Best Glamping near Spencer, WV

As part of the Elk River Hotel and Café, there are four glamping tents located on the Elk River. We have the Dyrt to thank for finding these as I’m quite certain I would not have found them otherwise! We tend to take months-long road trips and every once in a while, we like to find unique accommodations, and this fit the bill. Possible future expansion plans include Vermont and Florida but for now, this is the only location for GlampOut Resorts (not to be confused with Glamp Out Resort– singular). 

Each glamping tent has a sink/small fridge, and coffee maker, a fully plumbed bathroom, and a king or queen-sized bed with linens. Bath towels are provided but no toiletries so make sure you bring them. The tents were spacious and clean, and the heater was appreciated during a cold, damp October stay. There is a sink and dorm-sized fridge but no microwave or way to cook a meal. Breakfast is optional, reasonably priced at $10 per person, and is served in the café at 8:30 am. The café is open for dinner Tuesday– Saturday from 4 pm– 9 pm and the food was good. I only saw one other breakfast/lunch eatery in town and no grocery store so plan accordingly, especially if you plan to be there on a Sunday or Monday! 

About a half mile from the glamping tents is access to the Jeremiah Carpenter Trailhead but use caution. There was a barrier at the entrance, but a local police officer told me I should just walk around it. I hiked about a half mile up the steep hill; when the trail turned to the right, it was overgrown and narrow and since I was by myself, I just turned around and came back down the way I came. I later learned there had been bear sightings on this trail! Nearby is the Flatwoods Monster Chair Trail. I wasn’t sure if there was a put-in area for kayaks or canoes and no one I asked seemed to know. In June, there is a Big Foot festival and a seasonal farmers market. 

When we were there, there was not much to do except relax. There is not much in the sleepy town of Sutton, however, it was a quiet respite for us during the last two weeks of our two-month trip. It is, however, a bit of a splurge at approximately $200 per night.

On the border with West Virginia. There aren’t really sites on the water but there’s a nice path to the lake from the camp sites and lots of deer. We spent most of the time on the water (there’s a power limit on the boats) but the campsites were nice in a simple kind of way (showers but no flush).

We love summersville lake after stopping randomly on a trip down south last year. We stayed in an upper lot during the week for a night and liked it better. This year we booked a week with friends and stayed on lot four. The lake is amazing, clear and has so many visual gems that I highly suggest a visit. While I will list some negatives here , I will say we plan to go back for the lake. The campground is around 50 a night depending on some spots and we watched many RVstrailers come and go. For the business the campground is doing I would expect better bath houses. They were ok but state parks in west Virginia have had better. Gross as in they didn't look cleaned regularly, the shower heads were terrible, never looked cleaned, rusty. My stall had a used tampon in it one night. I prefer my camper shower but here is the other issue, no sewer hook up in the rv/trailer sides just water and electric. I felt as though if you stayed for more than a week they should offer a free one time honey wagon service. Let's talk garbage. We stayed up near the bathhouse and playground bc we have little ones. The garage trailer sat for more than 6 days just baking in the sun. By our 5th day we could barely stand to stay outside around our campfire the odor was so bad. As campers we are used to our fair share of smells but garbage dump isn't what we are looking for....be careful where you pick to set up.

We live close to this park and frequent there, sometimes just day trips. Tent camping is great and just like most places there are a few sites that are the best. Park offers hiking trails from the camp sites to the beach area or packing up the swim gear and using the parking lot. The beach area is back water from the ohio river. It is a sandy rocky mixture. There are boat rentals during peak months. There is a frisbee golf course that is top notch. The only down side to this ohio state park, are the bathrooms; they are port a pot facilities that can be pretty raunchy.

Why was it a very good place for us?

For us, this was a hidden gem on a Friday in September, but be aware it may not be the same experience for you. Most of the sites were open on reserveamerica.com so we knew we could just show up and choose a site. We went out to the end of area 3 (out of 5 areas) with sites 77-122 (non-electric) because it ends with a loop. There was a tent across the loop on #100. We chose #94 which had plenty of room, a sunny area for our solar panels and lots of shade. It was a great site for us.

Will your experience be different?

You need to be aware this is an old park. I would hesitate to reserve a site just by looking at sites on the online map. I've included a photo of the map the attendant had to show a view of the areas...electric and non-electric with a total of 151 sites. Many of the parking pads are extremely short although some are wide enough for a vehicle and trailer...or 2 vehicles.

Some of the areas where you can pitch a tent are pretty rough, especially at the beginning of area 3. See photos. #119 was a site in use and it looks like a great site for two tents (as long as it doesn't rain because you can see in the photo that you're in a valley).

Be aware there could be some things you might not like...short parking pads, difficult tent areas, pit toilets. There are showerhouses that include sinks but the toilets are pit toilets in separate buildings.

I did not find potable water. There were water fountains that were not running, but there were several gray water dump wells and and a dump station.

Yes, it's a bit rough around the edges. We liked that it wasn't crowded. The attendant said the park was full over Memorial Day weekend. Other campers told me there's a chili cookoff around Halloween, and it's a great place to camp around then.

If you love the amenities of a modern campground, you could be disappointed. If you like roughing it, you'll enjoy the setting. And you can show up without a reservation and choose a site.

Activities

• The attendant told me the disc golf course attracts people because it's very good.

• A few short hiking trails

• Archery range

• Forked Run Lake has a boat ramp and 400-foot sand beach.

What about cell phone service?

Verizon's network was available but not in all areas. There is decent wifi by the entrance station.

I discovered this park in 2019 while on a history road trip to Marietta, Ohio and Blanerhasset Island.  I’ve since returned to Forked Run just to spend a peaceful weekend The park has over 150 campsites and the times I’ve been there, only a few were occupied. I felt like I had the whole park to myself. Some people complain about the pit toilets. They smell bad, but they’re bearable. There’s a nice lake for kayaking. There’s a boat launch near the dam at the south end of the lake and a second boat launch at midway portion of the lake. You have to drive a few miles to the second launch but I prefer to enter the lake here and paddle north into the headwaters of the lake

Decided to go to Forked Run because its close to home and we had never camped there. Been fishing, hiking & swimming there over the years, but never camping. Some of the back in sites are REALLY short so we changed our originally reserved spot once we got there. We wound up being the only ones in our loop, but the shower house (that we were parked near) was BUSY BUSY BUSY because one of the shower houses was closed for repairs (hopefully renovations) The park itself is clean, but the facilities are dated. Shower house was OK, toilets are primitive.

Our family has camped here for many years and up to 10 days at a time. Looking forward to our next trip and hitting the beach again.

We had read about the quietness of Forked Run and it was we had a loop all to ourselves and only about 15 campers in the whole campground,

It was very clean and the areas coming into the campground beautifully maintained, but once we got to our campsite it was covered in trash, cigarette butts, beer cans and tons of candy and straw wrappers, the woods behind each campsite was loaded in trash, toilet paper and feces.

After a few hours we had our site pretty much cleaned up, but on our walks we noticed more sites looking the same.

Shower house was clean, but after visiting a pit toilet and fighting of hundreds of bugs I noticed the pit toilet was almost overflowing, yes overflowing. As many as I have used I have never seen one so full which explains why everyone was crapping in the woods.

If you want internet bring a WiFi and a booster and you will be good.

No available park ranger, in facts serious accident happened at the front gate and victims waited for EMS to arrive, if a ranger was on duty help could have been faster.

Kayaking was great with some hidden coves.

Other than that it can be a beautiful park, Ohio ODNR you should be ashamed of yourself for the way this park is kept.

Went there in October. No attendance around and not many campers. Sites are very bad for tent camping and not the bet for RV’s. Back ins are sort and most sites have no level ground even for the picnic table or fire ring. Showers were clean but cold. Vault toilets only and stuck to high Heaven. Not serviced well at all. Hiked the lake view trail, poorly maintained. The upper loop from the beach end is very hard to find and not marked at all. Even more disappointing than Hope Lake which has its own site problems for tents.

We stayed there years ago. Our only complaint was how close the sites are together. Some are down over banks & some are on a slant. It was rather noisy when we were there too. Nice beach area for swimming though!

The park is nice but in bad need of updating. Outhouses are not appealing and sometimes the lake swimming area is closed due to bacteria from leeching. Most sites are not level. They do have electric though. Water hookup is unavailable but they have a place to fill tanks on each drinking fountain. The staff are nice and you never see them after check in. The lake is now motor accessible with no wake..idle only.

This park campground is nice, but lost in time. Outhouses are gross. Usable, but gross. No water hook ups, but a place to fill your tank behind water fountains. Camping is deserted pretty much on weekdays and on weekends the same people camp in the same spots a lot, probably because most spots are not level. Overall I'd give it 4 or 5 stars if they had toilets.

When I was younger I use to go here a lot on day trips to swim at the man made sandy beach on the lake. From where I used to live in WV it was only a 40 minute drive across the state line into Ohio. The camping there is nice. The fishing is good as well. What makes the lake unique at Forked Run is that it contains dime sized fresh water jelly fish. These type aren't able to sting you. There are shower houses and a camp general store with the camping essentials. There is plenty to do with fishing and hiking. A lot of people in the area mainly go for swimming or to play frisbee golf.

In the winter it was very cold and starkly beautiful. There is water, showers, and even wi-fi provided all year!! There is a network of short trails to explore, whether you need snowshoes, skis, or boots depends on that season’s weather; we skied. Plan to spend time at a campfire along the water, regardless of season.

This state park has a beautiful lake and a nice beach. There are boat rentals and a frisbee golf course. Overall, this part of the park is beautiful. 

The campgrounds, however, leave a lot to be desired. The people were really nice, but the facilities were terrible. The pit toilets were filthy- covered in flies, spiderwebs and dirt. They look like they have not been hosed out since the 70's. The showers and sinks are in an old, old building- it could be fine if it were cleaned daily, but it was filthy too. I was there 3 days and the showers and sinks were never cleaned. They were pretty gross from the start, but then by Saturday night one shower housed a pile of feces. No kidding. Poop in the shower. 

We stayed in the camper cabin, which is just a very basic shed with a bed, bunk beds, air conditioning and heat. We stayed there because it was July and I wanted A/C and electricity. The cabin smelled like mold. 

I'd go back to this lake but will not stay in the campgrounds again.

It’s place was a last minute booking for us as we needed to kill 2 days before our next planned stop in North Carolina. I’d say most reviews are pretty accurate I read on here. Bathrooms dated camp spots are small except for a few in the first loop that were pull through. Out of the whole campground on Tuesday there was only 5 camp sites occupied. It was very quiet and peaceful. Even better no cell phone service. When we left people were starting to arrive for the 4th of July weekend. I was surprised at how many sites were tagged for arrival. Now one of the reasons we picked this was because of the lake and reviews on the swimming area for our kids. We were very disappointed in the swimming area. The swim area was filled with locals who were leaving trash on the beach and lake. It was disappointing the amount of fast food rappers and cigarettes butts all over the place. This park does have the potential to be one of those hidden gems with a little TLC. We enjoyed the stay here. We ended up going to Marietta, Ohio both days. This town was not to far away and has a ton of history. I would return to this campground to enjoy the piece and quiet. But would not return to bank on the swimming area and lake to enjoy with the kids.

This campsite costed about 2o dollars per night . There is electricity and restrooms. There are showers like usual and there is also boat rentals which was really expensive. There i short hiking trails nearby

We could not use the restrooms and our rv doesn't have one, so we used the portapotty beside the boat ramp. We called the office and they sprayed but the flies just moved down into the pit farther. Shower houses very clean. Staff very nice. One site has great wifi access but I'm not telling which one. 😄

site: wooded. scenic. some sites more private than others. some slightly sloped sites. amenities: very clean. attractions: rural area. lake. disc golf. fishing. swimming. hiking. I would go camping here again.

Our family camped here in May of 2017. It is a nice camp, the facilities are clean and the staff was very pleasant and helpful. Nothing close for supplies beyond the standard camp store stuff, bring anything you may need or you will need to drive a while. The hiking loop is really good for kids, not too difficult, interesting sights.

Narrow roads getting to state park. Campground in need of an update and targeted maintenance. Ensure your rig can fit into your selected site prior to booking as sites can be small and hilly. Sites are asphalt. Not many sites are level. Most patrons seem to be local - weekends full of loud music and drinking.