Gooney Creek Campground
New owners
New owners just bought this place. There are upgrades and cleaning needed, but owner was friendly and helpful. Creek and trail is gorgeous. Highway can be loud at times. Surrounding town gorgeous and dog friendly.
The terrain surrounding Burlington, West Virginia accommodates various camping styles across several campground options within driving distance. Middle Ridge Campground near Romney provides full hookup sites in wooded settings, along with cabin accommodations and tent camping opportunities. Wapocoma Campground offers riverfront access with both tent and RV sites along the South Branch of the Potomac River. The region's mixed-use campgrounds typically feature amenities ranging from primitive tent sites to developed RV spaces with electric, water, and sewer connections, while some properties like Barnum Whitewater Area provide cabin options for those seeking more sheltered accommodations.
The mountainous topography influences accessibility throughout the camping season, with many campgrounds operating from April through October. Road conditions vary considerably when traveling to more remote locations, particularly Middle Ridge Campground which requires navigating steep, winding mountain roads to reach its hilltop setting. "The campground itself is gravel roads that were pretty tight getting in and out of and fairly steep with trees on all sides. Made it in and out with no issue taking it slow, but not sure I would try anything longer than about 36' fifth wheel or 34' travel trailer," noted one visitor regarding Middle Ridge. Several campgrounds in the Romney area maintain year-round availability, though amenities may be limited during winter months when temperatures can drop significantly and snowfall may impact road access.
Riverside camping represents a significant draw in the region, with locations like Wapocoma Campground offering direct access to the South Branch of the Potomac River. Campers report high satisfaction with waterfront sites that facilitate fishing, kayaking, and swimming opportunities. According to one visitor at Wapocoma, "It is right on the river for swimming, kayaking, and fishing. There is a playground for the kids and bring the bikes for them to ride around the campground." Most developed campgrounds provide clean bathroom facilities, picnic tables, and fire rings at each site, though amenities vary between properties. Cell phone reception can be spotty throughout the area, particularly at Middle Ridge Campground where visitors note limited connectivity across major carriers. The wooded settings common to many campgrounds in the region provide ample shade and privacy between campsites, creating a peaceful atmosphere appreciated by visitors seeking a quiet retreat.
"It is not near a main highway unless you call Route 50 through Romney a main highway. It is west of town up a curved mountain road. It is on the top area of "Middle Ridge" mountain. "
"Very positive experience."
"The only thing I didn’t like was there was no privacy when you exited the shower, just a large common changing area but we made the best of it."
"There is a playground for the kids and bring the bikes for them to ride around the campground. It is a nice family campground. It's close to the town of Augusta for supplies or extra groceries."
$22 - $60 / night
"General: Smallish (68 sites) campground near Jennings Randolph Lake, which is not directly accessible from the campground (you need to drive there)."
"Drinking water right next to the site (37) as well as a trail to a restroom - I think there's a shower on the other loop/section. 22 for a basic (non-electric) tent site."
$23 - $29 / night
"We stayed in cabin 170 in Fir loop and the site was incredibly spacious, heavily shaded, close to the bath house, path to the beach, and well distanced from other sites."
"Our friends were in the site next to us (17) which was also nice and there was a wide walking path between them. Family also stayed in one of the rental cabins (21)."
"This was a beautiful state forest, with two state parks sort of bordering it (Big Run & New Germany). The roads were all paved which was nice."
"It was a good sized site with a nice fire circle. my favorite part was how private it was, each campsite was 50-100ft away from each other at least. Mine was probably 100yrds."
$35 / night
"Me and a small group of friends stayed here for a weekend and we had a blast it was so peaceful we where right next to the river and had some great trails too hike on."
"Great stay at a well located spot. Beautiful and quiet. Don was very helpful with any request that we had. Would return again. Thanks Don."
$10 - $30 / night
"Had my wedding 2022 at Jennings picnic area and then after that spent the whole weekend away from everyone and everything!"
$21 - $65 / night
"Camp site(Tent camping) Camp site was pretty small and close to each other. The forest where the camp site was situated was beautiful."
"Lots of touristy things around the lake, then you drive by lots of vacation homes on the lakeshore and then you pull into the camp and you feel like you are miles away from all that stuff."












New owners just bought this place. There are upgrades and cleaning needed, but owner was friendly and helpful. Creek and trail is gorgeous. Highway can be loud at times. Surrounding town gorgeous and dog friendly.
The lots are very tight and the manager is not friendly. Make sure to read all the rules. No one can visit you unless they pay 10$ to come onsite and I am not talking about spending the night just visiting. There are other campgrounds in the area such as Watermelon RV Park that are more welcoming.
I want to preface by saying that I believe this is a fairly nice and accommodating campground, it just missed the mark on some of my personal preferences this time around.
I had a two night trip the opening weekend at the Elm Loop, site 118. I actually came to this campground amidst a wind advisory, will definitely not make that mistake again because it was a beast. The grounds were easy to navigate even during the night. Putting up the tent was a bit frustrating as the tent pad was very rocky and it was difficult to get the pegs into the ground.
One of my biggest qualms was that I arrived expecting to be able to buy firewood from the camp store, especially since the provided flyers and maps listed the store being open until 9pm. I got to the store only to find out that it had been shut down last year. A bit disappointing as we couldn’t have a fire that night, would’ve been nice to know ahead of time. Thankfully firewood was available the next day but at the registration office at the entrance of the park. Not sure if they plan on opening the store again, but just be aware if you do plan to go and are expecting it to be open.
Other than that, it’s a well versed site. Plenty for any group to do. I went fishing towards the dam while the other half of my group hiked the lake trail. Bathrooms were available and in usable condition. Sites are a good distance apart, the ones along the lake are pretty. Not sure if I’d return again but it was a nice to try.
TLDR: this is a horrible campsite in a horrible campground. You should reserve somewhere else and leave it open for me. ;-)
My family has a wide variety of preferences. My husband is a water guy. I'm a mountain girl. My kids want a paved campground road so they can scooter and a nearby playground. This place is all of those things - a mountain lake with paved roads and heavy on amenities.
We stayed in site 11, which has a direct path to the lake-loop trail, which is also a straight shot to the beach/playground. We were there in March, so we weren't swimming/boating, but in the summer this would be a prime spot for those reasons too. It's a liiittle far from the bath house. But we RV, so it's not a huge deal. It had a great view of lake and mountains (though once the leaves come in, probably less so).
Sites are nice and private, well spaced. The fire pit was nice and deep, which was slightly inconvenient, but is probably intended to combat the mountain winds. The campground store and other peak season amenities were closed, so I can't speak to those, but it looked like they had very nice facilities. The playground was really nice. (We didn't go onto resort/casino property)
Nice private site outside of Berkeley Springs!
Great private campground right on the river! The camper spots are across the road from the river and next time we will reserve a camper spot and a tent spot right on the water!
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
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.
One of the advantages of this particular campground is that it's not far from the town of Elkins, so you can go back into town if you don't feel like campsite cooking— lots of good restaurants and entertainment opportunities in Elkins.
While this is truly primitive camping, you are not so primitive that you need to dig a hole to go to the bathroom— they do have porta-potty's. It's also noteworthy that this is likely not available year-round. The road becomes impassable in winter when there is a lot of snow, and they start maintaining it, often even blocking the road with gates during the winter. Understandable but unfortunate, since it is beautiful added is not always snowing even in winter, right?
The campground is not free but also not very expensive. I think the senior citizens price is under five dollars, or at least it was when I camped there a couple years ago(2023). The sites themselves are first-come first-served, the kind of camping ground where you simply go back up to the entranceway to fill out a form and state where you are and make the payment in a box. While the campground is at a fairly high altitude, most of the sites don't have expansive views, and I think only a couple of the sites even have an expansive view down below. But that's okay if you are into wooded views, because there's plenty of that all around, and even a small rock climbing area for you and your kids to scramble on the rocks.
Camping opportunities near Burlington, West Virginia extend beyond developed campgrounds to include more secluded options across the region's mountainous terrain. The area sits at elevations ranging from 700 to 2,000 feet, creating varied camping experiences with temperature differences of 5-10 degrees between valley and ridge locations. Several campgrounds remain open year-round, though winter campers should prepare for overnight temperatures frequently dropping below freezing.
Fishing access points: The South Branch of the Potomac River offers multiple fishing spots from Wapocoma Campground. "Right on the river for swimming, kayaking, and fishing. There is a playground for the kids and bring the bikes for them to ride around the campground," notes camper Erica M. The river provides smallmouth bass and trout fishing opportunities.
Wildlife viewing: Several campsite areas report regular wildlife sightings, particularly deer, which are abundant throughout the region. At Deep Creek Lake, campers report: "We saw many deer but not a single bear, keeping our zero bear sightings record intact," despite the presence of bear boxes at each site.
Winter camping options: Unlike many seasonal operations, several campgrounds near Burlington maintain year-round availability. Middle Ridge Campground operates throughout winter, with one visitor noting, "We absolutely loved this place and will definitely be back. Seeing the equine daily was a huge plus; they were super sweet and funny. The owners were so helpful and friendly."
Spacious wooded sites: Many campers appreciate the privacy offered at certain campgrounds. "The sites are actually in a wooded area not just a big field. Each site has full hookups. We will definitely return," reports Aaron J. about Middle Ridge. Another camper adds, "Large campsites with good spacing between guests, which makes your site feel private."
Unique animal interactions: Robert W. Craig - Jennings Randolph Lake and other area campgrounds offer family-friendly activities beyond typical camping. "I was surprised by a Christmas in July event where there was activities for the kids and a campsite holiday decoration contest. Santa even made an appearance," shares one visitor at Jennings Randolph Lake.
River recreation: The South Branch Potomac River provides swimming and paddling options at multiple access points. One camper at Wapocoma describes the experience: "Plenty of room for Big 5th wheels the lower sights are a little close but nothing terrible. People are very friendly. You can float the river from old fields right to your camp!"
Limited cell service: Most campgrounds in the area have spotty to non-existent cell coverage. Savage River State Forest is particularly remote, with one visitor noting, "We had no cell service at all for most of the area." Plan communications accordingly.
Primitive camping options: For those seeking more secluded experiences, primitive camping is available at several locations. "If you want a good primitive camping experience this place is great. Only $10 a night and you're supposed to only have 2 cars and 6 people at a single site but the rangers don't really care much as long as you're not causing trouble," reports a Savage River camper.
Site selection variability: Campsite quality varies significantly even within individual campgrounds. "The sites are very spread out, and not very consistent in size/quality. We were able to nab site 112 and it was fantastic: lots of space, and privacy too. It was next to a road, but one with very little traffic. However, we drove past some sites that looked sad and offering no seclusion," warns one visitor to Savage River State Forest.
Family-friendly water access: Barnum Whitewater Area provides both camping and cabin options along with water recreation. "Had my wedding 2022 at Jennings picnic area and then after that spent the whole weekend away from everyone and everything! Peaceful in September," shares one visitor about the adjacent Barnum area.
Budget-friendly options: Several campgrounds offer economical rates for family camping trips. "Barnum has multiple ways for you to enjoy your stay. Primitive campsites are $10 a night. Small cabins are $35 a night, with larger cabins going at $56 a night. There is electricity in the cabins," notes Frank G.
Swimming areas: Several campgrounds feature designated swimming areas that provide safer water access for children. "The central bath house was reasonably clean with three or four shower stalls per side. The campground has a large river frontage with a gravel beach," describes one visitor at Wapocoma.
Site access challenges: Some campgrounds require careful navigation for larger rigs. Many RVers recommend checking road conditions before arrival. At Rocky Gap State Park Campground, one visitor mentions: "I really like that there are trails from the camp loops to the beach. The bathhouses are always clean and well stocked. The camp sites are tucked into the woods with plenty of room for camping."
Seasonal considerations: Most RV campgrounds in the area operate seasonally from April through October. The Great Escape of Romney stays open longer with full hookups, though winter campers should prepare for potential road access issues when snow accumulates.
Hookup availability: Water and electric hookups vary widely between campgrounds. Rocky Gap offers electric only, while Middle Ridge provides full hookups. "The sites are large but muddy; not very good drainage. The bathhouse was nice and clean," notes one RVer about regional conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Burlington, WV?
According to TheDyrt.com, Burlington, WV offers a wide range of camping options, with 168 campgrounds and RV parks near Burlington, WV and 18 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Burlington, WV?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Burlington, WV is Middle Ridge Campground with a 4.8-star rating from 24 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Burlington, WV?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 18 free dispersed camping spots near Burlington, WV.
What parks are near Burlington, WV?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 22 parks near Burlington, WV that allow camping, notably Jennings Randolph Lake and Youghiogheny River Lake.
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