The best DISPERSED camping near
Santiago , WEST VIRGINIA

Site Details: We stayed on site#40 in the Garrett Loop. It is one of only three FHU sites in this loop(the rest are primitive tent sites). The site was level, spacious, beautifully shaded, and convenient to the bath house. In fact, almost every site on the inside of the loop had its own little direct pathway to the bath house. The camping loop in general was beautiful, quiet and heavily forested. I don’t think there was a bad site in the whole loop. 

Facilities/Overall Park: This park very quickly rose to the top of our list of MD state parks. The trails to the namesake falls are beautiful and very family-friendly, with lots of helpful signage. However, the parking lots and trailheads were PACKED on the weekend, so if you’re a day tripper, get there early! The bath house was meh, but it didn’t matter much to us since we had hookups.

Surrounding Area/Attractions: The neighboring sister park, Herrington Manor, has full-service deluxe cabins and a nice swimming beach. Also, be sure to hit the nearby Rock Maze trail, especially if you have kids. Swallow Falls is also very convenient to the Deep Creek area, with all the touristy things of a lakeside resort town. Check out Lakeside Creamery for some awesome ice cream! 

Overall, this was a gorgeous, well-maintained park, with plenty to keep us busy in the park and surrounding area. We already have a return trip booked for next year!

This is my absolutely favorite go-to weekend exploration spot. She never looks the same, and every season has a new vista to offer

We enjoyed our stay. Lot of trails within the park. Most sites had no privacy but we didn't see it as an issue for us. We got lucky and had an almost dead level site but there are some tricky sites there so choose your site carefully. The roads within the campground are narrow and the sites, which are asphalt, are pretty narrow as well, maybe 10'. There was a 5th wheel across the road from us in a drive through that gave up, they just couldn't get level. Don't know where they went. Every morning and evening there were a number of deer roaming through the park. The bath houses are old but clean. Since there was no wi-fi and sad cell service we went to the lodge and use their wi-fi to download some youtube videos to watch a night.  Everyone knows about Blackwater Falls but just outside of Thomas there is a Douglas Falls that's becoming more popular as word spreads.

The McCollum Campground at Coopers Rock State Forest is a great place to stay. The sites are nicely spaced apart, the camp staff is helpful, and the showers are very clean. The camp Wi-Fi isn't the best but we did have cell service with Consumer Cellular (AT&T Towers) and were able to work while we camped. The campground is only a short drive to the scenic overlook but if you're feeling adventurous you can take a hike. There is a playground for the kids and plenty of room for them to play. My only complaint is the firewood available to purchase. It's a small bundle for the price.

Big spaces to camp, private and spacious

Just stayed here for one night with our 5th wheel when traveling home. I wasn’t too impressed. I thought it was expensive. The site was difficult to back into because everything was so narrow. I like to have a little bit of space when camping, but there were tent campers all around us. My surgeguard shut off the power in the evening due to high voltage. It was showing 137 volts at one time. I was not impressed and most likely won’t be back.

Far enough away from the next campsite to enjoy peace and seclusion. Next to a crik for those nighttime lullabies

Terrific owners, super attentive, and personal. They take the time to chat with just about everyone who visits their property. They are relentless on maintenance and have about 60 acres to mow and care for. The store onsite has just about anything you could need for your stay including firewood. The river is fantastic and holds trout and smallmouth for those that like to fish. A popular spot on the weekends and gets busy with all types of travelers from class A super rigs to very modest trailers. Ended up staying 2 weeks as the wifi service is the best we have had on the road. The majority of the site is level and grass. I will be back for the bluegrass festival in August (Pickin in Parsons).

Camped here this weekend. We were in a non-electric tent site. There were four of us with two tents and we reserved two sites because their website says they restrict the sites to one tent unless you’re a family then you can have two. Well they don’t really stick to this because the site next to us had seven tents spread across two sites. Walking around we saw several other sites with three and four tents. Besides that, though this was a great site. Wood and ice available for purchase. The bathhouse is a little old but not terrible. They cleaned it multiple times a day due to COVID. Plenty of great trails close to the campsite and the town of Davis nearby for some local eateries and shopping. We plan on returning!

This review reflect the campsite only, not the surrounding area or Dolly Sods, which is beautiful.

This is the most we have spent on a campsite anywhere ($50/night) and the worst. This is frustrating. The video is if site 3. You will notice the nonstop high-pitched whine in the background. It sounds like a leaf blower but is, in fact, a 24 hour a day pump that is working with the two large, rectangular, man made "ponds" directly behind the site, which I assume have something to do with septic. The ponds are surrounded by a tall chain linked fence with barbed wire on top, so this fence is what you see for you entire field of vision at the tent site. The picnic table and fire ring are down a hill and about 50' from the parking area. That could be overlooked, but there is no gravel pad and the picnic area is bare dirt so muddy in the morning. Thankfully it did not rain. Finally, the state employee here at the state park was not wearing a mask both times that we entered the recreation area to check in, but a few supplies, and then see if another spot was available. Just about everyone camping here is over 65 and West Virginia has a mask mandate. After 3 phone calls and 1 stop in at the lodge, we did get a phone call and one night was refunded back to us, which we did appreciate.