Best Dog-Friendly Camping near St. Marys, WV

Only stayed for a night but it was very quiet and only a handful of other campers. All the sites seemed relatively level. Some of the electric hookups had damage but being able to choose your spot upon arrival helped. We arrived in pouring rain and had no issues with our campsite when we could see it in the morning lol.

Bathrooms and showers were relatively clean and accommodating.

Seemed a lot like a hidden gem and I definitely recommend. Especially if you have a dog. Across the street, the park portion of this campground has a dog park, playground, historical site and pond for fishing

FYI . Most of the sites seemed small so it might be best for smaller setups. Also I did not see any pull through sites.

This campground is currently closed but hopefully opening in a couple of weeks. We were camping there as volunteers with the Buckeye Trail Association to assist with trail cleanup. The Buckeye Trail is easily accessible from the campground for hiking.

The campground has a beautiful lake you fish or kayak on and there are a ton of birds so bring your binoculars.

Some sites have good shade and some have absolutely none. There is no electric so come ready to boondock or bring a generator. There are sites on the hill or right next to the lake. There are water pumps and drop toilets which were semi clean.

It’s free to camp and first come first serve. You do have to have a permit which can be downloaded from the web. You do have to register and there is a camp host.

Wood is not provided and there are no rings but spots for your fire. Be smart, keep an eye on it. Picnic benches are at each site, some better than others. Each side also has its own trash can.

It is pet friendly, keep em on their leash. Some sites have more space than others if you want to keep your dog on a lead.

We lucked out with cool weather so not having 100% shade was fine with us this weekend.

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.

This is part of the Wayne National Forest and a section of the Buckeye Trail. It is a great area for backpacking as camping is free and allowed anywhere along the trail, see the web site for limitations. "Small, open fires are permitted except during extremely high fire danger. Fire rings should be used when available. Make sure all campfires are extinguished before vacating the campsite."~Wayne National web site. Water can be difficult, there are streams but you should pack in any that you need. I took my daughters on a backpacking trip here in August 2016. It is a great area, but there were lots of dead trees/widowmakers, so be careful where you pitch your tent. Pets are allowed but must be on a 6 foot leash. Many other hiking, camping and other outdoor activities are close by.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/wayne/recarea/?recid=6228

We arrived on a Sunday and no one was there for us to check in with, which we found odd. Our next stop was the dump station to make sure there was running water and to our surprise, there wasn't. The only way to fill up with water was a hose bibb on the Ranger office at the front gate. The campground is perfectly set up though for people wanting more quiet neighbors down on the lake, it's more cramped in the electric sites and the shower houses could use some updating, especially with ADA regulations. Alot of local traffic like to drive down to the lake sites and go fishing if they're unoccupied, which makes for awkward stares at times. The park has great views, wonderful for kayaking, great for pets, birding, fishing and about 7 beaver dens and 1 very cool beaver dam. I definitely recommend this park for nature lovers and true state park supporters. I only give it a 4/5 because of the water supply not being open for use.