Best Tent Camping near Pipestem, WV

This is my third review of The WV Pipestem state park campground.  There has been a lot of nice upgrades to the grounds and facilities ad well as things to do at pipestem since my last review a few years ago.  First off, now all the sites have electric and water, whereas before about half the campground had elec. and water and the rest were rustic. This happened because of so many people camping during the pandemic.  Having water and electric at each site is very handy when tent camping for many needs such as cooking, blowing up air mattresses and charging cell phones.  It's a very family friendly campground with clean sits and spacious sites for hammocks and tents.

The bathroom faciilities are good and clean and they even have a washer and dryer hookup.

This Wknd trip on 7-10-22 was a washout in rain but there were moments where we had a reprieve from rain and had nice weather.

Besides the aforementioned site hookups there are a lot of new activities to do at pipestem close to the campground on the Pipestem park property such as ziplining and swimming on the lake with inflatables.

The racoons at night have a schedule of getty any foods left out.  Putting everything away is a must.

This campground is situated on gorgeous Summersville Lake! It has all you could ask for in a campground including RV and tent sites, bathhouses with showers, dump facilities for RVs, and the most beautiful clear lake water!!! No loud noises after 10pm makes it ideal! We had a tent site with a fire pit and picnic table on a point of land surrounded by water! We didn't fish much but the swimming was incredible!

Tent sites on the river, RV sites, RV and cabin rentals and float trips. Lots of space for kids to play.

Site 4 was great for tent camping for some privacy. It is a somewhat isolated site. They have many sites that are buddy sites to others. Would be a great experience with a group utilizing the buddy sites. The bathhouse on site in clean and pretty nice & not a far walk from any site

Stayed for one night here but loved it. Had tent site 2 and there was plenty of room for multiple people and multiple tents. Charge is very reasonable and there is a military discount. The campgrounds is very well maintained and out together. Management is very kind and resourceful. We loved our stay.

Several RV sites located right on Beautiful New River. Tent camping also available. Bring your fishing pole for some great catch and release fishing, or rent a inner tub or canoe and float down River to a shuttle bus that brings you back to the campgrounds. One of my all time favorite places to camp and fish.

Summerville Lake is surrounded by cliffs topped by trees. Perfect for exploring by boat. Lots of wildlife, nice beach. Tent sites spaced well, privacy varies site to site. Some sites are at the edge of the lake so you can dock your boat just 10 feet from your tent. Get reservations in summer but not very busy late spring.

Dixie Caverns is a privately owned campground, slash tourist site ( dixiecaverns.com ) located at the outskirts of Salem, VA.

Warning: In the website, they do state the campground is "directly off I-81," and it is. The fact is, you are surrounded on three sides by roadway...and the actual Dixie Cavern is at the base of a mountain, so all the road traffic is above the campground and the noise reverberates off the mountain and surrounding walls 24/7. Trust me when I say, semi-truck noise is loud during the twilight hours when the din of the day has disappeared.

We spent two different multiple-day stays at Dixie Caverns in the Spring, partly out of necessity and partly because of its close proximity to a desired venue in Salem. So I can attest to the traffic noise never letting up.

The Positive: Dixie Caverns Campground serves a need...a campground close to Salem. The next closest campground is an hour's drive and in heavy traffic...longer. It is also one of the closest campgrounds to several of Virginia's most popular hiking trails (AT) and scenic overlooks (Dragon's Tooth, Tinker Cliffs, etc). So people will use this as a "base camp" of sorts.

The personnel that run the Dixie Cavern Gift Shop, are also those you see to pay for a camping site...and I found them very friendly and helpful.

If you are visiting there to tour the Dixie Caverns...you are a hundred feet away from the mountain doorway.

The campground is tiny, as in footprint, but they have carved out a number of RV/Camper sites along the mountain base and the inner loops...and during our stays very few openings were observed. Water, electric and cable is provided at each of those pull-through sites. They are of adequate size for the largest of RV's, but they are side-by-side the length of the loop. No vegetation exists between or on those sides but some grass and some spaced large trees. Perhaps the RV/Camper clan camp there out of necessity and convenience too. Though there is a limit on the days of your stay, it appears that some are exempt from this rule. Some campers are permanent fixtures...others that were not, were still in the same location from the first visit to the next visit 30 days later. Several employees live full-time on site.

Tent camping is in the grass along the creek that runs down to the Roanoke River across the roadway. During the heavy rains we received, I had concerns that this raging creek would overflow its banks, but it did not. Trash was visible washed along its banks. The sites are marked only by a picnic table and rock fire ring...no other designation, so you chose a side of the fire ring to pitch your tent. Even with the heavy rains, I did not notice low, soggy areas. There is several large hardwood trees that provide a nice canopy, but no foliage between tenting areas...so the entire campground is line of sight. I believe there were only six tent sites (technically), but overflow tent sites are also along the grassy field across from the Gift Shop. Important note: If you are considering a good night's sleep in a tent (not sure of the sound dampening qualities of RV/Campers), ear-plugs are a must!

The showerhouse/restroom are located at the beginning of the campground, which is just the other side of the day use picnic area and the Gift Shop/Attraction parking lot. The doors are locked 24/7 and only campers receive the "push-button" door code (which the code did not change from both visits...not a secure safety protocol). The showerhouse/restroom has running water, flush toilets and several showers, and an electric outlet. It shows its age and looks like a heavily used campground facility. For tent campers, its the only potable water source.

There is both cell service and free wifi...which is amazing! I can count on my one finger how many campgrounds in W.VA and VA that had cell service.

The Negative: You must leave the campground for anything you'd like to do, other than the Caverns...and sitting in your camp chair.

There are no trails or other amenities...and the trails closeby...are still a 20-30 minutes drive on a good day.

Whether or not tenters are in the tent area, this is the dog walking area. They are required to pick up...but it is aggravating...because if it doesn't pour, the smell remains.

Did I mention the truck traffic noise? The overall condition of Dixie Caverns appears dated, a bit run-down, and dirty.

Would I stay there again? Odds are I will spend one more collegiate softball post season and World Series staying at Dixie Caverns Campground next spring, purely out of convenience and necessity.

We stayed in their tent camping site, and there were plenty fire pits and picnic tables, but it was a little unclear where the sites started and ended. Spectacular views, lots of wildlife, but the shower facilities had temperature problems. They offer a lot of activities if you want to have guided tours and are really close to numerous hiking trails you can do on your own.

Overall the campground (tent camping) was very private and clean. The restroom & shower facilities were easily within walking distance. The facilities could use a deep clean but overall were fine. The only issue was the late check in (5pm) which caused vehicles to backup at the entrance. The lake is very nice and the New River Gorge and rafting is 20 minutes away.

The staff were very friendly! The campsite was perfect! Having the river view and access was beyond great! We really did not have any issues with the site itself! We got super lucky because we were the only people to use the provided bathroom as we were the only people tent camping. So that was super nice! Disclaimer- There we’re about 8 trains that passed through on our first night which led us to not sleeping well! So bring ear plugs! Happy camping!

We didn't have reservations but the manager told us to text him when we arrived after hours Charge was per person not per site, but reasonable at $15. This seams to be common practice in the area. No electric or water at site but bathhouse with showers. Mostly tent sites in wooded area Our visit was the first full weekend I. November and many other campgrounds were closed for the winter.