Best RV Parks & Resorts near Ripley, WV

I can’t speak for what this is like when there are more people here. But, it’s after the fair, and we are parked in a large open field with numerous full hook up sites. We picked Site 117, which was fairly flat (one block to level). Bath house is typical fair bath house. This type of overnighting suits our lifestyle when we want a quick overnight with full hook ups.

The campground was very quiet and peaceful. My 25 year old son was the youngest person there, except for 2 hours when 1 year old came to visit his grandparents. Most of the campers are there long term and were gone for the time we were there. We only saw people in about 10 of the campsites. The grass was beautifully cut and maintained. We had a pull thru site by the lake, it had to be about 100 yards long and nicely graveled. There are three small bathrooms around the grounds, that are single use rooms (sink, toilet and shower) one for women and one for men. If someone was using shower, no one else could use bathroom. They were clean but it seems they don’t get used very often by the long term campers. They were VERY musty. My wife would not go in them. The big multiple use bathroom by the entrance was much better and air was fresher. The office people were very nice and drove a golf cart to show us where our campsite was. We would stay there again, but still confused why there were so many trailers and so few people.

Just a big campground with full hook up.

Limited full hook ups. Newer, clean shower houses & bathrooms

We have stayed here a couple of times in a tent and a class a motor home.  

The campground is pretty secluded but beautiful rolling hills.    While the site we stayed in with the motorhome was fairly level, sites are mostly small and tight on hilly terrain.  That said, I would still recommend this as a nice weekend getaway 

One of our visits was during hunting season and both the campground and the cabins were mostly being used by hunting parties. 

This is also close enough in proximately to serve as an alternative camping area for visiting Hocking Hills

As with any trip, do your research, read your reviews, peruse Google Satellite maps and talk to locals when you can.

Mountwood County Park http://www.mountwoodpark.org/about.html is located about 15 minutes east of Parkersburg on Rt 50. Heading east on Rt 50 from Parkersburg, WV you will arrive at Mountwood County Park on the right...but the campground portion is a mile further east on the left side of the road. Both are marked by road signage...but most would assume they are all in one location.

If you bring your quads, dirt bikes or mountain bikes with you when you camp, then Mountwood County Park is for you. Right off the back of Mountwood are plenty of ATV trails to keep you busy during your stay. If bombing mountain bike trails is your thing, then across the highway from the campground is your dream. If relaxing in a serene mountain or river valley campground atmosphere is what you desire...keep driving east on Rt 50 another 20 minutes to North Bend State Park.

The primitive tent sites ($20 nightly) are less than desirable and more of an afterthought...and I'm being gracious. There is patchy tall grass, dirt and rocks with no leveled areas. And you have to wander a distance to the restroom/showerhouse when needed. You can rent the tiny cabins ($40 nightly) up on the top of the hill if you desire. They were rented and filled during my visit, surrounded with trailers filled with quads (not a bad thing, just not what I was expecting). One of the main ATV offroad trail entrances is a hundred yards or so past the primitive tent sites so anticipate traffic and some noise. There were a few electric/water sites available for RV/Campers but the majority of them were filled.

It does appear that that there are several "long term campers" at numerous sites, as wooden steps and decks are built and attached to the campers. I would not describe the campground as neat and tidy, but fills a need.

The other portion of the county park lies across Rt 50 about 1/2 mile east. This is where you will find a nice 50 acre lake...shaped like a "T" on its side... for short paddles or fishing (no swimming permitted), a solid collection of varied ability MTB trails and a cool, little local WV Oil history museum. Being a bit of a history buff, I was fascinated by the museum...how the local town was created during the oil boon and then destroyed by fire...of an enormous wilderness mansion that sat where the campground now sits. Interesting stuff.

There is a nice dog park if you brought your pooch. Several picnic areas with picnic shelters, playgrounds, and decent shared hiking trails.

As stated, if your main purpose is to MTB or ATV, then you might be contented with Mountwood County Park Campground. As county parks go, Mountwood County Park, itself, is nice and has a lot to offer. If quiet camping is your objective, I would recommend NorthBend State Park just down the road a piece.

Very nice place. Need more water hookups for RVs. Too many golf carts riding around.

Small privately owned campground about 15 min off I-77. We stopped for an overnight on our way north. Right on the Ohio River. Tight spots, but pretty level. The owner, Max, is amazing. He met us with a welcome packet in a reusable bag. He has so much info on where to eat and what to see in the surrounding areas. The guy bends over backwards for his guests. Did I mention we're right on the Ohio River with full hookup for $25 a night?! Full hookup alone is worth more than 25 bucks. Cash or Check only.

It's rare to find free RV camping, especially sites with 30 AMP electric hook-ups!  The City of Saint Albans has a roadside park with three RV sites where you can camp for 2-days max in a 14-day period.  The sites are first-come, first-serve, with donations encouraged.  Sorry, no tent camping....

Each RV site has electricity, a picnic table, and a trash can.  There's a sewer dump site nearby with drinking water available.  The public park restrooms offer flush toilets, but no showers.  There's a nice picnic shelter and a huge playground with some handicap-accessible swings.  A shopping center is directly across the street with a grocery store and other amenities.

This park also has a public boat ramp which is part of the Port of St. Albans.  The ramp gives you direct access to the Kanawha River which is primarily used by coal barges, speed boats and vintage paddle wheelers.  For kayakers like me, you should bare left at  the bottom of the ramp and head toward the Coal River where you can enjoy a nice, peaceful paddle without the fear of being swamped or crushed.  BTW, St. Albans is home to the annual Yak Fest, mid-June, where participants in the Tour de Coal gather to enjoy live music and local eats after a 12-mile float.

A little historic trivia.  George Washington owned 2,000 acres in the Kanawha Valley, including what is now the City of Saint Albans.

The main drawback to this roadside park is that it's butted up to MacCorkle Avenue, which is a busy roadway, so I'd describe this as urban RV camping.  On the plus side, you're 15-minutes from the capital city of Charleston, WV, which is worth a visit to see the beautiful gold-domed capitol and WV State Museum.

Real busy on weekends. We were here in june in a travel trailer. Not many level sites. We had to buy an extension cord 30amp to reach level spot. Bath house was close but closed and 11/2 mile to dirty front one. Dumpsters still overflowing on tues. Staff not real friendly

Being only 5 hours from southern Indiana makes this spot a long weekend favorite. The camp store is always well stocked and the snack bar is a treat for ice cream. Buy firewood from the locals on the road outside of the park on your way in. The lake is huge and boat rental is reasonable and relaxing. Pick a spot in one of the Cove camping areas or go full hookup.

I love this state park because of the lake, beach, boat rentals, old growth forest and nearby Hocking Hills. However, most of the campsites are on a slope. Like, a steep slope. I'd recommend visiting the campground before you book to get a level site. Some areas are more level than others. Bathrooms are a bit old, but it's better than not having any showerhouses at all, am I right?

July 4th 2017 FMC Sportsmans Club camping trip

Campground Review FMC Sportsman's club is a private membership club. It's a very family friendly campground that boasts a decent size pool and playground. You have opportunities to hike and four wheeler ride in the woods. We Stayed on a temporary tent site right beside the bigger lake on the property. There are three lakes total. You can fish 2 out of the 3, the other is a brood pond set up to allow the fish to grow bigger. This is a place that my family goes to often because it is close to home, convenient and helps us get outdoors when we don't have time for a big trip somewhere. There is a shower house on site, and during the daytime hours when the pool is open you can use the pool house showers for bathing. The tent sites offer electric hookups, while all the other sites offer full hookups for popups or 5th wheel campers. There is plenty of wildlife around the property. You will hear and see many bullfrogs as you camp beside the lake. You will see deer roaming the hillsides and find turtles roaming the area. All in all this place is a nice setup for families with kids that want have somewhere to go every weekend in between bigger camp trips.

Gear Review As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - today I am testing a Home front field strip knife from CRKT. Check out the website here - https://www.crkt.com/ (View video)

North Bend State Park is about 10 miles south on Rt 16 off of Rt 50...east of Parkersburg, WV.

When you slowly wind your way along twisty backcountry roads, through a small town, you'll ultimately find yourself entering North Bend State Park.

Immediately to the right is Cokely Campground. Initially, you don't see it...you must drive up and over a roller. At the top of the hill, you observe a handful of picnic tables and fire rings, a porta-potty and a small woodshed with a water spigot alongside. Very little delineation from site to site and more of a mown field. Only the top two locations are the only quasi-level sites along a narrow tree line. No electric. These sites are $16 nightly.

Traveling over the hill and turning to the right you see the main Cokely Campground with newer showerhouse/restroom building and playground. Campsites are blacktop with water and electric, apparently for large RV/Campers. These sites are $28 nightly.

If you were to bypass the RV/Camper location, you would continue down the side road to the boat ramp and lake.

The grounds and restrooms were clean, maincured and well maintained. Midweek the RV sites were already filled.

We decided against Cokely Campground and returned to the main park road deeper into the State Park to River Run Campground.

You pass the Lodge/Restaurant and the huge "L" shaped outdoor pool on your right as you descend (Note: the pool is seasonal and with college aga lifeguards that exit for school early, it was closed mid-August).

Winding down to River Run, deer in abundance were lining the the roadway, so use care. River Run Campground runs along a river...imagine that!

Tent sites are situated between the roadway and the river on the left...then additional tent sites are around a small half acre pond on the right. Most the roadside tent sites are level, but sit at a lower level, so when it rains (and it does in WV)...it gets soggy. No visible distinction or foliage between tent sites. One porta-potty sits at the crossroads across from the office.

Saturday it was quiet with only one other tent camper, but rain was forecasted...although a pumphouse, located at the entrance to River Run, kicks on periodically with a low, annoying droning. Being at site 45, it was quite noticeable, as I imagine with all sites in the 40's. The tent specific sites are non-electric with central water spigots ($22 nightly). As you pass the tent sites and the office, you enter a loop of paved RV/Camper sites with blacktop drives, water and electric ($28 nightly). The Showerhouse/restrooms are located in the center of this area...and are very clean and maintained. The coveted RV/Camper sites are along the bank of the river and offer more distance between neighbors. On the inner ring, a split rail fence separates neighbors.

While the sun didn't shine during our visit, it appears the thick forest canopy keeps all river sites shaded. The grounds and facilities are neat at clean.

All the trails bisect this campground, some foot only, others multipurpose. River Run also has a nice playground for the kids. Trails have difficulty drying out, so rocks and roots were muddy and slick, but still enjoyable.

Note: Mountainbike races are often held here, so campgrounds can get crazy and packed. Additionally, because of the pool, this is a very busy campground. Be forewarned that the pool is 58 steps up from the parking lot to the pool area.

There were a lot of trails I did not get to travel, and I'll bring my bike next time for the Rails-to-Trail. Nice but popular campground,

My family and I love this campground and usually camp here a few times a year. There are always plenty of great spaces, we have never stayed at a spot that we didn't like. Spots are a good size and clean. The spots on the lake are our favorites, but are usually first to fill up. You won't be far from the lake wherever your spot is. The full hookup spots are in my opinion most crowded. I prefer the sites as you drive further into the park. Great for bike riding and lake activities. The land is flat and there are plenty of low traffic areas to ride. Boat rental fees are reasonable, you can travel to the marina for some boats but paddle boats and canoe rentals are within walking distance of your site. Some hiking is available also. The bathrooms are almost always clean and I have rarely had to wait for a shower. Pool is a decent size and discounted for campers. The camp store is usually well stocked with essentials that you don't want to go into town for, but town isn't so far away that it is impossible to get to anything. There is also a game room and a nice restroom in the lodge. Riding bikes here and hanging out on the edge of the lake is our favorite thing to do here though. They also have lots of organized activities for families.

The Nelsonville Music and Arts Festival is one of my favorite summer festivals of all time. It is usually the first week of June. NMF is big enough to have some great artists play (Ween, the Avett Brothers, Mac Demarco, the Flaming Lips, Twin Peaks, and many more!) but small enough that it isn’t too crowded and most of the people there are friends or acquaintances. The campground for the fest is just outside of the music festival. You can drive in and purchase a camping pass, then drive to a spot, park your vehicle, and set up your tent right next to it. The area is broken into cool “streets” with unique street names. There are also camper and RV spots available. You can purchase firewood and ice on site. Alcohol is allowed in the camping area, but not on the road or parking lot. Outside alcohol is also not allowed in the festival. If it has been rainy the campsites and dirt roads can get muddy - turning the area officially into Mudville. The best sites are those along a road in the forested area however. During hot years the trees provide shade which helps keep it cool. They also protect from rain. There is always a stage set up in the campsite area on the “rowdy” side of the campgrounds. This stage hosts late night bands and DJs! It’s always a fun time.

The park is nice but in bad need of updating. Outhouses are not appealing and sometimes the lake swimming area is closed due to bacteria from leeching. Most sites are not level. They do have electric though. Water hookup is unavailable but they have a place to fill tanks on each drinking fountain. The staff are nice and you never see them after check in. The lake is now motor accessible with no wake..idle only.

The website advertises electrical hookups but it fails to mention that some sites on the premises are only 50 amp hookups and not 30 amp and 50 amp. I pull into the campground only to find that there are 50 amp hookups and I have a 30 amp cable. The site should at least say what amperage the site is that you are reserving.