Dog-Friendly Camping near Hacker Valley, WV

Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Hacker Valley, WV

467 Reviews of 74 Hacker Valley Campgrounds

• 

  Dave V.

  Legend

  Sep. 4, 2020

  Greenbrier River Trail Milepost 63.8 Primitive Campsite

  All you need for a great time, nothing more and nothing less!

  Greenbrier River Trail Milepost 63.8 Primitive Campsite, Located between Clover Lick and Clawson, WV (south of Sharp's Tunnel)

  The Greenbrier River Trail is one of the most beautiful and often most remote trail I have had the privilege of bikepacking. If you aren't familiar with camping in West Virginia, you are in for a treat. The WV State Park system is fantastic and the State Park employees take incredible pride in keeping all their parks beautifully maintained despite poor budgets to work with. 

  GRT MP 63.8 Primitive Campsite is close to 17 miles south of the Cass Railroad Station. Trail conditions were wonderful, typical Railroad ballast, crushed gravel...at times it was wide like they recently removed the track, and other sections grass has grown down the middle to make it two track. All flat with a gentle one percent downhill grade from Stumptown to North Caldwell. Frankly, it wasn't discernible...but I'll take it.

  Wildlife and songbirds were abundant and as shocked to see you as you were them. Oftentimes, the deer would run the trail ahead of you for 200 yards before cutting off onto their sidetrail.

  The trail itself is recorded at differing lengths depending on what you read, but we started at MP 80…at Cass Railroad Station...traveling south to North Caldwell.

  PROS:

  • Free camping(First come, first served) 
  • Newer Adirondock Style Shelter 
  • Newer Large/Clean/Stocked Pit Latrine 
  • Raised Tent pad(pea gravel) 
  • Cold well water- Hand pump 
  • Metal Fire Ring 
  • No Cell Service 

  CONS: 

  • No Cell Service 

  NEARBY HIGHLIGHTS: 

  • Cass Railroad Station 
  • Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort 
  • Seneca Forest (**Thorny Mountain Fire Tower)
  • Seneca Rocks
  •  Spruce Knob(WV Highest Elevation) 
  • Green Bank Observatory 
  • The Greenbrier Resort

  *Note in the video, I initially thought the steel containers were bear proof storage, but I was incorrect and they are bear proof trash receptacles. 

  This is bear country, so we kept all our food items and toiletries in a bear cannister during our trip. We did not experience any encounters or sightings, but fellow cyclists traveling in the same direction, observed a juvenile bear during the day along the trail.

  In fact, WV has an abundant wildlife population and it is evident along the Greenbrier River Trail, which set this trail apart from other bikepacking trails I've traveled.

  You will see in a couple photos that a certain slithering resident was unwilling to give up his claim on this Adirondack Shelter, we attempted to dissuade him, we even gently relocated him, but he was neither afraid of our presence nor was he about to pass up a roof over his head. So we acquiesced and moved to the raised tent pad 100' down the trail. He was a very curious character.

  In June, you can anticipate random, short afternoon or evening cloudbursts...but they can be gully-washers. Nights were cool and most mornings I wore a long-sleeve Merino shirt.

  Riding and camping along the picture-perfect Greenbrier River offers fantastic views and opportunities to cool off...bring your swimwear.

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• S

  Sheila P.

  Traveler

  Jul. 31, 2020

  Tygart Lake State Park Campground

  Not worth the trip, Racoons, sloped sites

  If you’re looking for a place to camp in West Virginia, don’t even bother with this campground, head over to Audra State park instead.

  We generally love most camping experiences and make it work, but this one was so bad we left 3 days early. When I kindly called to cancel, the nice Park ranger said he completely understood and would actually refund us for our entire trip (which we didn’t even mention or ask for).

  The only good things about this campground were the friendly staff and the updated bathrooms.

  Almost all sites are walk-ups, which is NOT noted on their site. Also, almost all sites are on a hill. The pictures do not accurately show this. We had site 33 (probably the worst site). The entire site was on a slant and covered in rocks, I tried to capture it in a picture, but it just doesn’t look as slanted as it feels when you are standing there. There was no flat spot for our 10 x 20 tent, so we had to sleep on an angle. (I felt like I was falling out of bed the whole night!) 33 should NOT be a site.

  There is a HUGE raccoon problem here, even during the day. I wish we were warned ahead of time. Many people bring an extra tent to keep their food in. Our dog barked the entire night as the racoons kept coming up to our site and even our tent. At one point they even put holes in the outside of our $300 tent!! The next day we tried to make the best of our trip and decided to check out the lake. We had left our cooler and a couple small Rubbermaid bins of food on the table while we headed down for an hour. The car was far and incredibly hot during the day, and we didn’t want to give them any incentive to go after our tent again, so we had no other option. While we were gone the raccoons tore open our cooler, ate some of our food, and scattered the rest of our food and water in the woods. (This is probably why there is so much food that can been seen scattered near the campsites).

  The lake was pretty but there was a ton trash all around it, such a shame. I had to pick up a bunch of pieces of glass on the shore of the campground so my dog wouldn’t get hurt. You technically aren’t allowed to swim in the non-beach/swimming area unless you are jumping off a boat, but people were doing it anyway. You cannot bring dogs in the designated swimming area.

  While the bathrooms were nice they are a very far walk from any of the shaded/non-electric sites, and you are not permitted to drive up to them. There are only 2 showers. Both were kept clean but had 100’s of little green bugs and a ton of months and mosquitos on the. To get to the bathrooms you must park at the top of the hill and walk down (not a big deal for us, but may be for some).

  The electric sites have no shade or privacy, and they are all on top of each other.

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• 

  Linda

  Traveler

  Sep. 20, 2020

  Flatwoods KOA

  Clean and quiet

  This campground was perfect. It’s up on a hill and the sites are spaced out pretty well. It’s behind a hotel. Our site had room for our 26’ hybrid with 3 beds, plus two cars, chairs, and our two dog tie outs. I loved that it was near the main highway but up on a hill so you didn’t hear the traffic. The pool is part of the hotel property and the campground is allowed to use it anytime it’s open. There is a grocery store and a Walmart within a mile. There is also a small dog park on site. Sutton lake was about ten minutes away. I definitely recommend this campground.

• 

  Amber A.

  Ranger

  Jul. 3, 2016

  Summersville Lake Shelters

  No camping here...

  This lake is lovely but there is no where to camp. Lots of big pavilions to rent. See nearby Battle Run Campground. https://thedyrt.com/west-virginia-camping/west-virginia-battle-run

• 

  Camp With Me

  Legend

  Dec. 21, 2025

  Williams River Sites

  Amazing Cheap Camping by the River in West Virginia

  The coordinates for this are site #19.

  We explored the Williams River Campsites nestled in the heart of Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia! There are 30 peaceful,**first-come, first-serve rustic campsites  scattered along across 19 miles on Williams River Road(Forest Roads 86& 216), many right beside the scenic Williams River— a favorite spot for fishing, hiking, and wildlife viewing. These campsites offer basic amenities like picnic tables, campfire rings, and lantern posts, but no hookups or potable water, so come prepared for a true back-to-nature experience. There are pit toilets between some sites. The area sits near the Cranberry Wilderness off the Highland Scenic Highway, providing outdoor adventure opportunities like river swimming, mountain biking, and trail exploration. Perfect for anglers, hikers, and anyone looking to unplug in wild West Virginia!

  Check out all 30 sites in our video, GPS locations for all sites are in the video description. 

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz0xR0B2UYQ

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• 

  Andrew S.

  Legend

  Jul. 16, 2021

  Lake Sherwood

  Very peaceful scenic campground.

  The campground is butted up against Sherwood lake and a small mtn ridge range that divides West Virginia and Virginia.  Even though I didn't get to go fishing it looked like a very nice lake to fish in.  The campsites themselves are very nice and the majority is right on the lake.  There is very nice facilities for the men and women's bathroom and shower.  You can go on the lake in boat and there is a beach area for swimming.  I really enjoyed the arched wooden bridge that you can walk over to an island and explore.  I highly recommend this Sherwood lake for camping.  Its all around peaceful.  It takes a little bit of driving to get there off the beaten path of nearby White Sulphur Springs but it is definitely worth the drive.

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• 

  Camp With Me

  Legend

  Jan. 11, 2026

  Cranberry River Sites NF Campground

  Another amazing place to camp in West Virginia

  Cranberry River dispersed camping along Forest Road 76 offers quiet, scenic, riverside primitive campsites with excellent fishing and easy access to the surrounding wilderness. We stayed a couple of nights at Site 8 and had great river access with only a small amount of road traffic. There were campers at about five other sites during our stay, but it still felt peaceful and spread out. With inexpensive sites spaced along roughly five miles of road, this is a great area to camp. Roads like this in West Virginia are home to some of my favorite campsites, and we will definitely be back. 

  Check out all the sites with GPS locations in our video. 

  https://youtu.be/q6G3fhvmfoY

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• 

  Dave V.

  Legend

  Sep. 12, 2020

  Greenbrier River Trail Mile Post 49.3 Primitive Campsite

  A Welcomed Reststop along the Trail

  Greenbrier River Trail Mile Post 49.3 Primitive Campsite, Watoga, WV

  West Virginia's **Greenbrier River Trail  (GRT) **stretches from its Northern Terminus at the Cass Railroad Station, Stumptown 78-80 miles (depending on what resource you read) to it's Southern Terminus in North Caldwell. The Greenbrier River Trail is a Rails-to-Trails initiative, so being a former track bed, the surface is predominantly ballast, though there are some black-topped areas. Some locations of the trail that either see more sunlight or less traffic have seen grass overtake the trail to form a "two-track" or at times a mown grass trail. Most parts drain well and easy to navigate, while some heavily wooded areas adjacent to rocky cliffs see more puddling and thus muddier...but all navigable. 

  Because of it's relative remoteness and light traffic, wildlife flourishes along the GRT. This is bear country so I would recommend utilizing a bear bag or bear canister for your food and toiletries. I used a BearVault BV500 that I strapped to the Salsa EXP Anything Cradle attached to my handlebars...worked great. Eliminated concerns about losing food items and attracting Yogi and Boo-Boo. A Father/Daughter duo trailing us observed a juvenile bear not far off the trail mid-day. But bears aside, raccoons, chipmunks and other rodents can wreak havoc on panniers or backpacks containing food and fragrant toiletries. 

  At the time of our visit there were 15 Primitive or Rustic Campsites along the Greenbrier River Trail. Each person traveling the Greenbrier River Trail will determine which primitive campsite they prefer for a night's rest. 

  All the primitive campsites positioned along the Greenbrier River Trail (GRT) are free, first-come, first-served. Note that some offer more amenities than others, so those will likely be the sought after locations.

  Traveling West Virginia's Greenbrier River Trail is a highlight whatever mode of travel permitted, whether on foot, horseback, bicycling or even paddlecraft...no motorized vehicles are permited. The Greenbrier River Trail was chosen by Backpacker Magazine as one of the top ten best hikes in the U.S. of A. That's quite the billing to live up to.

  I will add that we chose to bikepack the GRT, so I felt we did not stop at all the available sites, cascades, waterfalls, bridges, etc purely because we were a little spread out and by the time you past by a special site, the others were too far down the trail. While I absolutely loved our entire GRT trip...had I been on foot...more exploring would have taken place.

  PROS:

  • Raised fine gravel tent pad
  • Nice, clean, maintained and stocked pit latrine
  • Picnic table
  • Metal fire ring
  • Metal Bear-proof trash receptacle
  • No cell service

  CONS:

  • No water pump
  • No cell service
  • Tent pad located very close to elevated trail

  NEARBY HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Town of Marlinton
  • Watoga State Park
  • Greenbrier Resort
  • Snowshoe Mountain Resort
  • Cass Railroad
  • Seneca State Forest
  • Seneca Rocks
  • Spruce Knob (WV highest elevation)
  • The Wild Bean Cafe and Thunderbird Taco (Lewisburg)  (Suggestion: Order the Guacadilla!...thank me later)

  The GRT Mile Post 49.3 Primitive Campsite does not offer a well water, so fill up before you get there. Although, if you utilize a filter, you can draw water from the river or the tributary down the trail several hundred feet. Even though Mile Post 49.3 tent pad is directly alongside the trail, traffic is so light that it is really a non-issue. There is not a large clearing and with dense vegetation...pack your bug juice.

  This is West Virginia, so even in populated areas cell service can be spotty...but on the trail, I would not count on it. This is both a blessing and a curse. However, for safety purposes, I do carry a Garmin InReach Explorer + in case of emergencies.

  The GRT Mile Post 49.3 Primitive Campsite makes for a great overnighter from either Marlinton or a nice out-and-back from Cass Railroad from the north or from North Caldwell from the South...eliminating the need for a shuttle.

  Final Thoughts: Whether you chose to spend the night at Mile Post 49.3 or not, is not the point...all the primitive campsites along the Greenbrier River Trail are great choices...the point is, mark your calendars, plan this trip and travel West Virginia's Greenbrier River Trail!

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• 

  Marianne S.

  Traveler

  Jun. 3, 2021

  Spruce Knob Lake Campground

  more remote and primitive for car camping

  A great, quiet campground with fewer sites than most.  It is about 5 miles from the summit of Spruce Knob (highest peak in West Virginia).  Tow campers smaller in size can certainly make it, although mostly tent camping which I like.  Some drive up, some drive, park, and walk up.  There is a single water source and I'd highly recommend boiling first.  H20 does NOT taste good at all.  There are a couple of outhouses, and no shower facilities.