Best Dispersed Campsites Around Morgantown, West Virginia

Canaan Loop Road provides free dispersed camping about an hour from Morgantown in the Monongahela National Forest. Sites are marked by established fire rings along the forest road, with multiple backcountry spots suitable for tents and some vehicle camping. The road can be rough in sections, particularly after rain or snow, with some visitors noting that 4WD is necessary for completing the full loop. Several remote sites are positioned near streams and amid pine forests, offering natural privacy between camping areas.

Lower Glady Dispersed Campground offers another primitive camping option in the region with vault toilets but no other amenities. The area features multiple campsites bordered by boulders, many with back-in access suitable for small travel trailers. "There are numerous dispersed camping sites at this location," noted one camper, though visitors report the area fills quickly on summer weekends. Gladwin Dispersed Camping should be approached with caution as reviews indicate portions may be on private property, though public camping is available past the low water bridge. All sites require pack-in, pack-out practices for trash and waste management. For those seeking true wilderness dispersed camping near Morgantown, these primitive sites provide excellent opportunities to camp away from crowds in natural settings.

Best Dispersed Sites Near Morgantown, West Virginia (3)

    1. Canaan Loop Road Dispersed

    12 Reviews
    Davis, WV
    46 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 478-2000

    "This swath of land, sandwiched between two state parks(Canaan Valley State Park to the south& Blackwater Falls State Park to the north) is managed by the US Forest Service."

    "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"

    2. Lower Glady Dispersed Campground

    9 Reviews
    Harman, WV
    49 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 636-1800

    "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."

    "I didn't pull in until close to 11 PM, but a couple notes on what I could see. There is a very sharp turn if you come in from the south on Sully Road, which seems to be the primary way to get there."

    3. Gladwin Dispersed Camping

    3 Reviews
    Red Creek, WV
    48 miles

    "Decided to try it even though other review said private property- and seems they were correct but incorrect. Initially you do come to private land with several campsites and campers present."

    "I camped at the site closest to the river— right next to it in fact!  And it was quite large."

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Recent Free Dispersed Camping Photos near Morgantown, WV

30 Photos of 3 Morgantown Campgrounds


Dispersed Camping Reviews near Morgantown, WV

22 Reviews of 3 Morgantown Campgrounds


  • RThe Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 27, 2025

    Canaan Loop Road Dispersed

    A remote loop route with about 10 dispersed, free campsites

    This swath of land, sandwiched between two state parks(Canaan Valley State Park to the south& Blackwater Falls State Park to the north) is managed by the US Forest Service. The nearest town is Davis, WV. 

    There is just one dirt road running through it, the first few miles of which are fairly tame: navigable by most standard cars and medium or smaller sized RVs. The further back in you go, the rougher the road gets until it is truly just a jeeps-only type of road. But the good news is that all of the camping sites take place before you get to that rough part. 

    And this is TRULY dispersed camping, with most of the camp spots being a good half-mile from each other! The one downside, if you are into privacy, is that all of the sites are RIGHT NEXT to that dirt road, so others will be driving past your site. The good news is that it is not a heavily trafficked road, used primarily just by the other campers in the 10 available spots, by the occasional hunter, and by the even-less-frequent off-roader, hoping to challenge their vehicle on the rough stuff several miles in. 

    This is all free camping, and all primitive. There are no restroom facilities, no showers, no electrical, no water supply. 

    The campsites themselves are mostly surrounded by forest, making even the smallest of them quite beautiful. They vary in size from being little more than a 20 foot driveway to back an RV up to those sites that are significantly larger with room enough for more than one vehicle and perhaps a couple or three tents. 

    While this loop road region has very few activities itself, you are just a few miles from the two state parks and from private facilities offering horseback riding, skiing, snowboarding, swimming, and more. 

    The loop road region itself has MANY trails for hiking or mountain biking (possibly horseback riding— I saw no signage either for or against it), and one trail that is specifically marked as a cross country ski route. Although, from what I can see, several of the trails could work for cross-country skiing, as even the road itself could right after a storm. 

    While the area is at a fairly high altitude, around 3000 feet, it seems to be built on a kind of high altitude plateau, so the road itself is not that hilly, nor are the camping sites. I don't know for sure if it's a year-round site, but I can tell you that I was camping there in December, no problem. I do understand that the road is minimally maintained, so it might be impossible or difficult to access during very snowy weather.

  • RThe Dyrt PRO User
    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.

  • LThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 16, 2025

    Canaan Loop Road Dispersed

    car camping

    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 are tricker to see while driving, free camping, no permit needed, they have easy to seee fire rings where you can tell where to camp. there’s a stream that goes by some, the woods are beautiful. there are some that are about 4 mile hike to blackwater falls state park. and it’s an easy drive to seneca rocks

  • J
    Apr. 3, 2022

    Canaan Loop Road Dispersed

    April Snow

    Still snow on the ground and very wet in early April, but great dispersed car camp and walk-in camp sites.

  • Jon N.The Dyrt PRO User
    Feb. 2, 2022

    Lower Glady Dispersed Campground

    A large camping area tucking the mountains.

    To start this review off, I drove in during a small snow storm, it was in the single digits for temp, and I woke up with about 8 inches on the ground. Due to this, I was the only one here, so I'm not sure how crowded it would be in the warmer months, or with less snow. 

    I didn't pull in until close to 11 PM, but a couple notes on what I could see. There is a very sharp turn if you come in from the south on Sully Road, which seems to be the primary way to get there. My Subaru Forester didn't have any issues, but if you're driving an RV or have a trailer, you may have a struggle. However, once you get past that, there camp area is huge. You could easily fit a dozen cars there. There are some toilets, which are really more of out houses. There was also a creek running on the side of the camp, so with a water filter and enough food, you could spend many days here. I could also see a few fire pits, but again, 8' of snow made it hard to really tell what I was looking at, and as it was still snowing and getting late, I didn't feel like trekking too far. There is a wonderful view of the night sky and having the mountain backdrop in the morning was really nice.

    I'll def be back here in the warmer months and bring along some friends and family.

  • Kevin C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 14, 2024

    Lower Glady Dispersed Campground

    Great Disbursed Camping

    There are numerous disbursed camping sites at this location. We arrived on a Sunday and found all the sites near the vaulted toilet empty.

    The campsites are boarded by boulders. The toilet was one of the cleanest I have seen. Most sites have good shade while still open to the sky.

    Sites are level and have good back-in driveways. Fire rings are large. We removed lots of trash from our fire ring, mostly aluminum cans.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jan. 9, 2026

    Canaan Loop Road Dispersed

    Fun Trail

    Fun beginner trail, nice dispersed camping spots. Went there when it was dry so it was an easy drive. Very close to Blackwater Falls so you have all the trails there also have trails down the road with nice lookout points

  • joe W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 12, 2023

    Lower Glady Dispersed Campground

    Great private campsite with an established firepit

    No one bothered mom and I on Easter weekend. We pulled our 28 foot travel trailer in past I’d say ten other campsites that were taken. The last big turnaround featured four rv accessible campfires for us to pick.

  • TThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jan. 2, 2026

    Lower Glady Dispersed Campground

    Secluded & Quiet

    We came in late Friday & could tell from the 7+" snow covered road in that no one else was going to be here (unless they'd been parked for two days of snowfall). We parked on a site be the creek on a big loop near a vault toilet (nothing better than a 20° toilet seat to wake you up in the morning). These sites were easy to recognize as safe driving spots under the blanket of snow. The road was well marked. The hairpin turn at entrance was wide enough that it was not a problem to navigate in the snow / icy road. Main roads had been plowed thoroughly. Anyway, great stay. Could not see stars but the moonrise was beautiful.


Guide to Morgantown

Dispersed camping opportunities abound in the Monongahela National Forest region near Morgantown, West Virginia. The area sits within the Allegheny Mountains, with elevations ranging from 1,000 to over 4,000 feet, creating diverse microclimates and camping conditions throughout the seasons. Winter temperatures can drop below freezing with significant snowfall, while summer brings moderate temperatures typically between 70-85°F during daylight hours.

What to do

Hiking to waterfalls: From Canaan Loop Road Dispersed, campers can access trails to Blackwater Falls State Park. "There are some that are about 4 mile hike to blackwater falls state park. and it's an easy drive to seneca rocks," notes camper Lillian R., highlighting the proximity to popular natural attractions.

Stream fishing: The waterways near dispersed sites offer fishing opportunities. At Lower Glady Dispersed Campground, visitors report "good fishing" according to Wyatt S., with another camper mentioning "a few friendly fishermen each day, sharing local knowledge."

Night sky viewing: The remote location provides excellent stargazing opportunities. Jon N. mentions the "wonderful view of the night sky" at Lower Glady, making it ideal for astrophotography or simple stargazing sessions without light pollution from nearby cities.

What campers like

Privacy between sites: Campers appreciate the natural separation between camping areas. "We found a nice site in the pine trees! Perfect for 2 vehicles and 5 people hammock camping!" reports Michael H. about his experience at Canaan Loop Road.

Natural features: The diverse terrain creates unique camping environments. Justine I. notes that at Canaan Loop Road, "The moss was like walking on carpet," describing the forest floor texture at their campsite.

Multiple location options: The area offers numerous potential camping spots. At Lower Glady, Kevin C. explains, "The campsites are boarded by boulders. The toilet was one of the cleanest I have seen. Most sites have good shade while still open to the sky."

What you should know

Road conditions vary significantly: Road quality can be challenging in all seasons. "Road was a little rough so take your time," advises Harley G. about Canaan Loop. For winter visitors, Clayton S. adds, "If you come in from the east, it's a very well maintained road for any vehicle (RVs may have trouble turning around), but the last mile or two you need a 4x4."

Weather preparedness: Mountain weather changes quickly and seasonally. Rhea B. shares their experience at Canaan Loop Road Dispersed: "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."

Summer popularity: Sites fill quickly during peak season. "We tried to get a spot this weekend and arrived around 430pm on Friday. Every single spot was taken," warns Leonard M. about Lower Glady Dispersed Campground, suggesting weekday arrivals or early Friday access during summer months.

Tips for camping with families

Accessible campfire spots: Family-friendly sites with established fire rings make camping with children easier. At Gladwin Dispersed Camping, Scott K. advises: "If you go down the dirt road a little to the low water bridge you will find a wonderful site on the right with several fire pits."

Wildlife awareness: The area has active wildlife including deer and possibly bears. John W. suggests, "Watch for deer on back roads anytime of day or night!" while Scott R. reports, "Saw some bear scat" during his visit to Canaan Loop Road, indicating the need for proper food storage.

Seasonal planning: Consider camping during shoulder seasons for more availability and moderate temperatures. Wesley W. shares, "Arrived 8 May for a week. Nice and cool. 4 to 8 other campers. No one next to me," demonstrating the benefits of visiting during off-peak times.

Tips from RVers

Size limitations: Smaller travel trailers work best for rustic camping near Morgantown. Joe W. describes successfully camping at Lower Glady Dispersed Campground: "We pulled our 28 foot travel trailer in past I'd say ten other campsites that were taken. The last big turnaround featured four rv accessible campfires for us to pick."

Access challenges: Some turns require careful navigation for trailers. Jon N. cautions about Lower Glady: "There is a very sharp turn if you come in from the south on Sully Road, which seems to be the primary way to get there. My Subaru Forester didn't have any issues, but if you're driving an RV or have a trailer, you may have a struggle."

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there free camping options available near Morgantown?

Yes, there are several free dispersed camping options near Morgantown. Canaan Loop Road Dispersed offers free camping with no permits required. Sites feature established fire rings and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The area provides both roadside spots and more secluded sites a short walk from the road. This is a popular destination for those seeking free camping in the Morgantown region, with opportunities for hiking on nearby trails and enjoying mountain scenery without any camping fees.

Where can I find dispersed camping near Morgantown, WV?

Near Morgantown, WV, you can find dispersed camping at Gladwin Dispersed Camping, though be aware of private property boundaries as you enter the area. The most reliable sites are found after crossing the low water bridge where public land begins. For those willing to venture a bit further, the Monongahela National Forest offers numerous dispersed camping opportunities. When camping in these areas, practice Leave No Trace principles, properly extinguish campfires, and come prepared with all necessary supplies as facilities are minimal or non-existent at most dispersed sites.

What types of vehicle access is available at dispersed camping sites around Morgantown?

Dispersed camping areas around Morgantown offer varying vehicle access options. Lower Glady Dispersed Campground features numerous sites that can accommodate larger vehicles, including travel trailers up to 28 feet. Many sites are bordered by boulders and include established fire rings. The access roads are generally navigable, though winter conditions may limit accessibility. Some sites are specifically designed with RV access in mind, with turnaround areas available for larger vehicles. Always check current road conditions before heading out, especially during or after inclement weather.