Camping inside the canyon after canoeing up the river! The canoe trek can be difficult, especially with low water. Expect the canyon to be 5-10 degrees warmer than the temperature above the canyon in the park. If you camp on a sandbar make sure you are high enough that rising water doesn’t reach you tent. The night we camped the park ranger estimated the temperature inside the canyon was over 110. We sat in the water that night to cool off. In the middle of the night we heard javelinas splashing in the river.

You probably won’t see any other campers. Very primitive campsites. At night we could hear the coyotes.

We backpacked into the dunes for about 90 minutes. First we had to cross a small stream about 30 yards across - 12 to 20 inches deep. There’s nothing like camping on a sand dune - no lights visible as far as you can see. During the night the winds whips up and blows the sand very hard. The Park Rangers estimated the wind gusts reached 30-25 MPH during the night. It was crazy loud. In the morning we had sand everywhere - mouth, nose, inside sleeping bag. Be prepared for gusts over 15 MPH in the spring.

Our tent campsite was clean & private. It was large enough to easily accommodate 3 tents. Every day we saw elk and deer close to our tents. The campground is centrally located to numerous hiking trails. The days we were there the temp dropped to the low 20’s and 14 inches of snow in 24 hours! All this at the end of May.

Overall the campground (tent camping) was very private and clean. The restroom & shower facilities were easily within walking distance. The facilities could use a deep clean but overall were fine. The only issue was the late check in (5pm) which caused vehicles to backup at the entrance. The lake is very nice and the New River Gorge and rafting is 20 minutes away.

The campground was well maintained and clean. Our campsite was fairly private and a lot of flat ground for multiple tents. The facilities were convenient and clean.