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Best Campgrounds near Thomas, WV

709 Reviews
CAMPER SUMMARY PRESENTED BYFord

Several campgrounds encircle Thomas, West Virginia, a small mountain town situated in the heart of the Allegheny Mountains. Blackwater Falls State Park Campground provides both tent and RV sites with electric hookups, while nearby Canaan Loop Road offers free dispersed camping options in a more primitive setting. The area supports a range of accommodation types, from basic tent camping to full-service RV sites with hookups, as well as cabins at Canaan Valley Resort State Park Campground and glamping opportunities at Five River Campground.

The campground landscape near Thomas experiences significant seasonal variation, with many facilities operating only from April through October. "The park is gorgeous with many great trails and overlooks! If you are going through WV you need to stay here!" noted one visitor about Blackwater Falls. Water and electric hookups are available at several established campgrounds, though placement can sometimes be challenging, with some sites reporting hookups on the "wrong side" for RVs. Elevation changes affect temperatures year-round, with higher elevation sites remaining cool even during summer months. Cell service varies throughout the region, with Blackwater Falls reporting reasonably good coverage for both Verizon and AT&T users.

Public lands surrounding Thomas include multiple dispersed camping areas that receive consistently high ratings from visitors seeking more remote experiences. Dolly Sods Backcountry provides free primitive camping with a perfect 5.0 rating from reviewers who appreciate its natural setting, though it lacks amenities like drinking water and toilets. A recent review emphasized that "the trails lead through incredible flower laden sections to incredible views!" when describing the area around Blackwater Falls. Wildlife sightings, particularly deer, are common at several campgrounds, with some visitors reporting regular encounters during morning and evening hours. Campers seeking both convenience and natural experiences can find sites ranging from fully-developed campgrounds with showers and electric to remote backcountry locations within a 30-minute drive of Thomas.

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Best Camping Sites Near Thomas, West Virginia (142)

    1. Blackwater Falls State Park Campground

    52 Reviews
    Davis, WV
    2 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 259-5216

    $50 / night

    "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."

    "This was our first stay in a state park campground in West Virginia and it was a great stay. Arrived during a steady downpour and rented a cabin for the first night but camped the second night."

    2. Five River Campground

    27 Reviews
    Parsons, WV
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 478-3515

    $15 / night

    "This is a hidden gem right outside of town. We utilized one of the rv sites with 50 amp service and full hookups."

    "It sets at the end of a side street (Walnut St) at the edge of town (Parsons). A small, quaint mountain town."

    3. Red Creek Campground

    19 Reviews
    Cabins, WV
    12 miles
    Website

    "I stayed two nights at site 2 which is tucked away from most of the other sites, save for one close by."

    "It is away from everything and it is surrounded by a ton of hiking trails. Great camping, great hiking."

    CAMPER SUMMARY PRESENTED BYFord

    4. Canaan Loop Road Dispersed

    10 Reviews
    Davis, WV
    5 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 478-2000

    "road is easy to drive on- some bumps but we were in a small kia sedan and it was fine, there are a lot of spots visible from the road but there are also some hidden a few steps away from the road that"

    "Big site, good fire ring, paths the walk right from the site. The moss was like walking on carpet"

    5. Canaan Valley Resort State Park Campground

    12 Reviews
    Red Creek, WV
    9 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 866-4121

    $20 - $45 / night

    "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."

    "There’s a centrally located bath house with flush toilets and hot showers. Many of the sites are pull-through with parking parallel to the loop road."

    6. Dolly Sods Backcountry

    11 Reviews
    Red Creek, WV
    12 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 257-4488

    "We hiked in in warm weather and once we reached the top of a long entrance road (where one trailhead was) we found snow."

    "Having visited Dolly Sods numerous times at the Red Creek Campground, using that as the base camp to launch off to explore the myriad of trails."

    7. Horseshoe Recreation Area

    5 Reviews
    Thomas, WV
    6 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 478-2481

    $20 - $85 / night

    "Great place to connect with family in the wide open spaces of West Virginia. Very nice bathroom facilities,no bath house but plenty of water."

    "If you use solar, ironically, the sites around the loop/with electric, are your best bet as there is a large open field in the middle; a second loop contains more primitive sites and some walk-in sites"

    CAMPER SUMMARY PRESENTED BYFord

    8. Seneca Shadows

    32 Reviews
    Seneca Rocks, WV
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 567-3082

    $17 - $65 / night

    "I stayed here for a single night while I was exploring West Virginia, but I wish I had stayed longer. This is one of the most beautiful campgrounds I've ever seen."

    "West Virginia is packed with some of the best hiking, climbing, rafting, biking, canyons, mountains, rivers, valleys, and forests in the U.S...and the beauty is few people take advantage of it."

    9. Lower Glady Dispersed Campground

    8 Reviews
    Harman, WV
    14 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 636-1800

    "simply would not like it all, but might be ideal for your purposes, such as two or three areas where there is essentially a big field with a short loop road with maybe half a dozen campsites right next to"

    "No one next to me. There were a couple of small groups, like two rigs together. Nice and quiet. A few friendly fishermen each day, sharing local knowledge."

    10. Brooklyn Heights Riverfront Campground

    3 Reviews
    Hendricks, WV
    9 miles
    Website
    +1 (703) 328-1840

    $20 - $55 / night

    "includes 14 camping sites(firepits, slabwood benches, parking, and future picnic tables), 5 primitive shelter cabin sites(10x`12 lofted barn cabins with hasp for your padlock), and a 5 short term RV sites near"

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Recent Camping Photos near Thomas, WV

390 Photos of 142 Thomas Campgrounds

Recent Reviews near Thomas, WV

709 Reviews of 142 Thomas Campgrounds

  • J
    Dec. 5, 2025

    Dispersed camping at Mower Basin

    Great Camping right on the Blue Ridge Parkway

    A quiet, easy-access campground with good site privacy and great lake views. Some site boundaries feel a bit unclear and the bathrooms can get crowded, but the location is perfect for exploring the Blue Ridge. A solid stay, especially with the RV and primitive areas kept separate.

    https://youtu.be/3NspCX_Zgnw

  • R
    Dec. 5, 2025

    Lower Glady Dispersed Campground

    An odd mix of campsite types, but something for just about everybody!

    So this is quite large, I'm guessing at least 25 to 35 campsites along a 4-ish mile long dirt road that deadends. It is dispersed camping, free. And I guess it just depends on what you were looking for. I like to have something a little bit remote, where my campsite is not visible from other campsites. There isn't a lot of that here, but I did find maybe three or four that fit that description, all visible from the dirt road that goes through it. 

    There were many sites that I simply would not like it all, but might be ideal for your purposes, such as two or three areas where there is essentially a big field with a short loop road with maybe half a dozen campsites right next to each other. These are bordered by trees but there are no trees on those sites. Definitely not my cup of tea, but might be ideal for those who are in campers or motorhomes and what to be near a group of other people doing the same thing. 

    The pit toilets are good, reasonably clean. They are however even more dispersed than the campsites— roughly one every mile. Keep that in mind while you are picking a campsite. You may want to be close to one, and then that would limit your choices. If you don't care how close you are to one of the toilets, then you have lots and lots of choices. 

    One of the best things about this location is if you are into mountain biking or hiking or trail running. There are an absolute ton of choices for you, some of them starting right there from the campsite or right at the end of it and several more within half a mile. The Allegheny trail runs right through the campsite with the road itself serving as part of the trail, then immediately turning into singletrack trail on the far ends of this several-miles-long dispersed camping area.

  • R
    Dec. 5, 2025

    Gladwin Dispersed Camping

    lovely and remote camping place ... but small

    the size of the available campsites were not small, but the overall place is. Near as I can tell, there are pretty much just five traditional sites and also a field or two where one could choose to camp but there's no driveway or parking area. 

    I camped at the site closest to the river— right next to it in fact! 

    And it was quite large. I was camping by myself, but there were at least three different places in that one campsite that could fit a large tent— so then actually three large tents total could comfortably fit in this one Spot -- possibly good for a group then. 

    The campsite's driveway itself is long enough that you could park a good-sized camper trailer in there. 

    As others have pointed out, it's a little hard to get to this place, and a little hard to figure out you are there when you are there because it's not well marked. If you do dispersed camping much, you sort of recognize the signs— not literal signs but rather the fact that it is dispersed camping. 

    The furthest two campsites among them— the one I picked and the one on the other side of the creek/River a little ways down — were the most private..  Both are visible from the road, and the one right by the water that I was in is a deep enough lot that you can choose to put your camper or tent further the back of it, further from the dirt road that goes through it. 

    Note that there were signs suggesting that the road going over that bridge is not usable when the waters are running high. Given that the campsite I was in is directly next to it, I imagine it would also flood, not just the low bridge. And that would mean that the other campsite's not reachable when high water is happening. 

    Other notable things: 

    1. absolutely no cell phone reception, no hint of it nearby that I got. 

    2. Do not confuse the open farmer's field with a couple dozen campers that is very nearby— that is not Gladwin dispersed camping but rather a private long-term rental spot.

    3. enjoy hiking? The 330 mile long Allegheny trail is right there next to the dispersed camping grounds

  • R
    Nov. 22, 2025

    Dispersed camping at Mower Basin

    Not for everybody, but definitely for me! dispersed camping at its finest

    I do a lot of dispersed camping, and have done several dispersed camping sites in West Virginia recently. Mower Basin is, hands down, my favorite one so far. And I suppose it depends on what you value and what you are looking for, but here's why I'm particularly fond of Mower Basin camping: 

    1. Many of the sites are legitimately dispersed, i.e. nowhere near other campsites, and sometimes not even visible from the main dirt road. 

    2. Remote enough that it is often not crowded because it does take a bit of work to get to it. 

    3. Significant variety from one camping spot to another. Some have stellar views from their 4000 foot-elevation perch, loooking down into the fog covered valleys far below, while others will have you surrounded in dense forests of pines, and some have tons of sun exposure -- handy if you've got a solar generator to charge. 

    4. Trails nearby— some of the finest trails I've experienced in WV— which is a lot of trails since that is one of my prime reasons for camping is to be near trails for hiking or trail running. There is a gorgeous network of trails defined as multi-use but designed particularly for mountain bikers, complete with berms, moguls, and generally sufficient width for navigating without hanging up a handlebar. Most noteworthy: the trails are beautifully groomed, well-maintained(which is definitely not the case in many of the national forest trails in the region). 

    5. Many of the sites are very tent-friendly, and most are also camper/RV friendly. Because of the roughness of the road to get up to Mower Basin, I doubt you could get easily get a large motorhome up here, but I have seen MANY fifth wheel or campers up to 25 feet in length. I wouldn't call the road four-wheel-drive, high clearance terrain, but it is fairly rotted, so you want to drive slow. 

    Reasons why it might not be perfect for everyone: 

    1. Really remote. I'm pretty sure the nearest hospital is at least an hour away, and I never get cell phone reception at any of the sites I have camped at. At best, I might get a momentary rush of incoming emails at one or two spots along one of the trails. But, for the most part, you will be truly off the grid here.

    2. Definitely not perfect if you aren't into dispersed, primitive camping, so look that up if you aren't familiar with it. The short story: if you need to go#2, be ready to dig a hole unless you've got a camper.:-) 

    3. Because of its remoteness and high altitude, it could be impassable for any vehicle in winter when there's heavy snow.

  • David M.
    Nov. 17, 2025

    Trout Run / Great North Mountain

    Those coordinates are private property, not public dispersed

    Do not think you can disperse camp there.  Whoever submitted this "camp site" did not do any research.  That is private property.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 26, 2025

    Middle Ridge Campground

    Quite and comfortable in the woods.

    Hosts are great.  Bathhouse was very clean.  Fall folliage was perfect.  The campgound is really 1.6 mi from rte 50 but feels longer the first time due to narrow roads and hills.  For being on the side of a mountain, the sites were suprisining level.  Only needed a few blocks under the wheels.  We chose one of the pull throughs.

    Don't forget to plug in well pump or you won't have water!

    30' TT

  • E
    Oct. 26, 2025

    Middle Ridge Campground

    Terrific

    Just got home from a lovely week in Romney.  We found the perfect campground, a mile or so off route 50, deep in the woods.  Each campsite surrounded by trees.  Since we have a popup, Shelly recommended a site not far from the bathhouse.  Perfect.  We were in Romney to ride the Potomac Eagle, but Shelly also recommended other experiences in Romney (Fort Mill Ridge, Indian Mound Cemetery, historic David House).  A very nice autumn week.

  • Gina T.
    Oct. 19, 2025

    Middle Ridge Campground

    Loved it!

    This was our first experience camping.  We just retired and rented a camper for a trial run and we just loved it.  It was quiet there and I slept like a baby.  Very positive experience.

  • Spencer W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 13, 2025

    Cedar Creek Trail dispersed campsite

    Cedar Creek Trail Dispersed Campsite

    Went to Stultz gap and was a little unimpressed. Drove about 10 minutes further north on the same road.

    Location is approximate. After the intersection, the road will turn into a trail (marked by a metal gate) and there is a campsite right there.

    Was very peaceful and clean. Had an established fire ring.

Guide to Thomas

The Monongahela National Forest surrounds Thomas, West Virginia, creating a lush wilderness camping environment at elevations between 2,800 and 4,300 feet. This high-altitude location stays 10-15 degrees cooler than lower regions during summer months, making it a popular destination for those seeking relief from heat. The area's remote camping locations often experience significant fog and mist, especially in morning hours.

What to do

Enjoy riverside recreation: At Five River Campground, campers can fish, tube, and paddle the river. "We walked up river to the end of the property and were able to tube down to the lower end of the property. The view and sunsets over the river made for gorgeous pictures. We also spent a little time fishing," shares one visitor who stayed for a week.

Explore diverse ecosystems: The unique landscape around Dolly Sods offers distinctive vegetation zones unlike anywhere else in the region. "With the incredibly varied landscapes and diverse vegetation, Dolly Sods truly feels like you are somewhere far north from WV. The ferns and evergreens reminded me of being in Maine, the vast meadows felt like I was in Wyoming or Montana," notes one backpacker.

Go stargazing: Clear mountain nights provide excellent stargazing opportunities. At Seneca Shadows, "With no ambient light, the night skies are amazing." Another camper at Blackwater Falls State Park mentioned, "The sky was absolutely perfect to view from the campground - you could bring a telescope!"

What campers like

Easy access to small towns: Nearby communities offer cultural experiences within minutes of wilderness camping. One Blackwater Falls State Park visitor appreciated "spending the day in Thomas looking at local art & antiques. The evening in Davis eating at hellbender burritos." The campground serves as "a central location to some of the best of our state."

Wildlife encounters: Deer sightings are common at most campgrounds in the region. A Canaan Valley visitor noted, "Deer meander through the primitive tent sites with their fawns each morning and evening." At Seneca Shadows, one camper described how "we were so quiet, several deer passed between us within arms reach" while stargazing.

Temperature comfort: The higher elevations provide natural cooling during summer months. "We visited in August and the weather was lovely," reported one camper at Canaan Valley. Another mentioned, "even though the weather was in our favor, at night there is extreme winds and it's enough to completely destroy your tent" - highlighting the importance of proper gear.

What you should know

Seasonal road conditions: Winter access requires preparation and appropriate vehicles. A visitor to Canaan Loop Road warned, "We camped here on a winter road trip fully prepared for the worst weather and this mountain top dispersed site delivered. It was muddy and snowy but our Subaru made it fine about half way into Canaan loop road."

Cell service variability: Communication access varies dramatically by location. Five River Campground boasts "great cell signal for most carriers and even offers wifi and cable," making it unique among wilderness camping options.

Water challenges: Many trails and camping areas experience persistent mud and water issues. A Dolly Sods visitor shared, "Be advised that during the summer lots of rain fall so trails will be muddy and some trails almost completely underwater, Dobbins Grade is one of the trails that typically is wet and muddy most of the summer and fall."

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find camping options near Thomas, WV?

Thomas, WV is surrounded by excellent camping destinations. Blackwater Falls State Park Campground in nearby Davis offers scenic camping with access to the iconic waterfall and extensive hiking trails. The area also features Canaan Valley Resort State Park Campground with three loops of hookup sites, primitive tent sites, and a central bathhouse with hot showers. For those seeking more rustic options, check out Dolly Sods Wilderness Area for backcountry camping, or the budget-friendly Eagle Rock Campground along the river. Most campgrounds in the region are open seasonally from spring through fall, with winter closures common due to harsh weather conditions.

What amenities does Momma Tried Campground offer near Thomas?

While specific information about Momma Tried Campground isn't available in the reviews, the Thomas area offers several alternatives with known amenities. Seneca Shadows provides both standard sites with gravel pads, water, and electricity in the front section, plus more scenic tent camping areas with breathtaking views. For a more rustic experience, Eagle Rock Campground offers basic riverside camping for just $10 per night with a self-pay system. Most campgrounds in the region provide access to outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, and wildlife viewing. For verification of Momma Tried Campground's specific amenities, contact the local tourism office in Thomas.

What camping is available near Thomas, WV?

According to TheDyrt.com, Thomas, WV offers a wide range of camping options, with 142 campgrounds and RV parks near Thomas, WV and 26 free dispersed camping spots.

Which is the most popular campground near Thomas, WV?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Thomas, WV is Blackwater Falls State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 52 reviews.

Where can I find free dispersed camping near Thomas, WV?

According to TheDyrt.com, there are 26 free dispersed camping spots near Thomas, WV.

What parks are near Thomas, WV?

According to TheDyrt.com, there are 24 parks near Thomas, WV that allow camping, notably Jennings Randolph Lake and Youghiogheny River Lake.

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