Best Tent Camping near Jennings Randolph Lake

Campground is pretty big. The RV sites and tent sites are separated by a drive down the road. The RV side has all the cool stuff; store, pavilion, basketball courts, playground, etc. The tent camping side is just an open field with a pit and picnic table. I tent camped this time around and it's was pretty well spaced out. There weren't many of us in the field so it was pretty nice. The RV side has a ton of seasonal residences. The most half RV/half homes I've ever scene! (A few in the pictures) it's wild. Those sites have a pretty decent amount of space too. The pond has a bunch of ducks that are VERY well fed. One in particular might have been too well fed and maybe sick? Not sure.

My wife and I tent camped here for a weekend to go rafting. The whole campground sits in kind of a valley along a creek running into the reservoir. It's kind of spread out but seemed nice. Our tent sites were very nice sitting on raised mounds so you would stay fairly dry if it rained. It looks like it may have been a state park at one time, judging by the layout and bathrooms. Not a bad camp at all.

Campground 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.

We really Enjoyed the spot, there aren’t a lot of tent sites, it’s mostly RV sites, pretty big campground as far as the RV sites go. The tent sites are by the river. It was a pretty quiet campground.

I love this park, and for tent camping, I think this is one of the best. Their tent camping sites are a very good distance from other sites, so you feel much more secluded. Nothing bothers me more than when I have to set up my tent 15 feet away from someone else's that I don't even know. This park does not jam you in like others do, they give you the space you need to enjoy it the best way possible. Love this place!

Tent camping is congested on hilly sites. FACILITIES ARE GREAT! Clean.

Tent sites are rough, some outside ring sites have tent pads.

Great place to tent camp with about 10 spots available. It was empty when we went and was perfect. The sunset is breathtaking!

Privately owned. Golf carts for rent. Fabulous mtb trail network - worth paying for a pass to ride. Beautiful tent camping...mossy but not too buggy. Bring your own toilet paper.

Semi private & large tent sites. Medium size beach and dock to launch kayaks at. Fish weren’t biting for us this weekend!

August 2020 Stay

We camped for 1 night.  We chose site 102 because it looked decent in the picture and seemed a little apart and more private than other areas.  Unfortunately, it was not great for tent camping as there wasn't really a spot to set up our 4-person tent.  We squeezed it in by the fire pit, but if we had wanted to use the fire pit it would have been a fire hazard.  Elsewhere in the site it was rocky or uneven ground.

Looking around the rest of the campground, the loop up near the cabins was a typical RV area with sites lined up with little privacy in between.  I would look at the other loops for our next tent-camping visit.

We were hoping to do some hiking in the morning but got rained out.  However the trails looked nice and we hope to be back soon.

Ohiopyle is located in a beautiful area of Pennsylvania we've camped there a couple of times and have been able to get last minute tent sites. Lots of outdoor activities nearby.

Caters mostly to RVs & people with boats. The walk-to tent sites are mostly in an open grass field with some trees for shade but clear visibility to adjacent sites. Site 9A is a pleasant tent site with a bit more privacy & located along the creek. It is connected to 10A by a short little path & separated from 8A by a small grassy area. Thick vegetation around 9A & 10A with dense poison ivy encroaching on both camp sites. Seemed to be a periodic sewer gas smell, maybe from septic outfall or the RV dump station a little ways off. Camp store & staff were nice. Bathrooms were fine. Easy access to the lake & nearby marina.

I stayed in a tent site, but had friends that brought their 5th wheel camper. I had my son and nephew with and we all had a great time at both sites. I will definitely be back.

Clean, beautiful and quiet (occasional barking dog or children playing loudly). The basic tent sites each have a picnic table, fire pit w/ grill, and lantern post. The trails to the beautiful falls are a short walk from the campgrounds.

The pet loop mixes tent camping with RVs, which isn't our preference. The sites are arranged around a big field, which means many of them have no trees or shade. If you planned to hang a hammock at some of these sites, you would be in trouble.

But it's a good park. They've got firewood at the contact station.

My girlfriend and I stayed at tent site 21 July 26th and 27th and was a good experience overall. We both agreed that we will only camp there if this particular site is open though. It is the tent site with the most privacy and it is the only one on that side of the road which made it nice. Along with the privacy it is also was right beside a trail that went directly to the lake but it is about 200 yards downhill. We took our kayaks along but opted to drive to the boat launch instead of carrying our kayaks down the trail. It is an option though. The park staff was very friendly and the bath house was pretty clean. Our only complaint is that some of the other campers where throwing food in the woods which attracted raccoons but that isn't the campgrounds fault.