Best Tent Camping near Spencer, WV

Public lands surrounding Spencer, West Virginia offer several primitive tent camping options within a short drive. Tent campers can find established sites at Hune Bridge Campground in Marietta, Ohio and Lane Farm Campground, both located within Wayne National Forest approximately 45 miles northeast of Spencer. Chief Cornstalk Wildlife Management Area, situated about 50 miles southwest of Spencer near Southside, West Virginia, provides basic tent campsites adjacent to a lake. Kinderhook Trailhead in Newport, Ohio also offers designated tent sites within the national forest system.

Most tent campgrounds in the region feature minimal amenities, requiring self-sufficiency from campers. Sites typically include fire rings and picnic tables, but potable water is rarely available. Campers should bring their own water supply or water filtration systems for nearby creeks. Vault toilets are present at most locations but vary in maintenance quality. Chief Cornstalk's facilities have been described as outdated with an old hand pump for water. Free camping is available at several locations with 14-day stay limits enforced. Cell service is limited or non-existent at most primitive tent sites, particularly at Lane Farm Campground where no service exists within 4-5 miles.

Walk-in tent sites at Kinderhook Trailhead provide a unique backcountry camping experience. According to reviews, this equestrian trailhead offers designated sites with picnic tables and fire pits, plus additional space for dispersed camping if official sites are occupied. One camper noted that despite daytime activity from horse trailers, "before sunset, everyone cleared out and only campers remained." Hune Bridge Campground features a historic covered bridge and creek access, with campers reporting that "the creeks are great for fishing and float trips." Tent campers particularly appreciate site #4 for afternoon shade. Most primitive tent campgrounds in the region have limited privacy between sites but compensate with natural surroundings, historic features, and access to hiking and horse trails throughout Wayne National Forest.

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Best Tent Sites Near Spencer, West Virginia (10)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Spencer, WV

3 Photos of 10 Spencer Campgrounds


Tent Camping Reviews near Spencer, WV

237 Reviews of 10 Spencer Campgrounds


  • B
    Oct. 23, 2021

    Forked Run State Park Campground

    Bad for tents

    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.

  • Alex M.
    Jul. 20, 2022

    Krodel Park Campground

    Nice park, awful bathrooms

    This is a strange campground, but not a bad one. It is minutes away from downtown Point Pleasant. I had spent the afternoon exploring the town and didn't feel like driving further. There aren't many campgrounds nearby, so this place came to the rescue.

    The park's main feature is a lake that looks to be artificial. Maybe an old gravel quarry? The terrain around the lake is nicely landscaped. There is a paved path along the shore, along with picnic tables and shelters. Kayak rentals are available and the lake is stocked with fish.

    Most of the campground is RV focused, but I stayed at a primitive tent site. These are located closer to the entrance. There are no site numbers. Just pull your car up onto the grass and set up wherever. A few picnic tables and electrical outlets are spaced out along the road. There were a few other campers here when I visited, but there was enough room for us to maintain good separation. No shade trees or shrubs for privacy, though.

    This is not a particularly quiet or restful campground. The day use area around the lake was hopping, with people coming and going well into the night. No closing time, or just not enforced? Not sure. Having so much traffic was a little uncomfortable from a safety standpoint, but nothing untoward happened while I was there. There was also quite a bit of noise from the nearby road and railroad.

    The biggest problem with this campground was the bathroom. It was one of the worst I've seen. It may very well have been cleaned recently, but it was so dark and dingy that I couldn't tell. No windows and just a single bare incandescent bulb for illumination. Reminded me of a gas station toilet. The sink barely drained, the toilet barely flushed, and the urinal looked like it was about to fall off the wall. I have used vault toilets that were much, much nicer than this. I found myself wishing for one of those. Gross.

    There is only one other bathroom located closer to the RV area, and this looked to be just as bad. To be clear, there are only two single occupancy men's rooms for the ENTIRE campground. Yes, there are a few porta potties scattered around as well, but this is ridiculous. This place needs to invest in better facilities.

  • Shari  G.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 9, 2018

    Lane Farm Campground

    Free, clean, and close to town!

    A cute little place, just 4 campsites and a vault toilet that is relatively clean and well-stocked. This roadside campground is near homes and a small town, so not much traffic during the day, but quite a bit during the morning and evening commuting time. Within the national forest, you will find some historic covered bridges and quite a few hiking and horse trails. The town of Marietta is just 5 miles away, and has all the things you need.

    Each site has a picnic table, fire ring, and lantern pole. It’s designed for tent camping, but Hamlet (our small camper) fit fine with some strategic parking. No drinking water is available and the creeks are quite muddy, so come prepared with water! No privacy between sites and not much shade, which worked fine in May but probably wouldn’t be much fun in the heat of the summer. It is completely FREE, though, and you can stay for up to 14 days. There are quite a few small campgrounds in the area just like this one. There is no phone service within 4-5 miles of the campground.

    Note: We have noticed that people stop by or drive through in the evening. Sometimes they stay for a couple of minutes and other times for just a couple of hours. Due to its location, this campground could be a meeting spot of sorts, but didn’t witness any shenanigans.

  • Dave V.
    Aug. 27, 2017

    River Run Campground — North Bend State Park

    Deer Heaven

    North Bend State Park is about 10 miles south on Rt 16 off of Rt 50...east of Parkersburg, WV.

    When you slowly wind your way along twisty backcountry roads, through a small town, you'll ultimately find yourself entering North Bend State Park.

    Immediately to the right is Cokely Campground. Initially, you don't see it...you must drive up and over a roller. At the top of the hill, you observe a handful of picnic tables and fire rings, a porta-potty and a small woodshed with a water spigot alongside. Very little delineation from site to site and more of a mown field. Only the top two locations are the only quasi-level sites along a narrow tree line. No electric. These sites are $16 nightly.

    Traveling over the hill and turning to the right you see the main Cokely Campground with newer showerhouse/restroom building and playground. Campsites are blacktop with water and electric, apparently for large RV/Campers. These sites are $28 nightly.

    If you were to bypass the RV/Camper location, you would continue down the side road to the boat ramp and lake.

    The grounds and restrooms were clean, maincured and well maintained. Midweek the RV sites were already filled.

    We decided against Cokely Campground and returned to the main park road deeper into the State Park to River Run Campground.

    You pass the Lodge/Restaurant and the huge "L" shaped outdoor pool on your right as you descend (Note: the pool is seasonal and with college aga lifeguards that exit for school early, it was closed mid-August).

    Winding down to River Run, deer in abundance were lining the the roadway, so use care. River Run Campground runs along a river...imagine that!

    Tent sites are situated between the roadway and the river on the left...then additional tent sites are around a small half acre pond on the right. Most the roadside tent sites are level, but sit at a lower level, so when it rains (and it does in WV)...it gets soggy. No visible distinction or foliage between tent sites. One porta-potty sits at the crossroads across from the office.

    Saturday it was quiet with only one other tent camper, but rain was forecasted...although a pumphouse, located at the entrance to River Run, kicks on periodically with a low, annoying droning. Being at site 45, it was quite noticeable, as I imagine with all sites in the 40's. The tent specific sites are non-electric with central water spigots ($22 nightly). As you pass the tent sites and the office, you enter a loop of paved RV/Camper sites with blacktop drives, water and electric ($28 nightly). The Showerhouse/restrooms are located in the center of this area...and are very clean and maintained. The coveted RV/Camper sites are along the bank of the river and offer more distance between neighbors. On the inner ring, a split rail fence separates neighbors.

    While the sun didn't shine during our visit, it appears the thick forest canopy keeps all river sites shaded. The grounds and facilities are neat at clean.

    All the trails bisect this campground, some foot only, others multipurpose. River Run also has a nice playground for the kids. Trails have difficulty drying out, so rocks and roots were muddy and slick, but still enjoyable.

    Note: Mountainbike races are often held here, so campgrounds can get crazy and packed. Additionally, because of the pool, this is a very busy campground. Be forewarned that the pool is 58 steps up from the parking lot to the pool area.

    There were a lot of trails I did not get to travel, and I'll bring my bike next time for the Rails-to-Trail. Nice but popular campground,

  • Shari  G.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 28, 2018

    Hune Bridge Campground

    Covered Bridge in your Backyard

    Adorable little campground, with a historic covered bridge and lovely creek in the backyard. There are 4 campsites and a vault toilet that is relatively clean and well-stocked. This campground is just off Hwy 26, but far enough away from town that there isn’t much traffic.  

    Each site has a picnic table, fire ring, and lantern pole.  No drinking water is available, but there are creeks all around, so come prepared with a water filter! The creeks are also great for fishing and float trips. No much privacy between sites but a good deal of shade, especially site #4 in the afternoon. Just down the road from the campground are a couple more dispersed sites, too. It is completely FREE, and you can stay for up to 14 days. There are a couple other small campgrounds in the area similar to this one, such as Lane Farm and Lamping Homestead, just off Hwy 26.

    Within the national forest, you will find some historic covered bridges, churches, homes, general stores and quite a few hiking and horse trails and some nicely graded gravel back roads for cycling. This campground also serves as the local “take out” for the river. While the canoe launch was destroyed in a flood, it is possible to get kayaks, small boats, and canoes up the down the embankment. The town of Marietta is just 15 miles away, and has all the things you need.

    First come, first served. No reservations available or even possible.

  • Dave V.
    Sep. 26, 2016

    Stonewall Resort State Park Campground

    If you want pampered...

    Okay…we happened to just stop in here to give it a quick looksee as we traveled by. Yes, we were in need of good facilities…and…as is often the case when I camp/hike, impending rain loomed on the horizon. (and yes, it rained…doesn't it rain when you camp?)

    First…this is really a resort campground…for big campers and RV's. However, secreted away on the bank of Stonewall Jackson Lake, in Briar Point Campground there are five token tent sites. Because of the steep terrain, they have level wooden platforms to place your tent. The platforms are pretty good size…but if I had my huge Kelty Mantra 7…it'd overhang. Fortunately, I had a small three person.

    I will say…this is a resort and its posh…laid out nicely for the jetset golf/spa/business meeting type of "camper." Paved trails, wooden boardwalks across portions of the lake, trams to transport, beautiful golf course…and really nice shower house/bathrooms. Tired of campfire meals…the lodge is spectacular.

    We decided to stay a night or two…mainly because we were in dire need of hot showers. It was very quiet and far enough removed from the RVers that no generator noise was heard. Did I mention how nice the showers were?

    The lake was gorgeous and provided many a photo op. Resident ducks knew no shame, waddling straight up to your picnic table begging for scraps…the cads!

    We settled onto tent site #5, which was positioned directly below a pioneer cemetary. Which is open to enter peruse…very sobering.

    Stonewall Jackson State Park was a nice change. Should I ever hit the lotto to afford a big RV, or ever take up golf…it'd be even nicer. You'll experience no raucous behavior in this park, that's for sure.

    The downside for me was the lack of nature or hiking trails…there's a lot of woodland that could be utilized for this pupose.

  • Jean C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 1, 2021

    Battle Run

    Large lakeside campground: boating, swimming, rafting

    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.

  • Dare To Everywhere  .The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 9, 2020

    Kinderhook Trailhead

    Unique "Dispersed" Camping

    Stayed: 9/6/2020 - FREE

    Site: Left fire pit facing toilet

    This campground is the equestrian Kinderhook Trailhead within Wayne National Forest.

    I didn't know what to expect for a dispersed campground at a trailhead. We pulled in and there was one couple setup at a designated site (picnic table and fire pit). As we drove around the trailhead, we found a second designated site. The forest website says dispersed camping is allowed and fires are allowed with a 10 foot clearance and a ring of rocks. So when we pulled up and saw picnic tables and fire pits provided, I was a little confused. I'd assume you'd also be allowed to create your own site, if the two designated sites are taken. There's not a ton of room, but I'd say another 5 sites could setup and be somewhat spread out. It is an open area, so there wouldn't be physical privacy, although the tall trees provide shade.

    With it being an equestrian trail, there were a lot of horses and trailers throughout the day. Before sunset, everyone cleared out and only campers remained.

    One vault toilet and perfect AT&T and Sprint cell service.

    #DareToEverywhere

  • Mary B.
    Jul. 30, 2021

    Gauley Tailwaters Campground — Gauley River National Recreation Area

    Great free campsite

    I stayed in 3 of the free campgrounds around & this one was my favorite. There was a sink w running water in the bathrooms down by the dam. I expected the campsites to feel cramped but they are set up so that you park your car next to your site, & that gives a lot of privacy. Fire rings & sounds of running water from below as you sleep 😴


Guide to Spencer

Tent camping near Spencer, West Virginia, offers a variety of options for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature. With several campgrounds featuring essential amenities and unique features, there's something for everyone.

Tent campers should check out Riverside R&R

  • Riverside R&R provides a serene environment with the option for boat-in access, making it a unique spot for tent camping.
  • This campground allows fires and offers firewood, perfect for cozy evenings under the stars.
  • With picnic tables and toilets available, Riverside R&R ensures a comfortable camping experience.

Tent campers appreciate these amenities at Hune Bridge Campground

  • Hune Bridge Campground features well-maintained sites with picnic tables and fire rings, ideal for family gatherings.
  • The campground is conveniently located near a historic covered bridge and a lovely creek, enhancing the scenic beauty of your stay.
  • With no reservation required and free camping for up to 14 days, it’s a great choice for spontaneous trips.

Some prices for tent camping range from free to $30

  • At the highly rated Kinderhook Trailhead, tent camping is free, making it an excellent option for budget-conscious campers.
  • Lane Farm Campground offers a free camping experience with basic amenities, including a vault toilet and picnic tables.
  • Chief Cornstalk Wildlife Management Area provides a low-cost camping experience, though it lacks some modern conveniences.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Spencer, WV?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Spencer, WV is Trailer Center Campground with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Spencer, WV?

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