Best Glamping near North Spring, WV

This was a great stay in a YURT! Stayed at the end of November and it was cold but nice. The camp facilities are clean with showers. The ranger station had supplied and lots of information. They had fire wood at the camp ground for $6/pile. Hiking trails are accessible from the camp grounds so no need to drive.

Just a quick FYI, there is no camping in the winter. We stopped by for an overnight while enroute to Ohio. I don’t always check ahead while road tripping , I see a recreation sign and decide to stop for the night. 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. The visitors center/ office sits right on the entry road but there is no parking in front of it. If you need to stop there use the parking area immediately to your right and then walk up.

The staff was limited , one grumpy older gentleman who never said a word to mej, just gave me sour looks like I was somehow putting him out by walking into the office. The younger gentleman was very informative and helpful. He answered questions about the parks history and suggested the best trails due to the slippery weather that was going on. We enjoyed a hike around the lake and then went on our way. I will be back for their camping season and to check out more of the trails. You could easily spend some time here and enjoy the surrounding area attractions. Check out Chocolate Moose in Beckley if you enjoy unique tasty coffee and excellent, friendly service and Tamarack for some West Virginia local art.

Campground review: Hungry Mother State Park in Marion, VA. This park has something for everyone. Hiking, biking, kayaking, fishing, swimming. There are interesting campfire get togethers too. Two campgrounds, one up the hill, the other on the main road. Secluded cabins and yurts. We stayed in the smaller campground at the top of the hill. There is electric at each site and plenty of room for more then one tent, hammocks and small campers. A nice showerhouse with dish sink on the end. You will get your exercise walking the rolling loop still campground and hill. There is a yurt in this campground with a nice deck. Some visitors saw a bear near the backside of the lake, but I didn’t see any large wildlife. The cabins are located on the backside of the lake with some nice porches to sit and enjoy the evening breeze. The beach is popular, there are kayaking programs and paddle boats. You could easily stay a week here. Two things to do while your here is ONE: check out DIP DOGS a very popular and busy restaurant and TWO: the “Back of the Dragon” an AWESOME DRIVING TOUR across the mountains from Marion to Tazewell, VA.

Product Review: As a Dyrt Ranger I have the opportunity to check out some awesome outdoor products. Outdoor Element stuff is like survivalist gear that can be carried with you all the time. Bracelets that can be used to make fire, use as fishing line and as rope. This bracelet has a fish hook “embedded” in it and a flint and striker for sparks. Cool thing they do is give you a piece of the 550 cord used for the bracelet to take apart and experiment with. Watch my video for more information. I wear the bracelet all the time now so it’s a little stinky , ;p not sure about washing it, but I am going to the site to find out.

There are 3 campgrounds in Hungry Mother SP.  Camp Burson is the easiest to get to and the one we stayed at.  Creekside and Royal Oak campgrounds are further into the park up a windy narrow road.  Camp Burson is flat and very well maintained gravel pads.  Creekside is a little hilly with blacktop pads and Royal Oak is very steep with deck like structures at each site to set up on.  Royal Oak is used primarily for tents.  There is a restaurant which we did not try and a place to rent canoes, kayaks and paddle boats along with a very nice looking beach on the lake.  Every stop has a gift shop.  The biggest draw at this park is their trails ranging from easy to hard.  Spend a day or spend a week you won't be disappointed.  They have yurts in Camp Burson and Royal Oak.  Don't remember seeing any in Creekside.

I could easily give this campground five stars, but I am the type of tent camper that likes more wilderness. This campground actually a few "campgrounds" within the park and for almost every type of camper. Camp Burson is the first one you see upon entering the state park (as far as I know, since the park is really lonnggg! It is best suited for RVs, but there are gravel spaces for tents. Another campground in the park has pull-through sites, but there were also a couple of tents there. Since we are mainly tent campers, we went to the third camping area, which also had yurts. The yurts have one double bed but not water. The part that I didn't like, but many tent campers would love, is that you have to pitch your tent on a wooden deck. It's great for camping in the rain because the water doesn't have a chance to puddle. However, I'm the type that likes more primitive camping out in the woods, but I'm not holding that against Hungry Mother. Hungry Mother is a great state park, and the sites are wonderful (unless you are strange like me and prefer more primitive camping). As we drove around, we also saw several cabins and at least one or two lodges. I got the feel that it was almost a gated community, which for some people is not a bad thing. Again, there are opportunities for almost every type of "camper."

As far as I know, this is the first state park that had a restaurant. Unfortunately, we were there in April before it opened, so we missed out on that. The bath and shower facilities are modern with tile floors, which I find as a pleasant surprise for a state park. Camping there is April can actually be a good thing. You can avoid the crowds at the beach (although the water is cold) and there are a good number of empty campsites. This state park also has canoe, kayak, and paddle boat rentals. There is a basketball court and a playground, which is next to the beach. We didn't really stay long enough to enjoy the hiking trails or the fishing, but there are several hiking and biking trails from easy to moderate. The beauty of this park is amazing! With the background of mountains behind the lake, it doesn't get much better. I really would love to go back again and camp for more than just one night to enjoy it all.

Hungry Mother State Park, just a short drive off I-81 in southwestern Virginia, is an easily accessible gem offering modern cabins, yurts, and campgrounds equipped for tents or RVs, with limitless activities.

We stayed in one of the cabins after Hurricane Michael rained out our plans for tent camping. This was our first time in one of the VSP cabins, and will not be our last. There are three types of cabins; log exteriors, part of the original Civilian Conservation Corps structures; wooden frame cabins with wooden interiors, and cinderblock exteriors with tile floors. Cabins range from economy to three bedroom, and all have a kitchen with microwave, stove, and refrigerator/freezer, a bathroom with a shower, and a fireplace, as well as heating and air conditioning. Most cabins also have covered porches, exterior picnic tables, and exterior fire rings.

The Creekside Campground loop has water and electric hookups, picnic tables, and fire rings. The layout is similar to most water/electric sites in state and national parks in Virginia; not much privacy between the sites, but fairly shaded, and a quiet atmosphere. This loop is true to its name, and right on the creek running through the park. We were there during the rains from Hurricane Michael and the creek was running so high that sites 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, and 19 looked like they were in danger of flooding.

The Royal Oak campground has platforms for tents set into the mountain rather than dirt or gravel tent pads, however as there are hooks in each of the pads to anchor your tent they can only accommodate tents with a 20x20 footprint. These sites have picnic tables and fire rings on the dirt beside the platforms. The two VSP Yurts at Hungry Mother are in the Royal Oak loop, along the entrance that are set up from the road. This loop overall offers a lot more privacy for each site that I have typically seen in state parks due to the platforms, though you will still see/hear your neighbors. Both camping loops have bathrooms with electricity, flush toilets, and showers with warm water.

Amenities in the park include a lake with a swimming area, boat/canoe rentals, fishing (with license), a restaurant, hiking, biking, and ranger programs. The park office also has several cool displays of local wildlife and history of the area, as well as backpacks you can check out with books and gear for tree, wildflower, and animal identification. Hiking varies from short and easy trails with minimal elevation gain, to the difficult Molly’s Knob trail with one of the most epic sunset views I’ve ever hiked in Virginia.

I love Virginia State Parks, and this is definitely a new favorite. I’m skeptical of the comfort of the wooden platforms for future tent camping trips, but the cabins will definitely be a future stay for us, particularly during the winter months, and there is so much to do in this park even the most reluctant adventurer will find fun.

**Product Review **

As as Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time — on this trip I tested the RōM pack, from RōM Outdoors.

I was skeptical about this pack when I first received it—it felt extremely heavy for a day pack, particularly as it doesn’t have a hip belt, and while I was impressed with the removable pockets, it didn’t seem like the pack itself had a lot of cargo capacity.

After using this pack on our trip, I am a convert. We used it to pack clothes for my husband and I, knowing we would be able to leave our clothes at camp when we went hiking. This freed up space in the car that would normally go to a larger backpack, and we got to take advantage of the pack’s ability to convert to both a poncho and a blanket, not just for review purposes, but out of necessity.

The poncho’s rain resistance held up well, considering we were hiking in the outer bands of a hurricane. The first hike we took this on we started in the rain, and my husband wore the poncho—he stayed dry for the first half mile of our hike, but by end of our mile the water had started leaking through so he did get a little wet—though mostly around the the seams/openings. On our second hike he wore it as a backpack. Because it was raining when we set out and we anticipated needing the poncho feature again, we elected not to bring the detachable pockets, but the interior of the pack was enough to hold our 5 year old’s day pack once she got tired of carrying it.

It stopped raining by the time we got to the summit of our hike, and we tested the blanket feature of the pack for a picnic. It unfolds to a size that was perfect for our family of four. The canvas is thick enough to make a great picnic blanket—it protects from damp ground and sharp rocks, and the lining makes for a very soft surface to sit on. On the way back I took advantage of the poncho. By this point it had gotten extremely windy and was getting dark quickly, and the poncho was excellent at keeping me warm. It’s very heavy, which was welcome in the strong wind, though it did make it hard to hear with the hood over my ears.

Pros to this pack:

-Versatility. In one trip we used the backpack, poncho, and blanket feature, and were grateful for all three.

-Durability. This is definitely a well-constructed pack, with heavy materials that seem like they will last for a long time.

-User-friendly. The pack looks intimidating at first, but it unfolds/folds from pack to poncho/blanket very easily. Combined with the drawstring inner pack and detachable pockets it’s easy to convert while still keeping track of your gear.

Cons to this pack:

-Space. This is great to bring on a camping trip where you can bring additional packs/bags for your gear, but it doesn’t hold much on its own.

-Weight. It only weighs in at 4.6lbs, which is less than a lot of backpacking packs, but as the pack doesn’t have the hip belt it’s a high starting weight.

-Thin straps. The width of the straps is comfortable, but they could use a little more padding.

CAMPGROUND REVIEW: Army Camp Campground, New River Gorge National River, WV

Army Camp Campground, New River Gorge National River, Prince, WV https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/historyculture/army-camp.htm

If you have never treated yourself to the beautiful diversity of the New River Gorge National River, you are truly missing out!

Rock climbing, mountain biking, whitewater paddling, rafting, hiking, camping, birding?…it’s all here and more. 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.

There are three very nice, somewhat primitive, free, campgrounds located within six miles of each other right outside Prince, WV. Grandview Sandbar and Glades Creek along one side of the New River and Army Camp across the Rt 41 bridge and downriver.

Note: vitally important to realize there is no running water at any of these campgrounds. You must bring water or filter it from the New River…which I wouldn’t recommend.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3QnnaIl-xgE

Each site has a picnic table, grill, fire pit, dual lantern post and pit latrines. Of the three New River Gorge National River campgrounds in this immediate area, Army Camps pit latrines are maintained but in dire need of paint. Parking and tent pads are gravel…(making tent peg placement laborious). Plenty of hammocking opportunities.

Army Camp is open for day use fishing and picnicking. The campground consists of one small loop with five sites on the outside perimeter and five on the inner perimeter. Scattered mature trees dot the inner circle with open line of sight. Outside perimeter sites are wooded and offer more privacy. Though all sites are separated by 50 ft or more.

Army Camp lies in a narrow river valley between steep, wooded 2500-3200 ft mountains offering spectacular views.

Military history buffs will appreciate the remains of an Army training encampment along the gravel road driving in. Known for equipping soldiers to build floating bridges across rivers to move troops and heavy artillery.

Though all campground trails are short and directly to the edge of the New River…innumerable trails are a short drive away.

Caution: Use extreme prudence if choosing to enter the New River itself. This is an incredibly popular whitewater rafting and paddling river…currents are fast, powerful and dangerous.

At this visit, after a night of rainfall, the New River has swollen beyond its boundaries by 50 feet or more on either shoreline.

Song birds, robins and crows competed vocally during daylight hours. Interesting insects crawled the river’s sandy shore and a brightly colored Eastern box turtle searched for higher-dryer ground. The powerful drone of the New River never subsides.

**When breaking camp, it was noted the New River had encroached another 100ft through the woodland, flowing alongside the campground loop gravel drive…30 ft from our tent pad. Even though it had not rained in 18 hours, the New River continued to swell beyond what I thought probable. Exercise greater wisdom than I did.

Product Review: New Primus Trailbottle S/S 1.0 liter

The new Primus Trailbottle stainless steel line offers a 0.6L, a 1.0L, a vacuum 0.5L, and a vacuum 0.8L. For purposes of this review, I’m putting the 1.0L S/S Trailbottle through its paces. https://primus.us/products/trailbottle-s-s-1-0l?variant=38421366546

The Primus Trailbottle 1.0L comes in four (4) color options: black, red, light green and powder blue. Being on the trail or kayak in direct sunlight, I opted to not pursue the black so I could keep fluids cooler. The added bonus of brighter colors decreases the chances of me losing the bottle.

As a Review Ranger for TheDyrt, these products were provided by Primus https://primus.us/ .

I have been using various Primus stoves for many years with great success while backpacking and paddling, so I look forward to their new innovative and trustworthy products.

The new Primus Trailbottle S/S 1.0L appears larger than it is. I was initially surprised by that illusion and feared it wouldn’t fit in my Gregory Baltoro Sidewinder Bottle holster…but fitment was actually easier than most water bottles. The bottom is a full inch smaller in diameter than the shoulder.

Dimensions:

•Height: 9” Base to Top of cap

•O.D. Base: 10.25”/ O.D. Top: 11.25”

•Weight: 10 grams

Materials:

•18/8 Food Grade stainless steel

•Tritan lid (BPA free)

One clear benefit of the S/S…it doesn’t possess or retain flavors…you get only what put in it.

While the Primus Trailbottle S/S version has lightweight, thin walls that can likely dent with misuse…longevity of use sets this apart from the basic plastic or Lexan bottle. The mouth of the bottle is fairly large, making it easier to fill or add ice. Not being double walled, exterior sides sweat with ice cold beverages, but the painted surface has just enough grip texture not to slip when wet. The temperature of the Trailbottle contents will be felt by your hand.

The screw-on lid has an additional small screw-on tethered cap. Instead of knurling around the sides of both caps, Primus uses a triangle pattern that mimics the cutout pattern on their stove/pot cooking systems Primus states the bottle opening and thread pattern fits some water filtration systems, but not my Katadyn Vario…nor does my Sawyer Mini thread onto the cap, as the threads are located on the inside of the spout..

The rubber lanyard attaches to the small threaded cap by a recessed ring, then snakes through a bar on the larger bottle screw lid and attaches to that lid via a rubber style pop-rivet. Personally, I would not attach the Primus bottle to my pack by this rubber lanyard, but will run some para cord through the integrated bar on the lid…to carabiner to my pack (if I didn’t have a water bottle pocket).

When partaking of its contents through the smaller lid opening, it is like any other solid-sided bottle. However, I found it was much easier pouring Trailbottle contents into a cup than a wide-mouth bottle.

Final Thoughts

I like it’s distinctiveness, versatility and light weight. I’m looking forward to many years of service from the Primus Trailbottle S/S 1.0 liter.

Nestled in a moderately remote bit of WV just outside pineville/beckley, twin falls state park is an absolutely killer place to stay. Plenty of easily accessible camping sites for RVs, tent spots, and very well documented and marked hiking trails. Very cool pioneer house with garden and rescue animals and (at least during my time there) LOTS OF DEER!!! I had so many deer along the roadways that loved to pose for pictures. Great golf course, decent restaurant and resort rooms, outdoor and indoor pool, tennis/basketball courts, and so many more things. I stayed in a 2 bedroom cabin and it was super affordable at 120 per night and it comes with your own personal wifi and full kitchen. One of the best spots in WV and a must see!

All sites are paved and some have electric hook ups. The bathhouse has heated, clean showers (score!). Digging this campground because it’s open year round and the hiking trails are plentiful.

I chose this particular place because it was two hours away from family that we had not seen in a while. Coming from South MS, I had no idea how stunning WV would be. This park has surprised us every single day. They have an abundance of trails with varying difficultly levels. We were here for almost a week and had the time only to get in about half of them. The Cliffside Trail is an absolute must! We came at the end of the season and have basically had the whole park to ourselves. It was truly a treat!! 😊

Tips- The road most map apps will send you to closes for part of the year. Even if you happen to come when it's open, trust me when I say take the longer route 😳 Especially if you are in an RV. It's is as wide as a one-way street, has at least ten too many sharp curves, and is straight up the mountain. ‘Shawty’ (our RV) did not approve of it at all and showed her feelings by busting a belt and jamming up the alternator upon arriving at our campsite. This brings me to Tip #2 If you run into any engine trouble, Discount Diesel is great! We are in the middle of nowhere, and he was the only person I could find to drive up. I'll include a picture with his number in the review. Tip #3 They do not have sewage hookups, so prepare accordingly. Tip #4 Check out the restaurant at the Lodge, great food and prices! Tip #5 If you are scared of the dark, bring an abundance of lights; it gets daaarrrrkkkk, and deer are a lot scarier when you only see their glowing eyes reflected back 😂

This was a good campsite, good amount of space between campsites. We had electric only hook ups. There was supposed to be community water at the campsite, but unfortunately it was turned off as we were there at the end of their camping season. There is a dump site available. Make sure your truck/vehicle towing is not underrated for what you’re pulling as it is a lot of big uphill elevation and tons of windy roads and tight turns. The bathroom/shower houses were very buggy, I am not sure if it was because we were at the end of the season or if they are normally this way. There’s tons to do at this campsite from beautiful trails, to a golf course and they even had a resort at a different portion of the park as well. It is a must to go on the trail that leads to both of the waterfalls! The campsite is 30 minutes away from a Walmart or a grocery store. We paid $33.02 a night for the campsite and felt it was worth it.

We had 2 of the larger campsites (#2 and #3) for Memorial Day Weekend. We had a great time all weekend with hiking,picnics,campfires and ghost hunting. However,on Sunday night a strong storm came through that brought down trees with it's fierce wind and torrential rain. The power went out in the campground. The Park superintendent offered a free room in the lodge to anyone who wanted to stay where there was electricity. We were camping in a tent which ended up with lots of water in it. Kudos to Superintendent Ken for making a bad situation better. We will recommend this beautiful park to everyone.

Stayed for one night when passing through. Nice big sites with lots of trees. Bathroom has nice showers with good pressure/hot water. Easily accessible on MC with fun curvy roads to it. Park staff very friendly.

Very well taken care of with plenty of trails to hike and sights to see.

Sites are reasonably spaced. Some are wooded, others are out in open. Decent bathroom. Beautiful park. Drive in is a long windy road.

The only campsite we could get was 21.. nothing else available. We stayed 3 days and 2 other campsites were empty the whole time.. 21 is not level...bathrooms were dirty, I hoped better conditions with it being a resort as well.

We discovered this park summer of 2018 and went back 4 times. This park is geographically in the middle of no where and squeezed in between two states (hence interstate park). Even though it’s in God’s country it’s worth the drive. It’s a quaint park with amazing and friendly staff who pride their jobs and park. It had full hookups for RVs and decent campsite for tents. Bathhouses are clean, the campground is quite and restaurant is clean. There is a small water park for families, nice trails, play grounds, shelters, basketball court, small lake and access to some of the best views in Appalachia. This truly is a hidden gem if you can get past the road to get there. But on a side note for that- they are building a new road to access the park and hopefully it’ll be done soon.

Happy camping.

Park is gorgeous. Campsites we're very small and on top of each other. Limited hours for the visitor center. Staff had little to no knowledge about the hiking trails.

This is an amazing park.

It was clean, we had beautiful views, people were great.

This is a peaceful place! We can’t wait to go back.

One of my favorite places to visit, camp, and hike!! Its gorgeous Appalachia with hikes ranging from casual strolls to very difficult. This park offers all of the amenities, full hookup if you want it or primitive tent sites, a nice lodge and restaurant, horseback riding, and zip lines!!! One of the camp hosts, Teddy, was super friendly and helpful with anything we needed. I LOVE The Breaks Park!!!

Been caravaning with "Sister" campers this week, and Breaks was our final stop over. This is just an amazing park, full of history, great trails, friendly staff (with the exception of the manager at the Lodge!!) The climb up the mountain to get here is worth it. We were in campground A, the bath house was very nice h well cleaned. The sites are well marked with wide spaces. For pulling through or backing in. Trails are well marked at trail head & with colored blazes. Info boards are at most over looks so you know what you are looking at. Wildlife is not fearful of us, or the dogs.... lol!! We will definitely come back

Stayed 4 nights in section D. Our site was ok. There were a lot better sites to stay though. Staff was helpful and friendly. We had full hookups. Lots of shade.

In our trip from Arkansas to the east coast we reserved two nights here based on reviews. I’m sure COVID-19 had a lot to do with the park being in shut down mode but we found the park to be so bad we left after one night. Sites we were assigned were very difficult to get in, extremely unlevel and the sites were unkept and showed a lack of maintenance. We were there on 9/22/20 and the flying knat’s and bugs wouldn’t let you out of the door. My water hookup required a set of pliers to operate and the 30amp plug was installed upside down making it impossible to plug in due to the box being jacked up. Had to use the 50 amp plug/converter. We won’t be back. Hope things change for the better.

Campground is in the middle of all your options, nice showers, playgrounds, lodge hiking, water park. Perfect spot to camp with kids. Had a wonderful first time experience will definitely be back.

love the trails

Nice Campground, once you get here. The roads to this amazing State Park are two lane and twisting. We have a 38' 5er and a CrewCab Dually tow vehicle. We didn't have a lot of issues getting here but it is quite mountainous with a lot of climbs to get here. The Park is well appointed and the campsites are nice for a state park. Be careful when choosing a site as some are challenging to get into with larger units. We had a pull through which was big enough for our rig. Sites are gravel and spacious. Fire ring/grill combo provided at each site. Bathhouses were clean and well stocked. Be sure to bring all necessary supplies BEFORE you get here, nearest stores are a 20 minute drive away on crooked mountain roads. Will we return? Maybe for a special event but not for a general getaway

Absolutely beautiful park. Nice sized campsites. Perfect for tent camping. Good white water rafting w/dam openings daily

Trails: Needs better signage on trail, especially as trails merge. Very steep switchbacks and difficult trails. Trail markers difficult to read or non existent in some spots. Wash outs and downed trees blocking trail common. Seems to be common in VA state parks, most staff had zero knowledge of their trails.

20 minute drive to grocery, restaurants, etc