Best Tent Camping near Monongahela National Forest, WV

This place is amazing!!!. If your into primitive camping at it's best this place is it. This is where me and wife went on are first tent camping trip and ever since we compare every other tent site to Spruce Knob. As of know nothing has compared.

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.

Wanting to spend the a few days midweek in and around Seneca Rocks and Spruce Knob, we chose Seneca Shadows Campground as our basecamp. Aptly named, as views of Seneca Rocks can enjoyed from your tent site.

Smack dab in the middle of the Monongahela National Forest, Seneca Shadows Campground is part of the U.S. Forest Service, so if you are planning a weekend or popular vacation time stay, log onto (https://www.recreation.gov/camping/mapof_Seneca_Shadows/r/campgroundMap.do?page=map&search=site&contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70322 ) and reserve your site.

If you are driving a big RV or hauling a Camper, you'll be parking on one of the 38 sites designed specifically for that purpose. There are a few large group tent sites on the same side of the park roadway before you reach the individual tent sites. Be astute, some have electric and some do not.

Forgive me for saying, but the tent sites appear designed by someone only interested in allowing as many tenters as possible, without regard for privacy...more like cattle in a feed lot (with the exception of 50-53). These are considered "walk to" sites. So I would not camp here during a weekend or holiday. Fortunately, weekdays see few tenters and we had it all to ourselves. Staying on somewhat of an elevated site (50) with some encompassing foliage. However, a roadway runs along the campground to the north, so we heard truck traffic early morning and late. Water and restrooms are located by the parking lot and adequate.

The views of Seneca Rocks were welcomed, when it wasn't raining (a common occurance is WV)...and only one mile from entrance to entrance with the Seneca Rocks Discovery Center (https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mnf/recreation/recarea/?recid=7050)...and 14.3 miles/Half hour drive to Spruce Knob, West Virginia's highest peak at 4,862 (https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mnf/recarea/?recid=7053). At the crossroads a mile away are a couple restaurants and a country store (with ice cream shop) for last minute needs.

While I prefer more isolated campgrounds and sites, this filled the need.

Great location for fly fishing & hiking. The tent camping area has a view of Seneca Rocks while the camper trailer/RV sites are wooded.

This is a great place for pull-type campers or tent camping. Campground is always clean and access is directly off the scenic highway. Several hiking trails nearby. First photo is 100 yards from the campground.

If you're a fan of hiking and rock climbing at Seneca Rocks, Seneca Shadows is absolutely the best campground near this fantastic rock formation. 

It’s located in the Monongahela National Forest near the North Fork South Branch of the Potomac River with nearby peaks ranging from 1,000 feet to nearly 5,000 feet above sea level. Seneca Shadows campground offers a view of the famed Seneca Rocks and puts you within walking distance of the visitor’s center, hiking and climbing trails, plus the quaint town of Seneca Rocks where you buy gas, food and gifts. 

Make sure you visit Harper’s Old Country Store, a 4th generation family run business, operating since 1902. The visitor’s center has a nice collection of Native American artifacts and a cool video of the Army soldiers who trained here before WWII. 

Seneca Shadows Campground is a modern campground with paved parking, flush toilets, showers and an amphitheater. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring and lantern post. Seneca Shadows is part of a growing trend where a private concessionaire is a running a public camp-ground. I’m not a huge fan since it often mean higher fees, but I must say that the campground was spotless and well-run by a delightful couple who obviously enjoyed their summer job. 

Seneca Shadows Campground has three loops to chose from: 

The A& B Loops are for tents or RVs with no electric service. 

The C-Loop has electricity. 

There's also a group camping area and a "tent-only" camping area with walk-in sites from a nearby parking lot.

Spruce Knob and Dolly Sods are nearby and both deserve a spot on your outdoor adventure“bucket list” in West Virginia.

Great campground with lots to do with the family. My kids loved all the bunnies, the river, pool and putt-putt. The one problem is the camper section is very tight, whereas the tent sites look more roomy.

Beautiful tent sites along the creek! I was there in late summer, but I plan to return in late spring when the rhododendrons would be in bloom. Access is by about 6 miles of dirt/rock road. There are many trails at all hiking levels.

Nice campground that is seldom full. About ten tent sites with firepit, picnic table, clean concrete vault toilt. No running water or showers. Close to Elkins and half hour from Davis. Very nice area and primitive campsites to base your outdoor adventures from!

Have stayed here twice when skydiving at Skydive Shenandoah. I will say the tent sites aren’t super desirable. Not private and gravel. The cabins though - perfect for one or two people, has a fire ring. Both times we had a nice stay, both times in a cabin. Lots of antiquing and flea marketing in the area.

This tiny campground in the Monongahela National Forest was such a fun find! There are less than 30 sites and most have a good bit of privacy. There is one building with showers and flush toilets near the entrance, and several outhouse style toilets scattered around. My kids didn't love those so we took a lot of trips down to the bathroom building. The 1.5 mile loop trail was great and just challenging enough to be fun. The campground and trail are filled with beautiful mountain laurel. The hosts were friendly and available and the whole place seemed to be well maintained. Elkins is only a few minutes away if you need groceries or supplies. We had a great time and would definitely come back!

Normally we camp with our tent, but we decided to make the trip to check out Natural Bridge State Park at the end of December. Never quite sure what the weather is like we were able to get a one room camping cabin. It was perfect for our family of three plus two dogs. Our toddler was throughout entertained by exploring everything around us and we would have visits by a black cat. Can't wait to go back and check out their tent sites.

Came here for my moms birthday. They own an RV and we decided to stay in a rental RV since we have small children. I desperately wish we would have just bought camping gear and done a tent site. The RV rental reeked of cigarettes and mold. The Rv itself was it rough shape, but I wouldn’t have cared if it was at least clean. I can’t believe I payed that much to stay there. I was too grossed out to enjoy the amenities of this place to say anything else about this place.

Stokesville campground is a little rough around the edges but offers access to lots of miles of trails in George Washington National Forest. There is an awesome swimming hole on the North River, Four miles of flow mountain bike trails inside the campground with endless miles of trails just outside. Stokesville is a mountain bike destination that cyclists travel from all around, the the campground is alot of those cyclists gateway to gwnf. The campground has primitive tent sites up in the woods and full hookup pull through sites. A playground for kids and fishing pond.

Stayed in a cabin here. It was clean, but had a trail of ants get into my belongings. Sites are close to one another and the cabins are not near the water. They are near the bath house though. We went right before July 4th and it was busy. Walked to the river to go tubing. It was fun but their was a lot of people in the water doing the same. There’s a nice waterfall at the end. There was a lot of cute bunnies hopping around everywhere. If we were to come back, I’d prefer to stay on the tent sites on the water.

We got an RV site right along the River (site 41) and it was very small. We use tents but wanted water & electric because it’s July. I’d say it’s more of an RV park than a campground. Looked at the tent sites and some seemed a little bigger than the RV ones. The River was a blast though. I wish people at the campground wouldn’t litter from their campsites or while on the river though. Lots of trash on the cliffs below the campsites and people throwing empty cans into the river while tubing. I tried to pick up as much as I can, but you’d think people who enjoy the river for it’s fun and beauty wouldn’t trash it….. can’t fix stupid I guess.

Campground is a little rednecky but that’s not a terrible thing. If you’re looking for a place with more remote or spread out sites maybe don’t go here, but if you have kids they would probably have a blast.