133 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Bluestone Lake State Park serves as a focal point for camping near Jumping Branch, West Virginia, with multiple campground areas including Meador and Old Mill campgrounds providing a range of accommodations. The area features a mix of state park facilities and federally managed lands within the nearby New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Camping options span from fully developed sites with water and electric hookups to primitive tent-only areas along waterways. Pipestem Resort State Park, located approximately 8 miles from Jumping Branch, offers additional camping opportunities with RV sites, cabin rentals, and access to both hiking trails and water recreation.
The camping season varies significantly by location, with many campgrounds operating from April through October, while some areas like Pipestem Resort State Park remain open year-round. Roads to most established campgrounds are paved and accessible for standard vehicles, though some primitive areas may require higher clearance. A recent review noted, "The views from the roads are incredible. The campgrounds are great for biking and hiking trails." Water access represents a significant draw in this region, with several campgrounds situated along Bluestone Lake or the New River. Permit requirements vary by location, with reservations strongly recommended for developed sites during summer weekends and holidays, while dispersed camping in areas like Army Camp in New River Gorge often operates on a first-come basis.
Waterfront camping receives consistently positive feedback, with numerous reviews highlighting the proximity to fishing, swimming, and boating opportunities. "We stayed in Meador site 14, which was the furthest away from the bath house, but it was on the water and was the most secluded," wrote one camper, emphasizing the premium value of lakefront sites. Wildlife sightings, particularly deer, are commonly mentioned in visitor reports. Bathroom facilities vary widely across the region, with some campers noting clean, well-maintained bathhouses at sites like Little Beaver State Park, while others report more basic amenities at primitive locations. Families appreciate the mix of water-based recreation and hiking opportunities, with several trail systems accessible directly from campground areas. Most established campgrounds offer picnic tables and fire rings, with firewood available for purchase at many locations.
"This CCC State Park is very picturesque and has several hiking trails and the man-made lake is small but offers plenty of recreation possibilities. I found the layout a little strange."
"Note that there is a walking path that runs directly behind the site and will take you over to loop 2. There weren't too many people using it while we were there though."
from $35 - $50 / night
Check Availability"There is five drive-in sites and more walk-in sites on the edge of the camp. The drive-in sites filled and vacated several times throughout the weekend."
"the campsite is pretty far back into the gorge at the end of a dead end road, which inherently gives it a little bit of an advantage for those who wish to be not just off grid but away from"the madding"
"Pipestem Resort State Park Southern West Virginia. We spent 4 nights here. Used this park as a base camp for New River Gorge NP. There's many other State Parks we visited too.
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"There is plenty to do within walking distance or a short drive. There is hiking all around the Pipestem area. There is a lake to fish and boat on."
"New River, just outside of Prince, WV off Route 41 offers upclose and personal riverside camping."
"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."
"This campground rests by Bluestone Lake, which is where the Bluestone River runs runs into the New River."
"We stayed in Meador site 14, which was the furthest away from the bath house (still only maybe 150 yards), but it was on the water & was the most secluded (just meaning it's at the end of the row not"
"This was a convienent campground right off the highway, easy to get to, small but has a few full hookup sites."
"Both CGs have a large creek running adjacent to the CG. Trout fishing was very popular though I didn’t catch any. They do restock this time of year."
"I’ve spent over 150 days camping and hiking in West Virginia n the past four years and keep finding new, wonderful places to enjoy."
"Easy access to river, able to hear it from campsite. Very clean pit toilet bathroom. Road to access is single lane paved/gravel. Best for cars/vans, but did see some small pull behinds."
"West Virginia at its finest! Blue stone state park is right next door to the lake so there are wonderful water activities here."
"We enjoyed hiking the trails, swimming in the lake and sitting by our campfire. The ladies working at the check-in office were absolutely the sweetest and extremely helpful."
"The meadows are a wonderful little gem, although they can be a bit loud due to their proximity to the train tracks."
"Quick access to 64 and Sandstone Visitor Center. The biggest con to this is the multi-track railroad right next to the campground."
"Besides the aforementioned site hookups there are a lot of new activities to do at pipestem close to the campground on the Pipestem park property such as ziplining and swimming on the lake with inflatables"
"Short drive to Sandstone Falls, which are stunning."
from $55 - $65 / night
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TravelerThis is a core engineer built Park sites are fairly level. Bath houses are old but clean. Electric only at sites. There’s water and a dump station at the entrance of the park. Which makes a little difficult if you here more than a few days and need water, you have to store everything in your motorhome pull in the electric cord, drive out and fill up with water and then come back and get leveled again.
TravelerIt is full service campground with store, restaurant, swimming pool, paintball, and cabin.
ScoutMy family and I had an absolute blast at Battle Run! The campsite offered an incredible view of the lake, and if boating is your passion, you can even secure your boat right at your campsite! Although the weather was a bit rainy, the temperature remained comfortably in the 70s. We’re already planning our return next summer.
RangerThe second time I stayed was in site 36, which was far preferable to 41 as it was a larger site, but still moderately unlevel. Fun hiking trails down the creek and close proximity to New River Gorge.
RangerI ended up enjoying the park more than expected—disc golf was a nice surprise! However I found that loop 2 wasn’t nearly as nice or spacious as the other camping areas. The sites were small and unlevel, but the bathrooms were nice enough for a state park. I enjoyed walks around the lake (lots of fun fungi and fish to spy) but the main draw for me was the proximity to New River Gorge—only a 20-25 min drive.
ScoutMy fiance booked our stay at Tawney Farms back in May for the two of us plus her parents. When her parents arrived to the camp they were already checked in when we first arrived. My my inlaws proceeded to our camp site. Once they got to the site theywere greeted by the male owner speeding up the trail in his truck almost hitting his own wife and began yelling at my inlaws stating theybhad no business being on their property and to get off. My inlaws tried explaining to them that they were with us and they we had paid for them. The male owner continued yelling at them aggressively and swearing at them to the point both of my inlaws were concerned that owner was going to do something physical. My inlaws ultimately left and called us and told us what happened. We dropped what we were doing and drove back to the property in hopes to resolve the confusion. My fiance and I showed them the reservation recipt showing that they were paid for. They maintained that they are being kicked out stating that they did not stop at the shack that no one was at. They were already checked in so there was no reason to need that. in fact it wasnt necessary last year then stated that they were drunk which they were not. They had just finished a 4 hour drive from PA after working their shift. They would not listed to reason. They then went into a shack to look at their paperwork and realized once again that theybare wrong and rather than a simple appology they maintained kicking them out and stated they were going to "let us go". At this point its about 10pm and we had to pack up our campsite and find an alternative short notice on july 3rd... $500 later for a hotel room we got lucky. They almost cost us our vacation because of their inability to reason or even listen.
ScoutWe scheduled our stay two months in advance for our Fourth of July weekend. My fiance and myself were scheduled one night earlier than my parents were supposed to arrive. We paid for everyone in our party and checked everyone in. We had been coming up to place to camp for five summers now, but this most recent experience was more than enough for us to NEVER come back. My fiancé and I were out off the campground to get ice when my mother called me to tell my the owners of the farm CHASED them out the campground, the husband almost running over his wife, insisting they were not welcome and had no business being at the farm when I prepaid everyone’s stay. My parents were terrified this man was going to pull a gun on them. The owners belittled my parents after they drove four hours from PA to spend time with us, screaming over them that they were drunk, speeding, and that my parents didn’t “stop” at the vacant building that they are supposed to be at to greet people. The owners would not even bother to check to verify my parents stay. When we got back to the site to try to reconcile the situation they still would not allow my parents to stay even after seeing that we did pay for my family to be there and were even hesitant to let us stay when we did NOTHING wrong. We had to pay an extra $500 to book a last minute stay at a hotel in Summersville when I already paid near $300 to stay at Tawny Farm. My fiance and I had to pack up our entire campsite in the dark because they would not let us stay over my parents being confused about where they were at. I still have not received any emails regarding a refund for the unwarranted behavior towards my parents. I would not bring your loved ones onto this property. The owners are unstable, unsafe, and unwilling to care about their customers.
TravelerWe stayed at Little Beaver in late June and were overall very pleased with the campground! Site 38 is probably the most private within loop 1 (tent camp area) its two buddy sites are a little ways away (shouting distance) with plenty of trees in between. The site is relatively level and pretty rocky. Note that there is a walking path that runs directly behind the site and will take you over to loop 2. There weren't too many people using it while we were there though. Camp staff were friendly and helpful, if you get a confirmation email there is no need to check in you can drive straight to your campsite.
The one drawback of this campground is how far away the bathrooms are. You have to drive to the bathrooms/showers from loop 1. It's about a 10 minute walk. Tough in the middle of the night...
This is always a toss up, but while we were there the campground was very quiet even with most of sites booked.
Beautiful little walking path around a small lake that you can take paddle boats out on. Also a few little picnic areas and more than one playground, including one right by the lake and one right by the camp office.
We went white water rafting with ACE (had a great time!) which was about 45 min away and my parents who were camping with us went on a bridge walk (also about 45 min away) and enjoyed that, too.
Overall, great campground to explore New River Gorge area.
TravelerHuge driving area, no problem maneuvering. Very simple set up. Nice bath house. RV spots are nice concrete pads and pretty level. Hookups work.
Wide open skies- great for solar. Quiet campground other than the nearby road that has trucks driving by using their Jake brakes
Camping spots near Jumping Branch, West Virginia provide access to the Bluestone River drainage system at elevations ranging from 1,400 to 2,800 feet. The area experiences relatively mild summers with average highs around 82°F in July and August. Many local campgrounds remain operational despite frequent early spring flooding, especially at river-adjacent sites where water levels can rise rapidly after rainfall.
Hiking trails at Little Beaver State Park: The park offers multiple trails directly accessible from campsites. "There are several nice walking trails and a lake but we didn't have time to check them out," notes one visitor to Little Beaver State Park Campground, while another mentions "Walking trails all over."
Boat access at Glade Creek: For water enthusiasts, the New River access points offer boat launching facilities. "This place has trails that are to die for. An old railroad runs by glade creek and it is incredible," reports a camper at Glade Creek Campground, which sits at the confluence of Glade Creek and the New River.
Rock climbing near Stone Cliff: The area attracts climbers from across the Eastern US. A visitor to Stone Cliff Campground shares, "There are so many things to come for and so many things to stay for! I've come here to climb and ended up fishing. I've come to fish and ended up hiking and climbing."
Water recreation at Pipestem: The resort offers multiple water-based activities throughout the summer. A visitor notes they "enjoyed many of the parks amenities including horseback ride on the trails, the giant inflatables at the lake, the nature center & hiking."
River views from secluded sites: Campers appreciate waterfront locations with privacy. "We were in site 1 which was the furthest away from the bath house, but it was on the water and was the most secluded," reports a visitor to Meador Campground, highlighting the value of lakefront sites.
Budget-friendly options: Free camping sites provide excellent value. One Army Camp visitor shares, "It's hard to beat a free campsite right on the river," while another notes "You can't beat an established campground (picnic tables, fire pits, bathrooms) in a national park that's also free!"
Proximity to multiple outdoor activities: Several campgrounds offer diverse recreation opportunities within walking distance. A visitor to Pipestem mentions "We love this campground. Quiet, well spaced, nice roads for biking. We enjoyed lots of the amenities, including the horseback riding, nature center and giant water inflatables."
Clean facilities at Camp Creek: Multiple reviews praise the well-maintained bathrooms. "Showers were the best of any campground I've seen- water gets as hot as you'd like, with great water pressure and plenty of hooks and towel racks," reports a visitor to Mash Fork Campground.
Flooding risk at riverside sites: Spring and early summer can bring high water. At Grandview Sandbar Campground, a camper warns, "This was a peaceful, nice area but when there is a lot of rain there is definitely the chance it'll flood."
Limited connectivity: Cell service varies dramatically across the region. One visitor to Army Camp notes "No AT&T service so I only stayed two nights (gotta work during the week!)," while another at Glade Creek reports "Had AT&T cell signal down by the river but no Sprint Signal."
Water supply challenges: Many sites lack potable water sources. A visitor to Army Camp emphasizes "No drinking water, so plan to be ready to be off grid," while a Glade Creek camper noted "No sources of freshwater available @ the campground. The nearest convenient store is some miles away."
Noise considerations: Train tracks run near several campgrounds. A Stone Cliff visitor mentions "Trains would go by every few hours, it didn't bother us much but it could be annoying to some people," while another at Grandview Sandbar notes "Ear plugs only did so much for me, as I am a tent camper with an inflatable sleeping mat."
Playground access: Several campgrounds offer dedicated play areas. At Pipestem Resort State Park, a visitor notes they "enjoyed many of the park's amenities including a horseback ride on the trails, the giant inflatables at the lake, the nature center & hiking."
Biking opportunities: Paved campground roads provide safe cycling spaces. "Kids loved biking around campground, very safe," reports a Pipestem visitor, while a Meador camper noted "All the roads are paved making it easy for the little ones to ride bikes."
Wildlife viewing options: Animal sightings enhance family experiences. At Old Mill Campground, a visitor shared "The lake. Big and beautiful. Great time on the water!" while a Meador camper noted "There were also TONS of deer all around (just hanging out eating vegetation) during our short one night stay."
Multi-activity options: Several locations offer diverse recreation. A camper at Pipestem mentions, "They have ziplining, axe throwing, disc shooting and archery, play grounds and splash water park."
Site leveling challenges: Many campgrounds require effort to level larger rigs. At Little Beaver, a camper with a 23-foot travel trailer noted, "Many sites looked like it may take some work to get level. We were in site 20 with a 23 ft TT and got level fairly easily but a longer rig may have difficulty in that site."
Access road considerations: Some campgrounds have challenging approach roads. One Army Camp visitor explains, "It's a one lane road to get to the campground and can get tight when other vehicles pass, but we got down there with our F250 truck and camper."
Hookup locations: Utility connections aren't always ideally positioned. At Pipestem, a camper noted "Electrical hook up was on the opposite side of where they should be and in the middle of the small area."
Size restrictions: Not all campgrounds accommodate larger RVs. A visitor to Mash Fork mentioned their campground "has a mix of 30-amp, 30-amp with water, 50-amp with water and electric, and FHU sites" with "a generous camper pad length."
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Jumping Branch, WV?
According to TheDyrt.com, Jumping Branch, WV offers a wide range of camping options, with 133 campgrounds and RV parks near Jumping Branch, WV and 3 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Jumping Branch, WV?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Jumping Branch, WV is Little Beaver State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 23 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Jumping Branch, WV?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 3 free dispersed camping spots near Jumping Branch, WV.
What parks are near Jumping Branch, WV?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 25 parks near Jumping Branch, WV that allow camping, notably Bluestone Lake and New River Gorge National River.
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