Whether you're a tent camper, an RVer, or just passing through, Jennings Randolph Lake, WV has a lot to offer. Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Jennings Randolph Lake, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Jennings Randolph Lake, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
$21 - $65 / night
"Camp site(Tent camping)
Camp site was pretty small and close to each other. The forest where the camp site was situated was beautiful."
"Ranger Review: Stream2Sea Shampoo & Bodywash and Leave-In Conditioner
Campground Review:
Don’t let the name fool you, the campground is across the street from the lake and there are no lake"
$22 - $33 / night
"We did have a pet friendly site reserved but found out after we arrived that dogs are not allowed out of the campground."
"Camp ground was just a few minute drive away from the entrance to the trail. Trails were easy enough for kids.
Camp site itself was nice and clean but felt a little too close to each other."
"I stayed at a primitive campsite with my dog and we found a site right on a beautiful stream."
"This was a beautiful state forest, with two state parks sort of bordering it (Big Run & New Germany). The roads were all paved which was nice."
$22 - $60 / night
"General: Smallish (68 sites) campground near Jennings Randolph Lake, which is not directly accessible from the campground (you need to drive there)."
"There's ame space between campsites and also sites that are close for friends and family to stay nearby. Hiking trails, fishing, basketball, hot showers, and a camp store with friendly staff."
"We have three children who absolutely loved petting and feeding Mules and Donkeys! The pool is a nice amenity unfortunately the weather wasn't swimming weather when we were there."
"It’s peaceful and has lots of hiking trails! They are a dog friendly campground and the owners are so kind. Thank you for providing a safe, quiet space to camp. ❤️🥰"
$18 - $117 / night
"New Germany State Park is situated in Garrett County Maryland. The park has a small lake, a few trails, and two camping loops."
"There are two loops- one pet friendly, one not. The larger ( not pet friendly) loop is nearer the lake."
$10 - $55 / night
"The best spots are in the woods adjacent to the stream. You can set up your camp chair and enjoy the creek sounds."
"You have to know what you're getting here - there ARE campsites with amenities, near water and bathrooms, but not all of them have the amenities. "
$50 / 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."
"Blackwater State Park, Davis, WV https://wvstateparks.com/park/blackwater-falls-state-park/
Camping anywhere in West Virginia is a highlight, but this area offers hiking views aplenty."
$10 - $30 / night
"Had my wedding 2022 at Jennings picnic area and then after that spent the whole weekend away from everyone and everything!"
$5 - $20 / night
"Far enough away from the next campsite to enjoy peace and seclusion. Next to a crik for those nighttime lullabies"
LegendGeneral: Smallish (68 sites) campground near Jennings Randolph Lake, which is not directly accessible from the campground (you need to drive there). Roads and camper pads are all paved, and the sites are in two loops– the Front Loop (Sites 1-30) and the Back Loop (Sites 31-68). All sites have electric hookups, and have a picnic table, fire ring, and lantern ring. There are multiple hosts in each loop.
Site Quality: All camper pads are paved, and most appeared to be level. They are of varying lengths with 53, 55, and 64-68 having the longest pads. The sites are generous in size and are spaced a reasonable distance apart; there are varying degrees of foliage to provide privacy between sites. You would be hard-pressed to pick a “bad” site; perhaps Site 31 would be the least desirable as it is near the intersection of the two loops.
Bath/Shower: There is a bathhouse in each loop; although the building itself appeared somewhat dated, the toilets and sinks have been updated to be automatic. The showers looked a bit sketchy, but I didn’t use them.
Activities/Amenities: There are several short-distance hiking trails; the trail heads are very well marked and, once on the trail, the blazes are very easy to spot. I hiked the Sunset Trail, and it was shorter than advertised but the bench swing at the overlook was a very nice surprise. There is also archery, basketball, fishing, and a boat launch for the small lake. There is a playground in each loop. There is also a camper store in the Front loop that sells ice, firewood, and basic sundries; it is run by volunteers, so the hours are different each day based on availability. Kalbaugh Pond is ADA-accessible for catch-and-release fishing. Shaw Beach has swimming access. There was movie night on Saturday night and a ranger talk on Saturday morning.
We generally shy away from campgrounds on weekends, especially in the summer months but surprisingly, the campground was only about ¾ full on a Friday in June. The volunteers make this park shine. We were greeted by Alma, who was very welcoming and said all of the volunteers are proud of “their” little campground. Of note: We approached the campground from the southeast through the town of Keyser. DO NOT do this if you have a large RV. There are multiple signs saying that the road was not safe for large trucks; although our 18-foot camper van had no problems, the road was narrow, hilly, and winding.
RangerThis is the largest state forest in West Virginia, it has a total of 25 sites that vary in their privacy. Each site has electrical hookups, picnic tables, fire grates, and utility post. The sites in the middle of the loop lack privacy that the outer loop sites have. There is one bath house that has hot showers, flush toilets, water spigots, and now WIFI. Pets are allowed but must be kept on a leash. There are gravel pull-ins for the sites, there are a couple of pull through sites for RVs.
The campground gets busy during the fall because it is so close to Morgantown and Mountaineer games. There are lots of hiking trails, coopers rock is definitely a must to see during sunset. Ravens rock is also a beautiful look out trail. Rock climbers have a lot of rock outcroppings on short trails for climbers to utilize. Fishing, biking, and hunting are also popular activities that can be done here.
TravelerIf 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.
RangerThis 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.
GuideThis campground checks all our boxes. Beautiful scenery, quiet location, spacious campsites, full RV hookups, well-placed fire rings, dog park, nice large bathhouses, polite staff, and Wi-Fi that works.
This is located about an hour away from my home, so we plan on making this our go-to for quick camping getaways throughout the year.
Highly recommended. Definitely worth checking out.
GuidePreface: if your main objective is activities for children, you have come to the right place. This place is loud and full of kids.
We booked a site but chose not to pay to select which one. All the pictures looked great! We ended up on a grassy hill in the back. The spot was so unlevel there were 19 inches between my bottom step and the ground. This site was the same price as level ones closer to activities.
Also bathrooms were outdated. They had older residential toilets that plugged constantly. The day we left 2 of the 3 in our nearest bathroom were out of order.
Aside from all the above, the Dog Park is awesome. It’s the size of a real, normal dog park. The ice cream on site is also a nice perk.
RangerThis may be the first campground I give a 10 out of 10! All the amenities your could want, it's clean, sites are leveled, it's maintained beautifully, there are cows in the distance, fully stocked store, friendly staff. Laundry, bathrooms, fairly spacious sites, a pool, dog park. Very, very nice.
LegendCampground 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.
GuideNew Germany State Park is situated in Garrett County Maryland. The park has a small lake, a few trails, and two camping loops. The Hemlock loop- the only loop that allows pets, is smaller and is mostly made for tent camping, though one site has electricity, but only big enough for a teardrop camper. There is a bathroom with a hot shower. The problems with the Hemlock loop is the proximity to the other campers. Our neighbors were loud, their kids were louder and their dog was ear- splitting loud. The tent pads are varied in size with sites 52, 53 and 57 being just big enough for a large tent and not much else. Every site has a large picnic table ( that is impressively hard to move) and a fire ring. Some sites are not very level, not not as much that your rolling out of bed in your sleep. There is water, but just at the bathroom area. This makes sense since the loop itself is very small. Deer are dense in these parts, and bears frequent the area. Summer temps usually do not get as nice 85max most of the summer. There is also cross country skiing in the winter. Despite the smaller sites, the Hemlock loop is frequently full, as is the non pet loop, which can accommodate larger tents and RV’s., but no pets.
If you're looking for a great spot to camp with your furry friends near Jennings Randolph Lake in West Virginia, there are several pet-friendly options that offer a mix of amenities and outdoor activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Jennings Randolph Lake?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Jennings Randolph Lake is Deep Creek Lake State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 17 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Jennings Randolph Lake?
TheDyrt.com has all 121 dog-friendly camping locations near Jennings Randolph Lake, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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