Best RV Parks & Resorts near Seneca Rocks, WV

July 10-19, 2020

As my wife and I were discussing my review, I asked her what could we point to to take away from a 5-star rating. Neither of us could think of a single thing.

This campground (RV Resort) is simply beautiful. Wooded, stone borders, stone walls, and stone fire pits at every site, plus full hookup at each site. They cater nicely to big rigs, offering numerous pull-through sites as well as back-in sites, as your need exists. Small rigs down to tent trailers camp here as well. There are only two restroom locations (same with the dumpsters; guests do not leave trash near their sites, guests are expected to take care of their own trash), but they are clean, well cared for, and odor free. Showers are the same.

Most sites are spaced enough to give some feeling of privacy, some are fairly close together. A few sites are nicely secluded for those of us that crave privacy. Staff was extremely pleasant and helpful, and include a “Camp host” for after hours problems. Because of Virginia restrictions due to the current COVID situation, as of this writing the pool and spacious game room are not open. Check with them if that is a gamechanger for you. Their cavern tour (discounted for guests at the RV park) was lovely. Marked well, lighted, relaxed. Our tour guide, Haley, was a sweetheart, taking time for the two little kids, and still giving the information older people like. Plenty of things to do nearby, including museums, Civil War Battlefields, shopping, and Skyline Drive (fantastic).

This is a quiet campground, with no street lights, and quiet hours from 11PM to 8AM. Definitely not a party campground, which totally endeared this place to us. Roads are gravel and can be a bit steep, 4-wheel drive is helpful.

We thoroughly loved our stay here, and assuming we are back this way, we don’t even plan on looking at other locations to stay. Can not praise this campground (RV Resort) enough.

If you're a fan of hiking and rock climbing at Seneca Rocks, Seneca Shadows is absolutely the best campground near this fantastic rock formation. 

It’s located in the Monongahela National Forest near the North Fork South Branch of the Potomac River with nearby peaks ranging from 1,000 feet to nearly 5,000 feet above sea level. Seneca Shadows campground offers a view of the famed Seneca Rocks and puts you within walking distance of the visitor’s center, hiking and climbing trails, plus the quaint town of Seneca Rocks where you buy gas, food and gifts. 

Make sure you visit Harper’s Old Country Store, a 4th generation family run business, operating since 1902. The visitor’s center has a nice collection of Native American artifacts and a cool video of the Army soldiers who trained here before WWII. 

Seneca Shadows Campground is a modern campground with paved parking, flush toilets, showers and an amphitheater. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring and lantern post. Seneca Shadows is part of a growing trend where a private concessionaire is a running a public camp-ground. I’m not a huge fan since it often mean higher fees, but I must say that the campground was spotless and well-run by a delightful couple who obviously enjoyed their summer job. 

Seneca Shadows Campground has three loops to chose from: 

The A& B Loops are for tents or RVs with no electric service. 

The C-Loop has electricity. 

There's also a group camping area and a "tent-only" camping area with walk-in sites from a nearby parking lot.

Spruce Knob and Dolly Sods are nearby and both deserve a spot on your outdoor adventure“bucket list” in West Virginia.

We recently stayed for a long weekend at the Outlanders campground after we received a referral from a friend and could not have been more happy with our stay.  The RV sites at this campground are very spaced out, you have a lot of room to each side of your RV.  The park and facilities were very clean.  They have a playground for the kids, fishing ponds, cabins, pet friendly with a dog park and they are located right along the Shenandoah river.  You can go tubing on the river but need to provide your own tubes.  The ride down the river from one end of the park to the other is around 30 minutes.  Also for all of the people attached to the internet like us we were able to have plenty of cell signal to hotspot and get internet.

There are a number of campgrounds in the Smoke Hole Canyon/Seneca Rocks area, but most of them are better suited to smaller rigs and tent campers. If you have a class A or are looking for something with full hookups, look no further. Located in the Smoke Hole Canyon resort area, not far from the caverns, this small campground offers 10 RV sites along the river. Picnic tables and fire rings available. Site are large and level, but close to one another and open. Dark sky and an open field for stargazing. There are cabins nearby, but no tents. No cell phone coverage.

Plenty to do in the immediate area, with the caverns, fishing, hiking, and climbing. Dolly Sods and Canaan Valley are also nearby.

Season is March to December.

I stayed here for a single night while I was exploring West Virginia, but I wish I had stayed longer. This is one of the most beautiful campgrounds I've ever seen.

The front section of Seneca Shadows isn't all that interesting. There are standard sites here with gravel pads, water, and electricity, good for trailers and RVs. The sites are of an average size and have plenty of shade and privacy.

There is also a large tent-only section at the back of the campground. This is where I stayed, and this is what made Seneca Shadows memorable. The tent section is a giant meadow with picnic tables and tent pads arranged around the edges. There is also a picnic shelter here. Parking is adjacent; expect to carry your gear a few hundred feet. Many of the sites have shade trees, and a few have shrubs for privacy, but nearly all have an incredible view of Seneca Rocks, a magnificent geological feature.

There are vault toilets located close to the tent section, but these didn't smell great so I avoided them. There are real bathrooms with flushing toilets, running water, and showers located just up the road. These were nice and clean when I visited.

I intend to return someday for a closer look at Seneca Rocks. This place is a destination, not just a stopover.

Canaan Valley has 3 loops of sites with hookups as well as a few primitive tent sites. There’s a centrally located bath house with flush toilets and hot showers. Many of the sites are pull-through with parking parallel to the loop road. I was on the last loop in a pull-through site and the main campsite area with picnic table and fire ring were several steps below the parking pad. I was here in April. When I made my reservations, I could only find a site for Friday night, so I went ahead and reserved it, but kept checking back. A few days prior to my arrival, a different site opened for the entire weekend. I couldn’t switch, but I went ahead and reserved the Saturday night at the newly open and then reached out via email to the resort. They were able to change my Friday night reservation to the same site so that I would not have to relocate in the middle of my stay. 

The Canaan Valley area is beautiful and is one of West Virginia’s State Resorts, offering far more than just a campground. Many of the facilities were not yet open fully, but the chairlift to the summit at the ski area was open on weekends. There are a number of nearby parks and forests worth exploring: Blackwater Falls, Dolly Sods Wilderness, Smoke Hole Canyon, Spruce Knob and Seneca Rocks are all within~1 hour drive. You can also stay put at the resort and hike, bike, golf(including mini-golf), swim, geocache, or stargaze. There’s a large open field with a play area near the campground. On of the one clear night I was there, the sky was brilliant. 

The only downside was that there was an event of some sort taking place the morning I left and the racket from the loudspeaker carried over to the campground. I picked up some ice cream at the Purple Fiddle in Thomas, WV on my way to the campground. This place also offers live music. There is an assortment of restaurants in Thomas and Davis.

Stokesville campground is a little rough around the edges but offers access to lots of miles of trails in George Washington National Forest. There is an awesome swimming hole on the North River, Four miles of flow mountain bike trails inside the campground with endless miles of trails just outside. Stokesville is a mountain bike destination that cyclists travel from all around, the the campground is alot of those cyclists gateway to gwnf. The campground has primitive tent sites up in the woods and full hookup pull through sites. A playground for kids and fishing pond.

This campground offers a beautiful setting for a base camp as you explore the Monongahela National Forest. It is right down the road from Seneca Rocks and a supply store in case you forget anything. There is a nature center at Seneca Rocks where we found it very helpful to check the weather forecast each morning since the weather can be unpredictable and there is no cell reception nearby. The bathrooms at the campground had flush toilets and a shower. We absolutely loved staying at site 24 at the end of loop B where we only had one neighbor and a short walk to the bathroom. Although the tent sites in the meadow had a nice view of Seneca Rocks, they do not have as much privacy and shade. The campground was sold out for Memorial Day weekend, but we did not feel that it was crowded or noisy.

Electric or dry camping. Huge tent area that looked really cool. Showers were $5 for non campers. Some toilets flush some pit. Try to get there before sundown because it is VERY DARK on those roads getting there. No moon or light with several 6 and 7% grades. when you arrive there will be signs to register at the amphitheater, but park in the parking lot because the sign leads you to dead end. This area is also where the dump station is at. It costs $7 cash only at amphitheater. Firewood is $7 as well. Sites had picnic tables, fire rings, and lots of trees for privacy. Walk through the open field tent area for path to stores and that have climbing gear and snacks. Cross the road to the big open field and follow mowing path to Seneca Rocks learning center and trail heads to Seneca Rocks and a swimming hole. Don’t miss the swimming!! Even mid summer, the water was cool. Would have brought a float if I’d known. Download trail maps and driving directions prior to trip. There is no cell service for at least an hour around the campground. This goes for Verizon and Sprint. If you need cash the Yokum’s store has an ATM before coming into the campground. Great campsites and awesome hiking. Dumpster is at loop C and potable water is at loop B.