Best Equestrian Camping near Maysville, WV

Fort Valley Ranch offers equestrian campsites with direct access to trail riding opportunities in the George Washington National Forest near Maysville, West Virginia. The 45-site ranch accommodates horses with designated parking areas for horse trailers and camping options that include tent sites, RV spots with hookups, and cabin rentals. Campground amenities include electric hookups, water access, showers, and toilets. The area can be crowded on weekends during summer months but the lower camping sites provide a quieter experience with riverside locations. The campground is situated in a region with limited cell service due to the nearby Green radio telescopes.

Multiple trail networks connect riders to scenic mountain terrain throughout the Monongahela National Forest. Trout stocked waters provide fishing opportunities after a day on horseback, with several campgrounds offering proximity to lakes and streams. Horse owners should prepare for varied terrain and elevation changes when planning rides. Trail conditions range from rocky sections to smooth forest paths. Weather in the higher elevations can change quickly, affecting trail access and riding conditions. The region offers dark skies for stargazing after evening trail rides, with minimal light pollution in the more remote camping areas. Winter visitors should note that many facilities close seasonally, with limited camping options available during colder months.

Best Equestrian Sites Near Maysville, West Virginia (10)

    1. Spruce Knob Lake Campground

    17 Reviews
    Riverton, WV
    31 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 567-3082

    $15 - $32 / night

    "It is about 5 miles from the summit of Spruce Knob (highest peak in West Virginia).  Tow campers smaller in size can certainly make it, although mostly tent camping which I like. "

    "The Spruce Knob Lake Campground offers extra-large camp sites with lots of shade and so much undergrowth I only saw my neighbors when I took a walk to check out the campground."

    2. Gandy Creek Dispersed Camping

    16 Reviews
    Whitmer, WV
    33 miles
    Website

    "Some you walk-in a short distance but are rewarded with amazing sites on the creek, secluded and wooded. Other places you can camp in your vehicle or park at the site."

    "Just camped there with two of my friends this past weekend, really cool site we were lucky enough to get a site next to the river! Get there early as it’s first come first serve!"

    3. Trout Pond Recreation Area

    6 Reviews
    Baker, WV
    26 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 897-6450

    $25 - $105 / night

    "There is Rockcliff lake and small beach area, an overlook (Lina Constable Overlook) to hike to right off the camp loop but it’s 1 mile steep incline at times but worth every step. Gorgeous!"

    "The area closes completely (entrance gate is locked) from Dec 21 - May 1. The site was super clean and well maintained. Lots of hiking trails and a very easy one that loops around the Rockcliff Lake."

    4. Yokums Vacationland and Princess Snowbirds Indian Village

    2 Reviews
    Seneca Rocks, WV
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 567-2351

    "I go there to climb and both sites are close to the rocks. I have camped there just about every month of the year. Be forwarded this entire area has no cell service due to the Green radio telescopes."

    5. Big Run State Park Campground

    6 Reviews
    Bloomington, MD
    30 miles
    Website
    +1 (301) 895-5453

    $10 - $55 / night

    "The best spots are in the woods adjacent to the stream. You can set up your camp chair and enjoy the creek sounds."

    "You have to know what you're getting here - there ARE campsites with amenities, near water and bathrooms, but not all of them have the amenities. "

    6. Revelle’s River Resort

    5 Reviews
    Bowden, WV
    32 miles
    Website
    +1 (304) 636-0023

    "Restaurant, Shavers Saloon, was walking distance and had full bar with good food. Service there was great. Bathrooms were older but very clean. Plenty of hot water."

    "This seemed to be a well laid out campground with sites for weekenders in maybe the best location right along the river and the seasonal campers spread out around."

    7. The Cove Campground

    15 Reviews
    High View, VA
    43 miles
    Website
    +1 (540) 858-2882

    "Several rustic campsites with a large lake for the kids, and miles of off road trails for atvs, jeeps, and dirtbikes."

    "The road is gravel and could use some work, I’d recommend 4x4 drive. We really enjoyed it and will go back. The reason for 4 stars instead of 5, water situation and the roads could use some work."

    9. Laurel Fork Campground

    5 Reviews
    Glady, WV
    38 miles
    Website

    "Laurel fork campground is a nice place to go if you are looking to get away from the busy life. It’s not a very large camp ground or heavily populated. Finding a spot shouldn’t be a problem."

    "Biggest surprise, given the location on the creek and remoteness of the campground ( settled deep in the woods) , there were No Bugs to speak of! Tons of wildflowers and butterflies!"

    10. Fort Valley Ranch

    1 Review
    Woodstock, VA
    44 miles
    Website

    $30 - $45 / night

    "We recently stayed at Fort Valley Ranch Campground, near Luray, VA and I can only say good things about our experience and the FVR's management."

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Recent Equestrian Camping Photos near Maysville, WV

7 Photos of 10 Maysville Campgrounds


Equestrian Camping Reviews near Maysville, WV

72 Reviews of 10 Maysville Campgrounds


  • Marianne S.
    Jun. 3, 2021

    Spruce Knob Lake Campground

    more remote and primitive for car camping

    A great, quiet campground with fewer sites than most.  It is about 5 miles from the summit of Spruce Knob (highest peak in West Virginia).  Tow campers smaller in size can certainly make it, although mostly tent camping which I like.  Some drive up, some drive, park, and walk up.  There is a single water source and I'd highly recommend boiling first.  H20 does NOT taste good at all.  There are a couple of outhouses, and no shower facilities.

  • Jennifer B.
    Oct. 29, 2019

    Spruce Knob Lake Campground

    Huge Sites At A Remote, Primitive Campground

    The Spruce Knob Lake Campground offers extra-large camp sites with lots of shade and so much undergrowth I only saw my neighbors when I took a walk to check out the campground. There are 45 campsites, with pit toilets and a solar-powered pump house for drinking water. No electric or sewer hook-ups, but you’ll find free apples growing at some of the sites. Sites#31 through 41 are walk-in sites for extra privacy if you’re tent camping. 

    This is bear country, so don’t leave any food sitting out. Dogs are allowed as long as they’re kept on a leash. 

    Spruce Knob Lake is less than a mile away and a great spot to kayak, fish, and star gaze because you won't have any city lights to interfere and trees won’t block your view. There’s a boat dock and wheelchair accessible fishing pier with the lake stocked with trout several times a year. Electric motors only; No swimming allowed. 

    There are at least 60-miles of trails in the surrounding Monongahela National Forest, including the very pleasant, 1-mile, Big Bend River Trail accessible from the campground.

    If you’re up for a hardy hike, you can walk 8-miles east to Spruce Knob, the highest place in the State of West Virginia at 4,863-feet. There’s a cool lookout tower at Spruce Knob where you can get a good view of the rugged mountain ridges where the red spruce get so hammered by the wind and rough weather, one side of the tree is missing. The plant life is pretty unique too, with reindeer moss visible along the Whispering Spruce Trail. 

    The drive to the Spruce Knob Lake Campground is on a combination of narrow, winding, mostly unpaved roads. Go slow because there are plenty of blind curves. My A/C was out on the day I arrived, so I ate a fair amount of dust with my window partially open… Lol…. 

    Directions from the Recreation.gov website: 

    From Riverton, WV, take U.S. Route 33 south 2 miles to Briery Gap Road(County Road 33/4). Turn right onto Briery Gap Road. Go 2 miles to Forest Road 112, turn right and continue for 13.5 miles. Turn right on Forest Road 1. The campground is 1/2 mile on the right. From Elkins, WV, take U.S. Route 33 to State Route 29, which is 1 mile west of Harman. Turn right onto SR 29, go south 18.6 miles and tum left onto Forest Road 1. Follow FR 1 for 2.5 miles.

    Note:  Seneca Rocks is less than an hour away and well-worth a visit!

  • Dave V.
    Sep. 8, 2016

    Spruce Knob Lake Campground

    Highest Peak in the Allegheny's

    There is ample and varied hiking and camping in Monongahela National Forest…more than a lifetime's worth.

    As we traveled, hiked and camped for a month (Aug 2016) we returned to a favorite location…Spruce Knob!

    I have only drove through the actual campground further down Spruce Mountain, and thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of the small lake nearby…wishing I had my canoe to paddle around.

    Last year we camped off the popular Huckleberry Trail, heading down off Spruce Knob. It was such a memorable time…that we made a point to swing by and spend at least one night. Spruce Knob is the highest peak in West Virginia at 4,863 ft, and the highest in the Allegheny Mountains.

    The drive up winds up the mountain offering great views through the trees. On the peak there is a two-story observation tower that affords some wonderful views. The trees continue to grow, so you don't have 350 views…but you get 180 degrees. There is also a flat 1/2 mile trail loop that circles the peak so you can get those views you are looking for. A number of private picnic areas dot the summit to enjoy a meal…Only one shelter that houses two picnic tables, and one pit latrine there in the parking lot.

    Note: there is no running water or available water at the summit. So have plenty of water with you.

    This August we were surprised by the warm weather…and with it brought flies. Not any ordinary fly…huge blowflies. They weren't bad around the summit and parking lot area…but as we hiked down into the trees to set up camp. It seemed plague-like, the amount of swarming flies. So we went up to the picnic area to eat and then moved back down the trail to our camp. Last year, it was much cooler and did not experience the flies at all.

    The location in the woods was perfect. A soft blanket of pine needles, quiet and ample tinder for a fire…sticks and pine cones galore. You can usually expect strong winds and cooler weather. The clouds roll in and out quickly, so if it rains…it moves on.

    A large portion begin there backpacking journey here and hike down the Huckleberry Trail…just remember, if you park up top…you are going to have to hike it back up. If you are into peak-bagging or just looking for a great spot to take in the views…Spruce Knob is a must visit!

  • N
    Feb. 19, 2020

    The Cove Campground

    Beautiful nature. Not so beautiful bathrooms.

    Pros: Very friendly and accommodating staff. We camped in October and we had pretty much the entire place to ourselves. Beautiful lake and overall picturesque setting. Free range, friendly goats wander around, which is kinda fun. Cons: WiFi signal weak and intermittent, even close to router. We camped in sites with hookups near office and entrance and the toilets are really far. The showers are even farther-like a 15-20 minute walk with bad signage directing to. The view from the showers were breathtaking, but the showers themselves left much to be desired. We had told they had just been cleaned, but they were so old and rust stained that it still felt kinda gross. Cobwebs along ceiling, dim lighting and worn paint added to the overall dinginess. There are no hooks to hang a towel and no shower curtain, wall or door so the bench with my clothes and towel got wet as did the floor, so you step out of shower into a puddle.

  • Kellie A.
    Aug. 31, 2021

    Spruce Knob Lake Campground

    Beautiful and Quiet.

    Cannot recommend camping here enough!! Sites are well situated, and very private. Especially the walk up sites, they're the real gem. Every site has a picnic table and fire ring. Pit toilets are maintained, but towards the end of our trip there was no TP for the last two days. Prepare accordingly. 

    Easy access to awesome day hikes, and a quick walk to the lake, where the stargazing is top notch. 

    Be prepared to navigate without service, and take it slow on the back roads, they're fairly rough.

  • KThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jan. 8, 2023

    Big Run State Park Campground

    Great primitive campsite

    This is one of my favorite Western Maryland hideaways. The best spots are in the woods adjacent to the stream. You can set up your camp chair and enjoy the creek sounds. The camp sites next to the reservoir have no privacy but offer extremely easy access for canoes/kayaks. Clean and well maintained. The camp store nearby offers a good selection of basics along with boat rentals

  • Laure D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 11, 2019

    Trout Pond Recreation Area

    Hidden Gem

    This campground surprised me. It states online that it’s only 15amp electric at 14 of their sites. Mid-August was a gamble as to weather. It was gorgeous weather! In the valley and surrounded by beautiful mountain views it was 80 daytime and ~60 at night. We were in site 12 which was small for our RV (22 ft total pulled by our F-150) but we worked it out. Site 14 is a buddy electric site. There are a few other buddy sites with no hookups. Site 11 and 13 both look nice and a bit more length to them and have electric (15 amp). We found that sites 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 are FHU (not sure what amp electric though). While 3, 5, 7, and 9 are designated Host spots, site 3 had the sign covered and an RV using it. Not sure how you do that but good to know. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. There are 3 not so great bath houses and the only reason I didn’t give 5 stars. Only 1 sink, 2 stalls, and 1 shower in each and a stall in 2 of them was out of order. I used the shower and it was nice hot water. There is Rockcliff lake and small beach area, an overlook (Lina Constable Overlook) to hike to right off the camp loop but it’s 1 mile steep incline at times but worth every step. Gorgeous! There were other trails too. We also hiked the Rockcliff lake trail which was rocky at spots but pretty level. There’s a boat launch for non powered boats, and fishing spots along the lake. The lake water was crystal clear and is surrounded by beautiful views of the mountains. We didn’t swim but on a Saturday in August about 4pm, it wasn’t too crowded. You aren’t close to much else outside of outdoor activities but we drove into Lost City and Lost River. There’s a great arts cooperative we stopped at with unique artistic wares to purchase and a small museum. We stopped at a farmers market, and a general store that both offered pastries, and coffee drinks as well as area goods for purchase. There is a Dollar General near these places too. The drive to the campground (Thorny Bottom Rd. CR 16) was a bit windy but doable. Better to go to Wardensville, WV and down 16 rather than try to cross the mountain near East of Trout Pond. Camp Hosts were present and helpful! Highly recommend this campground if you are a tent camper, smaller RV, or if you just prefer less of a glamping experience.

  • M
    Jun. 11, 2021

    Spruce Knob Lake Campground

    Quiet, well maintained rustic campground

    Admittedly, we had awful weather - it rained more than 50% of the time.  The weather ruled out our main purpose for being their which was astrophotography at Spruce Knob Lake and doing some hiking.   That said, we had a lovely walk-in site with a nicely situated tent pad, fire ring and large picnic table nestled in a private space with lots of tree shade.  If you are wanting to take in the sites of the area and need a base for day hiking, this is a good spot.  There are a few things to know: this campsite is very basic with the only facilities being vault toilets and bins for your trash.  You are able to buy firewood there (if you can get it lit and enjoy before it rains!). There is no cell service whatsoever, so once you get there, you’ll have no clue what the weather is going to do unless you have access to a satellite source (we didn’t.)   There was a water spigot near our site, but we were told to boil the water before drinking any (which made us glad it wasn’t that hot out and we had brought a sizable stash from home.)

  • Jacob I.
    Jun. 11, 2018

    The Cove Campground

    Great trails for both riding and hiking.

    Spent a weekend here in mid May. Bugs weren't a problem at all. Several rustic campsites with a large lake for the kids, and miles of off road trails for atvs, jeeps, and dirtbikes.


Guide to Maysville

West Virginia offers a fantastic experience for horse camping enthusiasts, with several campgrounds providing excellent amenities and access to beautiful trails.

Equestrian campgrounds include horse-friendly amenities like riding trails and stables

Tips for equestrian camping near Maysville, West Virginia

  • Ensure you bring enough supplies for your horse, as some campgrounds like Laurel Fork Campground do not have amenities like water hookups.
  • Check the weather and trail conditions before heading out, especially in areas like Spruce Knob Lake Campground, where flooding can occur.
  • Familiarize yourself with the campground rules regarding horses, as some places may have specific guidelines, such as Trout Pond Recreation Area, which is known for its beautiful surroundings.

Some campgrounds have unique features for horse camping

  • Revelle’s River Resort offers a family-friendly atmosphere with access to river activities and nearby trails for horseback riding.
  • Big Run State Park Campground provides a peaceful setting with ample space for horse camping, making it a great choice for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle.
  • Trout Pond Recreation Area features a serene environment perfect for relaxing after a day of riding, with beautiful views and hiking opportunities nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Maysville, WV?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Maysville, WV is Spruce Knob Lake Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 17 reviews.

What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Maysville, WV?

TheDyrt.com has all 10 equestrian camping locations near Maysville, WV, with real photos and reviews from campers.