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Best Tent Camping near Hillsboro, WV

534 Reviews

Tent campsites dot the mountainous landscape near Hillsboro, West Virginia, with multiple options along the Greenbrier River Trail offering primitive camping experiences for outdoor enthusiasts. Greenbrier River Trail Mile Post 28.5 Primitive Campsite and Mile Post 49.3 Primitive Campsite provide established tent-only areas within the Monongahela National Forest region, both featuring riverside access and basic amenities for backcountry tent camping. Additional tent campgrounds can be found at Stone Cliff Campground within New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, approximately 20 miles from Hillsboro.

Surface details vary significantly among these tent sites, with most primitive campgrounds featuring raised tent pads filled with pea gravel for drainage. Walk-in and hike-in access is common for Greenbrier River Trail campsites, while Stone Cliff requires a short walk down stairs from the parking area to reach riverside tent sites. Many locations offer vault toilets, though campers should verify water availability as some hand pumps may be inoperable seasonally. Fire rings are typically provided at established sites, though fire restrictions may apply during dry periods. Bears are present throughout the region, requiring proper food storage in containers or bear bags at all tent campgrounds.

The tent camping experience near Hillsboro provides exceptional access to wilderness areas with minimal crowds. Sites along the Greenbrier River Trail offer both wooded and open riverside camping, with Adirondack-style shelters available at some locations for tent campers seeking additional weather protection. Many campsites provide direct water access for swimming or fishing opportunities. Trail connectivity is extensive, making these tent sites ideal basecamps for day hikes or longer backpacking trips. Wildlife sightings are common, particularly at dawn and dusk. A camper who stayed at Mile Post 28.5 noted, "Surrounded by wild and often very remote wilderness, abundant wildlife, a century old trail, a picturesque river, great camping...ticks all the boxes!"

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Best Tent Sites Near Hillsboro, West Virginia (29)

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60 Photos of 29 Hillsboro Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Hillsboro, WV

534 Reviews of 29 Hillsboro Campgrounds

  • Dave V.
    May. 26, 2018

    Grandview Sandbar Campground — New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

    Epic River Views and Access steps from your campsite!

    RANGER REIVEW: PRIMUS 4-SEASON STAINLESS STEEL 0.3L MUG AT GRANDVIEW SANDBAR CAMPGROUND, NEW RIVER GORGE NATIONAL RIVER, WV

    CAMPGROUND REVIEW:

    Grandview Sandbar Campground situated along the New River, just outside of Prince, WV off Route 41 offers upclose and personal riverside camping. https://www.nps.gov/neri/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm

    This and the other riverside campgrounds in the New River Gorge National River offer a minimal number of sites, no water, no electric, no modern facilities…however, they are free and its all about location. Site availability is first come, first served. Length of stay is limited to 14 days.

    On the higher, wooded loop to the right as you travel down a very narrow, serpentine gravel road, there are 10 campsites. There are gravel parking pads that could accommodate a small RV/Camper/Pop-up…and a couple Pop-ups were present. How they navigated the winding steep park gravel road, is a mystery to me…the rains were eroding corners causing my truck to scrape.

    The sites do have a picnic table, lantern post and firepit. Depending on thr site you choose, the initial sites to the right are all below the campground roadway you wind down. The pit latrine is a short walking distance and directly next to the host site in the River Access parking lot and boat ramp area.

    The 8 tent sites are located on the far side of the boat ramp parking area and all but the two Handicap sites require a short walk to reach.

    Numbers are on the lantern posts and blend together but are distinguished by the firepit. These are directly on the sand "beach" area of the New River…and as seen in my photos are not only a bit angled, they can be a dangerous choice.

    The two handicap accessible sites are bordered by timbers, leveled and much more desirable, but you must possess a handicap placard/permit. It is not permissible to utilize them as overflow without a placard/permit.

    The walk-up tent area has its own pit latrine. Nothing special…but private.

    There is a river trail that will take you to Glade Creek and additional trails. Within a short drive are several additional nice hiking trails in the New River Gorge and nearby State parks.

    Note: This is a busier campground with the public access boat ramp and very busy on weekends. A very popular spot for locals. While alcohol is prohibited, there was substantial physical evidence to the contrary, mere steps from the dumpster. Also keep in mind, during rains, tributaries flow into the New River causing it to overflow its banks with some regularity in thr spring and early summer.

    Spring weekdays still saw several campers, even with the torrential rains and flooding. Free is a big draw.

    PRODUCT REVIEW:

    PRIMUS 4-SEASON STAINLESS STEEL 0.3L MUG

    https://primus.us/products/four-seasons-mug-35l-stainless-steel?variant=358039683090

    The Primus 4-Season Stainless Steel 0.3L Mug is a great option for the outdoorsperson searching for a do-all cup.

    With it's all stainless steel double wall construction, it offers rust resistance, a clean appearance, the ability to keep contents their desired temperature longer, and remains odorless/tasteless. The mug is lightweight at just under 4 ounces.

    The 0.3L/10 oz. mug is convenient and held single servings of beverage and food. However, I might migrate to Primus' other offering in the 0.2L/8 oz. mug for the volume I prefer.

    The only potential achilles heel, would be the same with any other mug and that is the handle. Though I experienced no issues and don't foresee any…if there were to be one, it's likely with a mug's handle.

    All in all, a great mug choice!

  • H. K.
    Jun. 26, 2022

    Stone Cliff Campground — New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

    Free, centrally located & meh

    Stone Cliff campground is a sandy, walk in campground. There is one site that you can park beside which I think is supposed to be ADA accessible. The rest of the sites require a short walk in or down about a flight of steps.

    We camped right below the stairs. There was a pole for a lantern but no picnic table (although there are some near the parking area), no fire ring (previous campers had made one out of stone that we used), and no flat tent pad area. We pitched our tent in the flattest spot and it was acceptable.

    There are vault toilets up the stairs and across the parking lot. They smelled awful and needed to be cleaned. Although it didn't seem like Stone Cliff was a busy campground (we only had a couple neighbors) the rafting companies put in right there and bring bus loads of rafters who use the vault toilets so they are used by lots of people.

    You have to bring your own water. There are garbage cans in the parking area above.

    It is right on the New River on a sand bar which is nice except there was SO MUCH BROKEN GLASS. Honestly it was the most broken glass I've seen on a beach. There was also quite a lot of litter which is obnoxious.

    Overall it was fine. It was free and it was close to the Visitor's Center and most of the trails I wanted to hike. But it wasn't a beautiful or serene nature setting.

  • Heather P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 9, 2022

    Babcock State Park Campground

    Choose your site wisely

    My suggestion is take a good look at the sites before setting up camp.

    With 51 sites, maybe 20 were populated.  

    While we had no rain, you could tell some sites could easily be washed out or have

    a nice stream that would run through your site with heavy rains.

    Picnic table and fire ring in sites.  Firewood can be purchased from the check in building.

    NO Alcohol allowed in campground!

    Restrooms and the campground was well maintained.

    Checking out the Glade Creek Grist Mill is a MUST!!

  • Christy M.
    Jul. 21, 2020

    Day Run Campground

    Spent 4 days here July 17-20

    Nice size sites for tents and/or RV. All come with Lantern pole, fire ring with grate for cooking on, and picnic table. There are 2 restrooms located in this camping area with vault toilets only. Take your own toilet paper if campground isn’t busy because it doesn’t get maintained daily and we ran out. Trash cans are in fencing for bear proofing. Self pay.

  • Abby M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 6, 2020

    Glade Creek Campground — New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

    Good spot for the night

    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!

  • Roger W.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 8, 2023

    Grandview Sandbar Campground — New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

    Only The Noise of Flowing Water

    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.

  • D
    Apr. 5, 2022

    Meadow Creek Campground — New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

    Beautiful Spot but Now Tent ONLY

    The ranger informed us someone who stayed here in a rv had a close call crossing the train tracks and now they have decided to make this campground a tent only place. Which is very unfortunate since this place is beautiful and the sites were big enough for rv and tent use. You have to cross train tracks to get here and it’s 4 sets of tracks all are very active with trains coming as often as every 20 minutes and they do not stop. The have a vault style toilet one for men and one for women. No water and no electric. There is a river nearby but it has a very strong current. The trains are fun to watch but very loud and frequent. The wind here is also very strong and without strong anchors could easily pull up your tent. We were having to restake the corners throughout our stay and thought we might loose our rain fly a few times. The wind just seemed to come out of nowhere being in a small valley the storms were very strong. We have Verizon and had 1-2 bars of service while here. It’s a shame they felt they had to close it to all rv and trailer use because of one careless act but that is what happens.

  • Dave V.
    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!

  • Lacey L.
    Jul. 7, 2020

    Island Campground

    Decent

    Island campground is okay. They only have 1 drive in campsite next to the creek but it was by far the nicest. Luckily we were the only people there and were able to grab it that day. There were 2-3 other campsites that would be decent (being flat and good setup between the picnic table and fire pit). The other sites were not the most level and hardly had any room/flat areas. Only enough flat area for the picnic table and fire ring. There were about 4 walk in campsites. 2 that were probably about 60ft from the parking area. One of those was next to 2 streams and they seemed nice and level with plenty of room. The other 2 were up a little incline and you had to go through one to get to the other. It did have a clean vault toilet that was stocked with tp. No water though. There were only 2 other campers there so not crowded. I guess it depends which site you get.

Guide to Hillsboro

Nestled in the scenic beauty of West Virginia, Hillsboro offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts seeking tranquility and adventure.

Tent campers should check out local activities

  • The Greenbrier River Trail Mile Post 69.6 provides a picturesque setting for biking and hiking, with easy access to the river for fishing and wildlife viewing.
  • At Seven Mile Campground, visitors can enjoy serene surroundings and explore nearby trails, perfect for hiking and nature walks.
  • McClintic Point Primitive Campground offers boat-in access, making it ideal for those looking to paddle and camp along the beautiful lakeside.

Tent campers appreciate these amenities

  • Day Run Campground features spacious sites with lantern poles and fire rings, ensuring a comfortable camping experience.
  • The Greenbrier River Trail Mile Post 28.5 campsite includes raised tent pads and picnic tables, providing a well-maintained area for relaxation.
  • Pocahontas Campground offers vault toilets and a peaceful environment, making it a great choice for those seeking a rustic experience.

Unique features of nearby campgrounds

  • Virginia Poor Farm Dispersed Recreation Area is a free camping spot that allows for a quiet retreat, perfect for those who enjoy solitude in nature.
  • Greenwood Point Campground is accessible only by water, providing a secluded experience with picnic tables and fire pits for a cozy evening by the lake.
  • Greenbrier River Trail Mile Post 49.3 features a clean pit latrine and bear-proof trash receptacles, ensuring a safe and enjoyable stay in the wilderness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Hillsboro, WV?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Hillsboro, WV is Greenbrier River Trail Mile Post 49.3 Primitive Campsite with a 4-star rating from 1 review.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Hillsboro, WV?

TheDyrt.com has all 29 tent camping locations near Hillsboro, WV, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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