Stone Cliff Campground, near Thurmond, West Virginia, is a unique spot right on the banks of the New River Gorge. This sandy, walk-in campground offers a laid-back vibe with a few designated sites that provide stunning views of the river and surrounding nature.

Visitors often highlight the beautiful riverside locations, perfect for those who enjoy a bit of peace and quiet. While there are no picnic tables or fire rings at most sites, campers have made do with their own setups, and some have even crafted makeshift fire rings from stones. The vault toilets are available, but they could use a little TLC, especially during busy times when rafting companies drop off large groups nearby.

For those looking to stretch their legs, there are trails that follow the river, offering scenic hikes and opportunities to spot local wildlife. The nearby abandoned town of Thurmond adds a touch of history to your visit, and it’s a great spot to explore after setting up camp. Just be prepared for some noise from the trains across the river, as they run throughout the night.

While the campground is free and conveniently located near the Visitor's Center, some campers have noted the presence of litter and broken glass, so keep an eye out for your surroundings. If you’re looking for a rustic camping experience with a bit of adventure, Stone Cliff Campground is worth checking out.

This tent only campground located near the historic railroad town of Thurmond offers 7 walk-in sites, 5 on the sandy beach of the New River and 2 in the nearby forest. There are no drive-in sites at this location. RV, camper, or car camping is prohibited. The Stone Cliff Trailhead also starts at the campground.

Stone Cliff Campground — New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Thurmond. There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Thurmond, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.

Thurmond

The Best Camping Near Thurmond, West Virginia

There are so many things to come for and so many things to stay for! I've come here to climb and ended up fishing. I've come to fish and ended up hiking and climbing. There is no wrong turn here!

Some of the Best Climbing in the Eastern US!

Tucked away by the river past Thurmond. Great secluded sites. Trailhead for hiking from camp. A bit of a drive to visit any of the sites around New River but worth it to be away from it all. 6 sites all walk-in first come first serve. We were there in fall so no crowds at all. primitive, beautiful, and, a hidden gem

Secluded Riverside campsite

We went in the middle of the week, on a Tuesday. It had been raining a lot the days before but did not rain at all the three days we stayed. It was incredibly private, we were the only ones staying overnight. There were some visitors throughout the days, hiking, fishing, and a lot of white water rafters. We stayed at site 7 which was definitely the most private, the only downside being people walking on the trail walk right by your camp, but it wasn’t a very big deal. The second most private campsite was 6

The only downsides were the bathrooms and maybe the train. The bathrooms were a pit latrine, which is private but not necessarily clean or comfortable lol. Also trains would go by every few hours, it didn’t bother us much but it could be annoying to some people. It was also veryyy cold in the mornings but that was due to going in spring. I can’t see it being a problem during the summer

Overall I really enjoyed this campsite, and the seclusion of it. I could see it having a lot more people later in the summer and on less rainy days so I’d recommend getting there early if you want a private site

Private and beautiful

I loved the experience I had at stone cliff. The camp sites are well marked and maintained. There are some right on the river and a couple more set back closer to the trail. Great spot to set up a hammock, go swimming, or walk on the nearby trails if you aren’t climbing. 

Even with the rainy weather the area wasn’t too muddy and the campsite we stayed at was level so there wasn’t any issue. 

There were 2-3 other groups there and it still felt secluded with the sites distance from each other and the wooded area. There’s several easy to access  trash cans, a picnic area, and plenty of parking as well. 

My dog absolutely loved it-the swimming was A+ and the stick selection was up to her standards 😂

Secluded, peaceful sites by the river

Very quiet, sand bottom site areas right on the water. Bathrooms need extreme cleaning smelled badly. Plenty of Deadwood for the fire pits.

Quiet & comfortable

This is a cool spot.  You can camp here for free on first come first serve basis.  Also can access by boat if taking a trip on the river. sandy sites. Not much nearby. You walk down a set a stairs to the sites.

great primitive campsite on the river

So we had no idea there was a steep gravel decline to get to the camp site. My wife and I had brought our hatchback instead of our SUV- so our fault, but if this had been mentioned somewhere then we would have known. We merely stared from afar as we drove to a different campsite. It looked great, but we didn’t want to chance the terrain in the low car.

Disappointed Silly

Beautiful spot on New River. Make sure you remember to print off directions if you are unfamiliar with the area. There are 4 nice spots down on the beach (we opted against these since we didn’t want to clean sand out of everything when we packed up) and two up a small hill close to the parking lot and trailhead. We stayed at #6. Had plenty of space and were far enough away to not hear our neighbors. It had a pit latrine bathroom which was better than what I expected for free! The campground is very close to the abandoned town of Thurmond (very cool site to see) and is within earshot of the train tracks. We were hanging some hammock stapes up on our last evening and saw the largest spider I’ve ever seen in the hollow of one of the trees at the campsite. If spiders aren’t your thing consider another site :) 

World’s Largest Spider!

I used one of the walk in sites about half a mile into the trail. There was plenty of room for 4 tents right along the river. It was a little rocky, but nothing a sleeping pad wouldn't take care of

Great place, very secluded

Location was amazing. Sites are first come first served, no reservation needed. Plenty of parking with 6+ isolated camp sites, all with view of river. There is a great trail nearby that runs along the river. Trash bins and restroom located nearby. No cell phone service.

Beautiful isolated campsite

Deep into the New River Gorge, this location puts you right up to the river in question. With nearby hikes and an abandoned mining town (with visitor center!) just down the road, and for free, no less, this location is absolutely amazing. 

Beautiful riverside sites

Nice camp sites. Only one place where you can park next to your tent. I camped about 50 feet from parking near the water. The trains are very loud. They are on the other side of the river but loud and run all night. Had a crazy local pull in to the parking lot above the camp area and do donuts at about midnight and 3 am. Then sat and played loud music. Was probably drunk. The trail out the back of the camp area is beautiful and follows along the river for several miles. Easy hike. Met several people there. They were all nice. 

Nice but loud

Beautiful spot to camp. Downside, constant traffic in and out trying to find camping. There are outhouses available. 

Beautiful view

I love love this place. You could call me a local. I love to camp here to escape my job; a local camp nearby. Yes. I leave camping to camp more. Once you go through the “neighborhood” and go down the road till you see a sign that says the town of thurmond. There will be a split in the road After a small bridge. Go left to go to the nearly abandoned coal/railroad town of thurmond. Population: 3. There’s a bike trail/hiking trail there. South side junction trail. It can lead you to a trail that leads to ACE adventures. Turn left and go past an interpretive sign (read it) and keep going straight and you’ll hit stone cliff. All of the whitewater companies take out/put in in this area. I recommend swimming the new river gorge the hydraulics are nice. You’ll see locals and participants rafting and kayaking :) sandy campground. There’s several wooded, beach spots. Kind of picked of wood. 

My favorite campground in Fayetteville, WV

Stone Cliff campground is a sandy, walk in campground. There is one site that you can park beside which I think is supposed to be ADA accessible. The rest of the sites require a short walk in or down about a flight of steps.

We camped right below the stairs. There was a pole for a lantern but no picnic table (although there are some near the parking area), no fire ring (previous campers had made one out of stone that we used), and no flat tent pad area. We pitched our tent in the flattest spot and it was acceptable. 

There are vault toilets up the stairs and across the parking lot. They smelled awful and needed to be cleaned. Although it didn't seem like Stone Cliff was a busy campground (we only had a couple neighbors) the rafting companies put in right there and bring bus loads of rafters who use the vault toilets so they are used by lots of people.

You have to bring your own water. There are garbage cans in the parking area above.

It is right on the New River on a sand bar which is nice except there was SO MUCH BROKEN GLASS. Honestly it was the most broken glass I've seen on a beach. There was also quite a lot of litter which is obnoxious.

Overall it was fine. It was free and it was close to the Visitor's Center and most of the trails I wanted to hike. But it wasn't a beautiful or serene nature setting.

Free, centrally located & meh

There is a pretty bid parking with restrooms. Down by the water there is a few spots to drive to, but not sure if it would be OK to sleep in your vehicle there as it's not 100 feet from water access. But there are fire rings near the water so idk  There is also a bridge really close and railroad track right across the river. 


It's a spot to sleep.

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. 


Photos of Stone Cliff Campground — New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

Real photos from real campers