Robert W. Craig - Jennings Randolph Lake, near Elk Garden, West Virginia, is a solid choice for families and friends looking to enjoy the great outdoors. With spacious campsites and a friendly atmosphere, it’s a place where you can kick back and soak in the natural beauty surrounding the lake.

This campground offers a range of activities, including hiking trails and fishing spots that are perfect for a day of adventure. Visitors have highlighted the fun events, like the Christmas in July celebration, which adds a unique twist to the camping experience. One camper noted, “Make sure to bring bicycles for your kids to ride around the loop,” emphasizing the family-friendly vibe here.

Amenities include clean facilities and a camp store with helpful staff, ensuring you have what you need during your stay. While some campers mentioned noise from nearby dogs, the overall feedback points to a welcoming environment where you can enjoy a peaceful retreat. Whether you’re into kayaking, fishing, or just relaxing by the water, this campground has plenty to offer.

## Overview

 The Robert W. Craig Campground is located off West Virginia State Highway Route 46, five miles from Elk Garden, West Virginia. The campground is located very close to Jennings Randolph Lake which provides many recreational opportunities including boating, swimming, picnicking, scenic overlooks and fishing. The resident bald eagles have been breeding at Jennings Randolph Lake for over 10 years. Bring binoculars for the opportunity to spot an eagle's nest.
## Recreation

 During your stay at the campground, enjoy playing a game of horse shoes or hiking the Sunset Trail, High Timber Trail or the 3D Archery Trail. There is also a playground, sandbox, and a swing set available for kids to play on. Located behind the Campground Store, the Kalbaugh Pond appeals to anglers for its stocked largemouth and small mouth bass, blue gill, and catfish. At the pavilion, shoot some hoops on the basketball court or play a game of horse shoes. Birders will love the Songbird Trail and the High Timber Trail provides 28 varieties of labeled tree species. With the trailhead adjacent to the pavilion, visitors can try out the new 3D Archery Range. Hiking trails can be accessed from the campground.
## Facilities

 The pavilion includes a 30' by 40' canopy to protect you from the weather and is equipped with lights, electrical outlets, running water and approximately nine picnic tables. A handicap accessible portable toilet is also located nearby. There is a shower house and full bathroom located in the front loop of the campground, as well as a bathroom with no showers located at the back loop of the campground. The electric sites offer up to 50 AMP service and there is a water fill-up station located near the entrance station after you check into the campground. Before you leave, there is also a dump station available for you to empty the sewage tank of your camper. 
## Natural Features

 The lake spans 952 acres in the rugged hills of West Virginia's Allegheny Mountains. The pavilion is located inside of the Robert W. Craig Campground in a nice grassy field where your group can be semi-isolated for a nice reunion or picnic away from the rest of the campground. 
## Nearby Attractions

 A short mile away from the campground is the North Branch of the Potomac River, renowned as one of the finest trout fisheries on the East Coast. The river is also an excellent location for whitewater rafting. The city of Cumberland, with pleasant cobblestone pedestrian streets and boutique shops, makes for a nice visit.

Robert W. Craig - Jennings Randolph Lake

Are you in need of a campground near Kitzmiller, MD? Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Kitzmiller campgrounds just for you. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Kitzmiller. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.

Kitzmiller

The Best Camping Near Kitzmiller, Maryland

Awesome summer/fall spot for boating, swimming picnicking! Such a nice and remote location to really let you find yourself. There is a nice campground nearby too. 

Great lake trip

This is a great place to camp. Make sure to bring bicycles for your kids to ride around the loop. There is also a pond that you can hike to for fishing. It is far enough that your children would not wonder there on their own. You can drive to the playground and swimming area and there's other areas to explore.

It is one of our favorite campgrounds.

Perfect for kids-- hike, bike, fish and ranger activities

Great lake

The sites are nice but muddy; not very good drainage. The bathhouse was nice and clean. My friends and I chose this campground due to the lake- Randolph Jennings- and wanting to swim- the beach was closed due to COVID- the reason, they couldn't monitor people to social distance and wear a mask. Hiking trails around the campground were nice. Did have some noisy neighbors- loud music. Overall, meh.

Bathhouse was nice and clean (August 2020)

I really wanted to give this park five stars.  

When I arrived I was surprised by a Christmas in July event where there was activities for the kids and a campsite holiday decoration contest.  Santa even made an appearance.  Fun stuff.

There's ame space between campsites and also sites that are close for friends and family to stay nearby.  Hiking trails, fishing, basketball, hot showers, and a camp store with friendly staff.

The only issue we had was One. Nonstop.  Barking.  Dog.  As I write this it's been going for over 10 hours.   The owner is belligerent a despite multiple camp host sites, nobody is here.  That poor pup.  Our poor ears.

Otherwise, great place!

Great Park, Absent Hosts?

**General:** Smallish (68 sites) campground near Jennings Randolph Lake, which is not directly accessible from the campground (you need to drive there). Roads and camper pads are all paved, and the sites are in two loops– the Front Loop (Sites 1-30) and the Back Loop (Sites 31-68). All sites have electric hookups, and have a picnic table, fire ring, and lantern ring. There are multiple hosts in each loop. 

  

**Site Quality:** All camper pads are paved, and most appeared to be level. They are of varying lengths with 53, 55, and 64-68 having the longest pads. The sites are generous in size and are spaced a reasonable distance apart; there are varying degrees of foliage to provide privacy between sites. You would be hard-pressed to pick a “bad” site; perhaps Site 31 would be the least desirable as it is near the intersection of the two loops. 

  

**Bath/Shower:** There is a bathhouse in each loop; although the building itself appeared somewhat dated, the toilets and sinks have been updated to be automatic. The showers looked a bit sketchy, but I didn’t use them. 

  

**Activities/Amenities:** There are several short-distance hiking trails; the trail heads are very well marked and, once on the trail, the blazes are very easy to spot. I hiked the Sunset Trail, and it was shorter than advertised but the bench swing at the overlook was a very nice surprise. There is also archery, basketball, fishing, and a boat launch for the small lake. There is a playground in each loop. There is also a camper store in the Front loop that sells ice, firewood, and basic sundries; it is run by volunteers, so the hours are different each day based on availability. Kalbaugh Pond is ADA-accessible for catch-and-release fishing. Shaw Beach has swimming access. There was movie night on Saturday night and a ranger talk on Saturday morning. 

  

We generally shy away from campgrounds on weekends, especially in the summer months but surprisingly, the campground was only about ¾ full on a Friday in June. The volunteers make this park shine. We were greeted by Alma, who was very welcoming and said all of the volunteers are proud of “their” little campground. **Of note:** We approached the campground from the southeast through the town of Keyser. **DO NOT** do this if you have a large RV. There are multiple signs saying that the road was not safe for large trucks; although our 18-foot camper van had no problems, the road was narrow, hilly, and winding.

CoE campgrounds are a great value!

8/14/2025

  

USACE-managed campground with hosts who are on-site all season. Nice sites (easy staking) with picnic tables and fire pits, plus a camp store for firewood and other supplies (got there too late to check it out though). A little crowded with what seemed like folks who stay there for a hefty chunk of the season, and the sites are pretty close together, but there weren't any issues with rowdy folks - it seems like the hosts keep things in order/enforce quiet hours if necessary. 

  

Drinking water right next to the site (37) as well as a trail to a restroom - I think there's a shower on the other loop/section. 

  

$22 for a basic (non-electric) tent site.

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