Best Tent Camping near Shady Spring, WV

Most campground reviews are from the RV crowd.  This is from the tent camper perspective, particularly motorcycle tent camping.  The roads/lanes in the park are paved, but otherwise where you would ride are lousy for motorcycles.  The "gravel" parking lot from the road to the office and in the RV/electric loop is more like rocks, and you stand a good chance of dropping your bike.  Park your bike on the asphalt drive and walk up to the office.  In addition, the tent parking spots are sloped upwards with some very slick crushed rock and are challenging for a motorcycle.  The office closes at 5 (4 on Sunday and probably Saturday) and there is no campground map posted to see where the tent camping area is. They have copies of the campground map in the office and I suggested they put one on the outside of the office door so people arriving after they close have a map to view.   The tent camping (primitive) is off a paved lane a lot further down the hill past the office.  The sign for the lane says primitive.  Straight up at the top of the hill for that lane is site 6 which is somewhat acceptable for motorcycle parking although you are not going to get good enough of a cell signal there to use any internet apps. You might get one bar to make calls or text.   At the top of that hill, take a left and go up a steep hill to the shower house and where sites 1 &2 are at.  At sites 1&2 and outside the shower house you can get a good enough signal (2 bars) to use internet apps.  The campground does have an open wifi, but it doesn't reach to the tent camping sites.  They should add some directional antennas to extend to that area.  Sites 1&2 are best for motorcycles if you can reserve one of them.  2 has a wide enough turn around that you could easily park a group of motorcycles there.  When you check in you are assigned a 4 digit code to unlock the shower house doors.  If you arrive after hours you'll have to ask another camper if they'll share their code with you like we had to.  Don't bother trying to call the campground number after hours to check in or ask for a code because you'll just their voicemail.  Bring a hammer or find a rock to hammer your tent stakes in because the ground where you would want to pitch a tent is mostly rock.  Being primitive there is no electric at the tent sites.  There is an outlet by the sink in the shower house if you need to charge your phone.  There aren't any external outlets at the shower house.  There is a spigot outside the shower house, but I did not open it to make sure it worked.  We got our water using the shower house sink.  The rate as of July 2024 is $10.50 PER TENT per night.  There is no discount for only using one site with several tents.  We (four bikes with 4 tents) stayed there four nights.  We would have left after the first night, but had paid for all four nights and also didn't want to have to pack everything up to look for a different campground.

Camp Creek State Park is well-managed and beautifully-maintained with an active foundation that raises money for cool stuff like the conversation fire pit with swings, located in the Mash Fork Campground, which is only 2-miles off the I-77 at exit 20 in Mercer County, WV.

Mash Fork is one of four campgrounds at Camp Creek  State Park which all offer picnic tables, grills and fire rings.  Mash Fork has RV and tent sites:  9 sites with electricity, 8 sites with electricity and water, or 9 sites with electricity, water and sewer.  The bathhouses are super nice, there's free WiFi, and they sell exceptionally generous bundles of firewood which the camp host will personally deliver to your site.

There's a small store in the Mash Fork Campground with camping supplies and some souvenirs.  Make sure you check the cooler for local free-range chicken eggs… Yum!

If you're looking for more rustic tent camping, head to the Blue Jay Campground.  If you're a horse owner, the Double C Horse and Rider Camp has 2, 4, or 6 horse occupancy sites all within the 6,000 acre Camp Creek State Park and Forest.

Camp Creek State Park has two beautiful waterfalls.  You can drive to both, but Mash Creek Falls is a short walk from the Mash Fork campground, so make sure you check it out. Campbell Creek Falls has a deep pool at the bottom where you can swim.  Camp Creek is stocked with trout in the spring, so expect to see lots of fishermen along the banks.

If you have time, you can check out 33-miles of trails which are loaded with wildflowers in the spring.

*A little local trivia:  Mash Fork gives you a hint about the area's moonshining past… wink, wink!

We had 2 of the larger campsites (#2 and #3) for Memorial Day Weekend. We had a great time all weekend with hiking,picnics,campfires and ghost hunting. However,on Sunday night a strong storm came through that brought down trees with it's fierce wind and torrential rain. The power went out in the campground. The Park superintendent offered a free room in the lodge to anyone who wanted to stay where there was electricity. We were camping in a tent which ended up with lots of water in it. Kudos to Superintendent Ken for making a bad situation better. We will recommend this beautiful park to everyone.

Very nice and comfy! Don’t make the same mistake I did and tent camp outside in a huge storm - just stay inside!

I have tent camped at the Meador campgrounds twice in the last year. Both visits were wonderful. The views from the roads are incredible. The campgrounds are great for biking and hiking trails.

This place is really nice. Super clean bathrooms and flat platforms for tent camping. It’s a little pricey in my opinion but it’s easy to get to and close to lots of climbing.

Great family friendly camper and tent sites overlooking Moncove Lake. Electric hookups and water spickets available. Fishing and swimming and hiking trails.

This Army Corps of Engineers campground provides a larger number of RV and tent sites with electic near a lake. There are also a few walk-in tent sites that offer wooded seclusion. I was here in April, so this was not yet open and the lake level was still low (the Gauley Tailwaters campground offered a primitive alternative.

Sites are grassy with gravel, generally level parking pads, some shade, a large playground. Boat ramp available. Popular spot, so make reservations early. 

The New River Gorge National Park is nearby with a number of hiking, fishing, and rafting opportunities, but there is plenty to keep you occupied here.

This place is awesome for anyone looking to pack a day full of activities. The white water rafting was incredible and the staff all around was FANTASTIC. The only downside would be the campsites (tent camping) being very close to one another.

Nice spot to stop for a night on our way north - level private spot for our rooftop tent. Sites 38-45 have the most privacy. Check website as we were there during a fire ban.

We stayed first week of October 2023. Campground was empty. Beautiful area. Only disappointing thing they have only tent sites near the water. It would have been nice if there were a few Rv sites near the water.

Army Camp is my favorite place to camp. 10 tent sites. 2 are handicap. Has always been quiet with good people camping while I was here. Area for people to swim in the river or fish. One trail on far side of parking area that I haven’t been on yet. Great area.

I enjoyed this campground. A nice playground for children. Lots of deer about. The tent sites have water, fire ring, table and nice shade.  Lots of lovely trails to explore. It was quiet and super clean. The only drawback is that you need to drive to the restroom because the walk is a little too far.  But the restroom was super clean.

We stayed a weekend in one of the many cabins at the Campground; pet friendly! The RV/Tent camping sites were closed. Cabin was stocked with minimal kitchen ware, we brought in our groceries, in the town of Hinton there are a couple of grocery stores; so easy access. There was a picnic table and satellite TV; to our surprise. Cabin had a fireplace, two bedrooms and one bath. Very quiet!

Thumbs up and we will likely stay there again, will look into bringing our TT to check out the RV/Tent areas.

We state at the tent campsites for 4 days. Very clean and well kept. I will say the outhouses were a bit rough, but most are—a lot of hiking and sightseeing. I could not be there during prime trout season, so I didn't get any fishing in. I would recommend this state park.

From whitewater rafting to the waterpark to their 15+ different adventures, Ace Adventure Resort has it all. The tent campsite I stayed at was out in the open and had no privacy, but the bath house was clean. The small cabins are very nice, with more room than it appears from the outside. The hot tub was a great addition for those cold nights after rafting.