake I did and tent camp outside in a huge storm - just stay inside!
ScoutWhen looking for a convenient ride on the trails and a place to stay that provides for all your needs, Hilltop Escape is the place! The campground is literally on several trails. Restaurant on-site. From breakfast to supper. Campfires in the evening. Lodging is comfortable and CLEAN! The stars from the mountaintop at night are amazing. The owner will meet you with a smile and can answer any question from the best place ride to giving helpful hints. Enjoy your time at Hilltop Escape.
ScoutWe stay here all season! Love all of the rentals and the campsite is top notch! Always clean and in great shape. Right next to outlaws and Hatfield McCoys plus a terrific restaurant right there at camp. We LOVE Hilltop Escape and highly recommend for all ages!
Tent camping near Gilbert, West Virginia offers a variety of scenic spots where nature lovers can unwind and enjoy the great outdoors. With options ranging from public parks to private homesteads, there's something for every type of camper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Gilbert, WV?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Gilbert, WV is Stone Cliff Campground — New River Gorge National Park and Preserve with a 4.2-star rating from 17 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Gilbert, WV?
TheDyrt.com has all 10 tent camping locations near Gilbert, WV, with real photos and reviews from campers.
