Best Campgrounds near Parsons, WV

Parsons, West Virginia serves as a gateway to diverse camping experiences in the Monongahela National Forest and surrounding areas. Five River Campground, located directly in Parsons, offers year-round access with tent, RV, and glamping options. Horseshoe Recreation Area, situated about 5 miles north of town, provides developed sites with electric hookups. The region includes both established campgrounds with modern amenities and dispersed camping opportunities like Canaan Loop Road Dispersed and Lower Glady Dispersed Campground, where primitive sites offer a more secluded experience.

Weather conditions and seasonal considerations significantly impact camping experiences throughout the area. Many campgrounds operate seasonally, with several closing during winter months. Blackwater Falls State Park Campground, approximately 15 miles east of Parsons, operates from late April through October. According to one visitor, "This is bear country, so don't leave any food sitting out," highlighting the importance of proper food storage. Road access to some dispersed camping areas may require high-clearance vehicles, particularly after rainfall when forest roads can become muddy and difficult to navigate. Cell service is limited throughout the region, especially in more remote camping areas, making advance planning essential.

Campers consistently praise the natural beauty and wildlife viewing opportunities near Parsons. The area's rivers and streams provide popular recreation spots, with several campgrounds situated along waterways. A review mentioned that "Deer meandered through the primitive tent sites with their fawns each morning and evening," describing the wildlife experience at Canaan Valley Resort State Park. Developed campgrounds in the region typically offer amenities such as picnic tables, fire rings, and access to drinking water, while dispersed sites provide more solitude but fewer facilities. The higher elevation campgrounds, particularly those near Canaan Valley and Blackwater Falls, offer cooler temperatures during summer months, making them popular destinations when lower elevations experience heat and humidity.

Best Camping Sites Near Parsons, West Virginia (131)

    1. Blackwater Falls State Park Campground

    52 Reviews
    Davis, WV
    10 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
    1 mile
    Website
    +1 (304) 478-3515

    $15 / night

    "I really love Five River Campground in Parsons, WV. The owners are amazing! This campground is paved up to the campground. It has 120 RV sites many with full hook-ups."

    "We stayed in site F (definitely snag it if possible) and had a great grassy end just steps from the river."

    3. Audra State Park Campground

    33 Reviews
    Volga, WV
    21 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 457-1162

    "Audra State Park, is a bit off the beaten path but well worth the journey. Tucked away, just outside of Buckhannon, WV...home of West Virginia Wesleyan College."

    "v=VLUEBlIxHpo)

    Trails undulate with the terrain. The short trail within the campground area is steep in areas but offers some nice views."

    4. Canaan Loop Road Dispersed

    10 Reviews
    Davis, WV
    11 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
    13 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."

    "West Virginia is a state for anyone who enjoys the outdoors!!!! There are tons of out door activities! We recently camped 3 nights at Canaan Valley! We had a great time!"

    6. Lower Glady Dispersed Campground

    7 Reviews
    Harman, WV
    10 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 636-1800

    "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."

    "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."

    7. Horseshoe Recreation Area

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

    $17 - $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"

    8. 5 Rivers Campground

    3 Reviews
    Parsons, WV
    1 mile
    Website

    $15 / night

    "Beautiful location with the river flowing beside the campground. Great for floating, fishing, kayaking or cooling off on a hot day. We love the owners who take great care of their campers!"

    9. Brooklyn Heights Riverfront Campground

    3 Reviews
    Hendricks, WV
    4 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"

    10. Bear Heaven Campground

    6 Reviews
    Bowden, WV
    11 miles
    Website

    "It’s a nice base camp if you don’t mind driving to other trails nearby. Visit in spring with mountain laurel, rhododendrons, etc. are blooming in the nearby lands, it’s like nothing else!"

    "You can either walk through or climb these boulders. The area has several great hiking and mountains biking trails."

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Recent Reviews near Parsons, WV

669 Reviews of 131 Parsons Campgrounds


  • G
    Sep. 29, 2025

    Middle Ridge Campground

    Private

    If you’re looking for quiet and privacy, this is the place.  they laid out the sites so that you’re not side by side. They are all on an angle which moves you further away from anyone on both sides.  The angled site also was great for driving just past you’re site and practically backing straight back into you’re site.  Decent bath house and friendly, low key staff.  Great rates per night.

  • RThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 28, 2025

    Audra State Park Campground

    Quiet

    A beautiful park located on a river very quiet. Campsites are small only electric is available bathhouse clean. The roads are very narrow with sharp turns.

  • Sonder B.
    Sep. 21, 2025

    Dispersed camping at Mower Basin

    Clean, Remote, Pristine, off the beaten path = Mower Basin

    I chose for this trip to pay a visit to the Monongahela Nation Forest in West Virginia. I plan on dispersed camp in the Mower Basin for seven days. 

    The first three I would be solo and on that Friday my partner in crime would come to camp. I went to the primary camp site, and it was occupied. 

    I had four other camp sites chosen and continued to the other four. I found that other campers were on the other spots. I went to the last one and found it to be open. In setting up camp I found two piles of bear scat. 

    One pile was clearly fresher than the other, but still two piles! The attached photo is the last dispersed camp site. It was a little over a mile from the other site. I was dispersed camping in the Mower Basin. You can drive right up to your camp site, but don’t be fooled, this is primitive camping. 

    You need to bring everything with you and take it all out with you.

    Nearest Cell tower is here 38.688719,-79.979097

    Fuel &  small gocery store can be found here 38.710707,-79.979095

    Minor Automotive shop and tire repair here 38.713085,-79.979352

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 18, 2025

    Canaan Loop Road Dispersed

    Great dispersed sites!

    We only drove down to the second site, but it was awesome! Big site, good fire ring, paths the walk right from the site. The moss was like walking on carpet

  • AThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 14, 2025

    Middle Ridge Campground

    Large wooded sites

    The owners are so friendly and personable. The sites are actually in a wooded area not just a big field. Each site has full hookups. We will definitely return.

  • Alia
    Sep. 7, 2025

    Kick Back n Camp

    Last Minute Getaway

    My husband and I went on a spontaneous camping road trip. We called the campground, and they had availability for walk-ins! Usually, you’d have to book in advance. The campsite was a semi-private spot, and it cost less than $30 a night, without electricity. They also have sites with electricity. We were fortunate enough to have no campers around us, making it quite private.

    The campground had a picnic table, a fire pit, and they even delivered our firewood directly to our site. They had separate sites for RVs and tent camping, so we could choose the one that best suited our needs. The owners were incredibly friendly and outgoing, making our stay even more enjoyable.

    If you forget anything, the campground office had everything you needed for purchase. They also had a well-organized brochure that showcased the campground’s amenities and offerings. And let’s not forget their delicious ice cream! They had a variety of flavors, and I highly recommend trying them all.

    One of the standout features of the campground was the bathhouse. It was spotlessly clean and felt like a spa. The showers were comfortable and had hot water, making it our highlight

    Overall, we had a fantastic time at the campground. It was a great place to unwind and connect with nature. If you’re looking for a peaceful and affordable camping experience, I highly recommend this campground.

  • Aileen C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 3, 2025

    Blackwater Falls State Park Campground

    Clean Campground in a Beautiful Park

    This is one of our favorite places. The park is beautiful, and so are the nearby Canaan Valley Wildlife Refuge and Canaan Valley State Park.

    The campground is better suited to tents and small to medium size camping units. I think the person who designed it was not familiar with camping units other than tents. Loop 1-30 is one way going clockwise. Loop 31-65 is one way going counterclockwise. But in both loops, to have your door facing away from the street, you have to drive counterclockwise if your site is on the outside of the loop, and clockwise if your site is inside the loop.  In some sites, the electric pedestal is on the wrong side, so you'll have to use a long cord and take it under your unit to reach your electric hookup.

    There are two water fill stations, one at the camp store where you check in, and the other at a water fountain near the bathhouse in loop 31-65. They are supplied supplied with a green garden hose, not a white potable water hose, so we unscrewed the hose and used our own. The water tastes unusually good.

    The dump station is in a section of loop 31-65. You have to go the wrong way on a one way road to be close enough for your slinky to reach it. The non potable rinse water is across this road from the dump station and it has a white hose--beware--this is not the drinking water! You stretch this hose across the road to rinse your gray and black tanks and slinky.

    Some of the sites are not very level, and many of the pull thru sites share some driveway space with another pull thru site or a back in site. There are two pairs of sites that share a pull thru--OK for people traveling together, but otherwise a headache if you're arriving and leaving at different times.

    Once you have dealt with all this inconvenience and oddness, you'll find you're within walking distance of the falls, a small lake, hiking trails that go through beautiful forests with rhododendrons, hemlocks, spruce, and hardwoods. The camp store is limited, but the staff is very friendly and helpful. The nature center is one of the best I've ever visited, and park naturalists provide programs on weekends. There are kayak rentals in summer. The lake has a swimming beach, but you can pay to use the swimming pool at the lodge for better swimming. The lodge also has a huge lobby with a cabinet containing jigsaw puzzles. We worked on one on a rainy day when we didn't want to be outside. Davis and Thomas have some interesting shops and good restaurants.When you get back after a day of adventures, you'll find clean restrooms with hot showers that are actually hot. And the T-Mobile service was good enough for my husband to stream a movie while I sent photos to my family. The park was very busy for Labor Day weekend, but it was a family atmosphere and after dark, there were few lights and little noise.

  • Lee G.
    Sep. 2, 2025

    Big Bend Campground

    Big Bend Campground…Definitely Worth the Experience

    Big Bend Campground is a beautiful place with a great family atmosphere. The campsites are large and accommodate RVs and/or multiple tents. The best part about this place is the nearly 360° lazy river tubing experience. This place has no cell service and you’ll have to travel along a 2 1/2 mile dirt road to finally get to the campground. The Camp Hosts were great and offered a lot of local information and tips. While this is a great location and provides memorable adventures, it would be great if the picnic tables and some of the fire rings could be updated as they’re nearing the end of their service life. However, this is simply a great place to unhook from the daily grind.


Guide to Parsons

Camping near Parsons, West Virginia offers access to the Monongahela National Forest at elevations ranging from 1,700 to over 4,000 feet. The region experiences significant seasonal temperature variations with summer highs averaging 80°F and winter lows frequently below freezing. Local waterways including the Shavers Fork and Cheat River provide both recreation and natural boundaries throughout the camping areas.

What to do

Riverside recreation: Five River Campground sits directly along Shavers Fork River where campers can fish, tube, and swim. "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," according to one visitor who spent a week there.

Mountain biking trails: Canaan Valley Resort State Park offers extensive trail networks for cyclists of all skill levels. "There are a ton of hikes within 30 minutes, and we checked out Douglas Falls. Next time, we'll visit Lindy Observation deck and more of Blackwater Falls State Park," notes a camper who enjoyed the variety of trails available.

Winter activities: Several area campgrounds remain open during winter months, providing access to seasonal recreation. A visitor to Canaan Loop Road Dispersed reported: "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."

What campers like

Secluded camping spots: The region offers numerous dispersed camping options with varying levels of privacy. At Lower Glady Dispersed Campground, one camper noted: "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."

Wildlife viewing: Horseshoe Recreation Area offers excellent opportunities to observe local fauna. "Have been camping at Horseshoe annually for six years. Quite and remote. Great place to connect with family in the wide open spaces of West Virginia," a regular visitor shares.

Night sky viewing: The limited light pollution throughout the region creates excellent stargazing conditions. A camper at Blackwater Falls State Park Campground observed: "The sky was absolutely perfect to view from the campground - you could bring a telescope!"

What you should know

Road conditions: Many forest roads require high-clearance vehicles, especially after rainfall. A visitor to Brooklyn Heights Riverfront Campground noted: "The property was clean and quiet other than the occasional diesel truck going down the road."

Seasonal planning: Facilities and access change significantly between seasons. "Many of the facilities were not yet open fully, but the chairlift to the summit at the ski area was open on weekends," reported a camper who visited Canaan Valley Resort State Park in April.

Temperature variations: The higher elevation means dramatic temperature swings between day and night. "Keep in mind, anytime after mid September can be quite cold overnight. But the foliage is totally worth it!" advised one Blackwater Falls camper.

Tips for camping with families

Swimming options: Several campgrounds feature safe water access for children. At Horseshoe Recreation Area, a visitor recommended: "Make sure to bring a swimming suit too because there is an awesome swimming hole in the nearby stream."

Playgrounds and activities: Bear Heaven Campground offers natural features for exploration beyond standard playground equipment. "Right beside the camp ground is a really cool area to explore unique boulders and rock structures. You can either walk through or climb these boulders," notes a visitor.

Family-friendly spaces: Many campgrounds include open areas for games and activities. "There is a large maintained field in the middle of the campground that you can play frisbee, soccer, football, etc," observed a Horseshoe Recreation Area camper.

Tips from RVers

Site selection: RV campers should carefully research access roads and site dimensions. "This is a remote riverside campground with great fishing opportunities for catch and release. One loop comes with water/electric hookups ($7 more) the others are primitive. 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," advised an RVer at Horseshoe Recreation Area.

Seasonal access: Winter camping requires special preparation for RVs. "We picked a beautiful spot in the pine trees! Perfect for 2 vehicles and 5 people hammock camping!" reports a Canaan Loop Road visitor who found the area suitable for smaller rigs and overlanding setups.

Local services: RV campers should plan for limited services in the immediate area. According to a visitor at Five River Campground, "Grocery store, gas station and a family dollar all within a 5 min drive or walk," making this location convenient for resupplying compared to more remote options.

Frequently Asked Questions

What camping is available near Parsons, WV?

According to TheDyrt.com, Parsons, WV offers a wide range of camping options, with 131 campgrounds and RV parks near Parsons, WV and 20 free dispersed camping spots.

Which is the most popular campground near Parsons, WV?

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

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

According to TheDyrt.com, there are 20 free dispersed camping spots near Parsons, WV.