Searching for a tent camping spot near South Charleston? Find the best information on tent camping near South Charleston, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of South Charleston's most popular destinations.
The closest campground to the New River Gorge Bridge. Chestnut Creek Campground offers quiet primitive camping in the woods. We are a mere half a mile (0.5mi) from the New River Gorge Bridge! That's walking distance folks. Our hygienic facility has hot showers, lavatory stalls, hand washing sinks, and a wash basin located outside for dish washing and filling up water jugs. Firewood and Ice are available on site as well. Each campsite has a picnic table and a fire pit. A general store and burrito bar are located literally around the corner; Both are within walking distance. Hiking and Climbing trail-heads (Fern Buttress, Endless Wall, Beauty Mountain; to name a few) are just down the way and access to the river is a stone's throw away (our drive is just across from Fayette Station Rd). If you're wanting to venture further to more local restaurants/shops; we are only a 5 minute drive from downtown Fayetteville. We are a pet friendly establishment for those with dogs who love to travel as much as you do. We keep quiet hours from 11pm-7am (starts @ midnight on weekends). Mainly we accommodate rustic tent camping, however; some sites are able to accommodate pop-up campers and trailers up to 20ft (we do not have hookups/electric). Call today to reserve a site for your upcoming adventure at the New River Gorge.
$10 - $11 / night
The American Alpine Club (AAC) campground at the New River Gorge resides in Fayetteville, WV, on a 40-acre parcel adjacent to the National Park and within walking distance of popular crags at the New River Gorge. There are 40 private sites and ten communal sites. No RVs, no trailers, and no vehicles over 20' are permitted. There are two large communal fire pits, a bathhouse with coin-operated showers ($1 for minutes), and a pavilion. We're working on a wifi solution, but it comes and goes.
$8 - $30 / night
$10 / night
Beautiful rustic cabin and campsites along the Little Coal River. Enjoy the unique experience of floating in with your kayak or canoe and staying for the weekend at The Lillian, our newly built cabin or at one of our campsites located on the bank of the river.
Enjoy the sounds of the rippling water while snoozing in the shade of the hammock or the nightly whippoorwill’s song as you are relaxing by the warm glow of the campfire. Once you have experienced this slice of “almost heaven” you will most surely not want to leave.
$50 - $150 / night
This tent only campground is located on the banks of the New River near the Cunard River Access point and Southside Trailhead. It offers 4 walk-in tents sites and 1 tent-only drive-in site. There are no drive-in sites for RVs or campers at this location. RV, camper, or car camping is prohibited.
Camping is allowed at this popular lake but no specific sites are developed.
Want to get even more out of the time you spend partaking in outdoor West Virginia fun with the New & Gauley Adventures team? Stay with us! We have both cabins and a campground available to accommodate you.
If you love to rough it, we offer you your choice of campsite — in “the field” next to the shower house or in a site a short walk away down our wooded trails. Our campground is conveniently located on our base camp, and our newly built shower house has hot water, bathrooms and electricity. And just in case you don’t want to rough it too much (or campfire cooking isn’t your thing), right next to the shower house is our own Undercut Pub and our great room.
For those who wish to stay close to the action but want a little more luxury — or a lot more — our Cabins are available for rent. There are affordable mini cabins available on our base camp that are close to everything; these rustic cabins have no electricity, come with a queen-sized bunk with mattress and require you to bring your own sleeping bag.
Enjoy a night of camping!. Our camping facilities are complete with a newly built shower house and bath rooms with hot water and electricity. Our camp ground is located right on our base camp, and you are allowed to choose where you camp! Wonderful adventure hikes and a cliff overlooking the Gorge are just a few miles’ walk!
How do you like the freedom of choosing your own campsite? We have 2 areas for camping with your choice of campsite! You have the option of camping in “the field” next to the shower house facilities or you can camp down our trail of wooded sites, just a short walk from the shower house as well.
Electricity and water is provided in the shower house.
$12 - $160 / night
This recreation area is part of Summersville Lake
This trailhead is part of the Lake Vesuvius Horse Trail System. The Lake Vesuvius horseback trails system 46.66 miles long and is composed of 9 trails, 4 trailheads, and one horse campground. The Lake Vesuvius horse trails wind through some of the most striking landscapes in Ohio. They will lead you through a variety of vegetation where many species of wildlife live. You will ride along rock cliffs, water falls, streams and along ridge tops. Expect to see open fields, brushland, mature forest, and young forests. Along the way, you will notice man's influence and land management activities.
Ranger
We camped here for 6 nights just before Halloween, enjoyed it. Not a lot to do unless you have a boat, but it's a scenic area. Ended up here because we had to avoid our original plans due to Hurricane Helene.
Traveler
As a car camper I was initially hesitant about paying for a partial hookup RV spot knowing that I wouldn’t be fully utilizing what I was paying for, but man am I glad I chose to stay here.
The location is great for getting in and out of town and the park alike, and it was the ideal location for a hike base. In terms of the campground itself, I think it set a new standard for me that’ll be pretty hard to beat. The bathrooms were incredible, and the shower was so good that it was almost annoying (I’m jealous and want it at home now too).
Checking in and out was easy, and the staff was very kind in accommodating me extending my stay another day on two separate occasions. I’d been most in and out in the dark, but finally on the last day got to check out the rest of the place and it really is super nice with a great aesthetic to match.
The big kicker for me was the lodge/Wi-Fi situation. As someone camping in a Prius, it can get pretty tight at times, so having a nice big space with great internet to get some work done was a huge bonus. Even in my car, the WiFi was plenty good enough to use, albeit not quite as snappy fast as the lodge.
All in all, I’d happily come back here again and again if I were to find myself back in the area. Could not more highly recommend.
Guide
Very comfortable and quiet campground. Camp hosts (owners?) and staff are very friendly and helpful. Close to local towns for services. The full hook up RV sites seem crowded, but the electric only sites were spacious and shady. I had a little deck with a picnic table. Even though the land is hilly, almost every site was level. The area where I camped had a single porta potty, but the main service area had clean showers and reasonably priced laundry. Short hiking trails are nearby. A children’s area is available but looked little used.
ScoutBeautiful area, close to New River National Park. Very accommodating staff. Includes wifi, PBS TV, small dog run, small playground, picnic shelter, laundry, bathhouse, firewood, ice,etc. Clean, friendly without all the fancy extras. Reasonably priced.
Guide
Very nice spot, right by the river with plenty of spaces to hammock down by there. We were lucky and got one of the last spots, there’s only 11. Fire rings with grill, and bench at each site. The ground is great for tents, no rocks. If you’re planning on coming here, make sure and come early. Pit toilets also available.
Scout
Great spot and very close to the national park, but site 5 was very un-level.
TravelerWe stayed overnight on our way up the coast and had a great visit. I wish we could’ve stayed longer. The campground was very peaceful and shaded people were very friendly and the facilities were exceptionally clean.
Traveler
Overall not a bad campground. Very pricey in my mind, $43 after taxes for 1 night of primitive camping. Got there at 4 on a monday and no one was in the office, ended up riding 45 minutes up the road to call to reserve a spot, they said everything was a 3 night minimum. I ended up booking online for just 1 night. Campground was clean and quiet, directions aren’t super clear as to where the campground is. Would stay here again if I had to, but wouldn’t be my first pick.
TravelerThe Campground is small...Maybe 15 sites. It was full when we arrived. Luckily, there are 2 or 3 dispersed sites along the road into the Campground. They are on the river, too. Perfect for an overnighter.
TravelerPit toilets, but was nice to have something ++ FREE. Super cool river near by, great scenery.
Scout
If you tent camp they don’t allow access to the bathrooms other than a porta potty open to the public and no showers either. Kinda messed up. The fish were not biting for anyone. It’s part of a public park. The staff were excellent thought, and the price of $20 a night unbeatable. Cheapest to visit the Mothman
Scout
Fantastic campground! Staff was super friendly and we were escorted to our camp site. Facilities a little dated but clean! Pool area was clean! We tent camp, but walking around, the camping trailers did not appear to be crowded together. For us this is a fantastic place to overnight and will return again when traveling through the area!!
Traveler
We arrived from Cleveland late on a Thursday evening and every one of the 7 sites was full, luckily we met another couple who let us share their site for the night which was great because they let us have their site when they left in the morning. We were on site 2/3 which are right at the bottom of a large staircase down from the parking lot. We put our tent a few feet away from the water facing the river and our canopy further up in the woods by the firepit. Access to a hiking trail at the end of the parking lot - Stonecliff Trail, garbage bins and bathrooms available, no running water so bring hand sanitizer, Dunloup waterfall ~8 min down the road right off the side of the road was beautiful and a great place to swim, hiked a few trails down to town of Thurmond which is a a great little historical train town with a nice visitors center
Cons - No picnic tables on any of the sites, carrying our things up the 3 flights of stairs to the parking lot was a little exhausting but not bad if you’re more of a minimalist camper, road access to campground is well paved but is very very narrow and windy so be careful of other cars flying around the bends, trains go by on other side of the river ~2-3 times per night, be careful of glass in the sand as well as bees, sites 2-5 are all right on top of each other (within 10 feet) with minimal trees in between so they’re good for groups but not if you don’t want to be right next to people.
ScoutRifrafters is a wonderful family run campground that was the perfect location for us to explore New River Gorge NP and the surrounding area. The area is very hilly and the campground is no exception but they did a good job of creating roomy, mainly level campsites. Unlike Bear Mountain Campground, Rifrafters is far enough off of US 19 to avoid most of the road noise. The bath house was VERY clean and the showers had great water pressure and plenty of hot water. Cell reception for Verizon was 3 bars, but the campground Wi-Fi was awesome! It was strong enough and had enough bandwidth for my wife to work remotely while the kids and I went whitewater rafting(go with ACE Adventures, they're great). The details make or break your stay and Rifrafters gets them all right. Good, steady power and water at the site, Wi-Fi, dry firewood, great bath house and clean/tidy everywhere. Lastly, the location was perfect for us. You''re just a few miles from the bridge and visitor's center to the north and a few miles to shopping/necessities to the south. Having stayed here made us realize we'd rather camp near US 19 and use our toad to drive the windy roads into t
TravelerStayed in the tent area. Site was good. Bathhouse was great and newly remodeled. Had a band and food trucks.
Guide
Chief Logan has a lot of interesting things to see, including an outdoor animal exhibit, a lodge, a pool, a theatre, and a museum all close together.
Our site was full hook up and very level. There was creek nearby and walking paths all over. We went over to the lodge and was able to swim in the pool and hot tub as part of the price of our campsite. There was solar event with super rare aurora light show for this part of the world while we were there.
GuideStayed here for a few nights with 3 other people. We had 1 big tent, 2 vehicles and a few dogs and had plenty of room. The road getting back to the site is a little sketch but worth the trip in. Just remember you have to make that trip all the way back out if you forget anything at the store (like we did) so be prepared to have plenty of food and wood. Water access is not problem if you have a good filtration system. The view of the river is absolutely beautiful!!
GuideWe stayed here on our visit to Great Smoky mountain National Park on our way to Tennessee and then back home.
Nice shaded wooded sights that are quiet and right off the interstate. Would recommend for anyone traveling to and from the area.
Guide
We spent one night of dispersal camping here. It was a beautiful area with a vault toilet. We felt safe enough to leave our windows only screened.
There were fishermen coming and going several times through the night.
The vault toilet had not been cleaned recently, nor had trash been emptied.
Scout
It’s a pretty nice place overall. Decent fishing and camping.
Guide
This is a great campground! I came here in June with my wife, daughter, and my parents. My wife, baby, and I stayed in a tent only campsite while my parents were in a pull through RV site.
This place is huge! There is so much to see and do. But because of this size, I would not recommend walking the campground or even using a bike to get around. I say this because on top of it being very large and spaced apart, it is also very, very hilly. You'll find yourself either having to drive your car or rent a golf cart.
The staff was pretty nice and helpful. We even met the owner. She was nice to talk to.
The camp store was a bit of a letdown, a lot of knic knacks, and not many actual camping supplies. The pool was small and very, very cold well maintained. The mini golf was fun, but unlike other campgrounds I've been to, you have to pay for it. The ice cream store was also satisfying.
The campsites themselves are roomy, plenty of space! Ours even had an amazing view of the small airport and surrounding hills. The restrooms were alright, about average for a campground. But they seemed to be cleaned every day.
The beach was nice, we definitely enjoyed it. Also, make sure to stop by serenity point for sunset. You won't regret it!
I would recommend either bringing your own golf cart or renting one. But make sure if it's electric, you book a site with a hookup to charge the cart when not in use.
All together, this is a great place. We will hopefully be back!
TravelerWe just arrived and haven’t even camped overnight yet! Love it! Waiting on n food from the Handlebar kitchen. Such a vibe! Just felt relaxed driving onto the property! The roaming goats are a treat!
RangerThe family that runs the place is very nice. Basic campsite was very level and easy to get in/out of. It was very peaceful and quiet at night.
Nothing much going on here but the bathrooms were clean and well kept. No views to be had at this campground but a solid stay in a great location run by people who care about it.
Guide
We had an amazing overnight stay at Rays Campground. The site we had, site 10, was large and secluded. Clean shower house and hot water and the owners were extremely friendly.
TravelerEvery RV site has a level concrete pad, making setup easy. Otherwise the rest of the RV area is gravel, without any trees or obstructions. Dust to dawn lights keep the area well lit all night. Area appears to be well patrolled by local law enforcement.
The area has a lot of potential to become a destination, hopefully the city will continue to increase the appeal. Maybe include some hike/bike trails. Dreamland public pool is on the road that leads to the park, and also a small railroad museum (unsure if it is operational at present).
Do plan on returning and will update this review accordingly.
GuideThis state forest is expansive with lots of trails popular with mountain bikers. It is a bit challenging to reach with a large(ish) van like ours. Narrow, winding roads take you to the Forest entrance. Campground was quiet with few campers in mid-May. The weather was hot and buggy when we visited. We did find a few ticks. Campground does have playgrounds, showers, electric hook-ups, and a dump station.
RangerYou can’t beat an established campground (picnic tables, fire pits, bathrooms) in a national park that’s also free! Good amount of spiders and ants but didn’t notice any mosquitoes in mid May. Peaceful and quiet!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near South Charleston, WV?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near South Charleston, WV is Chestnut Creek Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 19 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near South Charleston, WV?
TheDyrt.com has all 10 tent camping locations near South Charleston, WV, with real photos and reviews from campers.
