Campgrounds and RV parks near Grafton, WV

Tygart Lake stretches ten miles and draws campers for boating, water skiing, kayaking, and fishing for walleye, bass, catfish, crappie, and bluegill. A public marina and multiple boat launches serve the lake, and shoreline fishing is available along more than 30 miles of accessible bank. Five park trails range from easy walks to the moderate Dogwood Trail, a two-mile loop behind the lodge with steep sections. Audra State Park is built around a swimming area on the Middle Fork River, with a flat-rock beach and the Alum Cave Trail passing beneath a curved sandstone overhang. Whitewater kayaking, tubing, and fishing are common. Grafton itself is known for its railroad heritage and is the birthplace of Mother's Day, with the International Mother's Day Shrine downtown.

The two nearest state park campgrounds are seasonal. Tygart Lake State Park's campground is open spring through fall, weather permitting, and Audra State Park operates on a similar mid-April through mid-October window. Neither is a winter option for RV camping, so cold-weather visitors need to look at private parks in the area. Summer is peak season. July and August bring warm, humid days with average highs in the low 80s Fahrenheit, and the Tygart Lake beach and Audra swimming area fill quickly on weekends. Reservations for hookup sites should be made well ahead for holiday weekends. Late spring is the wettest stretch, with May typically the highest-rainfall month, and grassy sites at Tygart Lake can turn muddy after heavy rain. Fall is the strongest shoulder season. Cooler nights, lower crowds, and hardwood color across the Allegheny foothills make September and October popular for leaf-peeping trips, though the state parks begin shutting down toward the end of October.

At Tygart Lake State Park, the campground sits at the end of the park road, roughly three miles from the east entrance. Ten electric sites cluster near the entrance on relatively level ground; the 26 standard sites are on steeper, wooded terrain. Access roads are narrow with tight turns, and the park recommends rigs under about 32 feet for the campground. Free Wi-Fi reaches most sites, though the signal weakens on the far loop. Audra's campground runs along the Middle Fork River. Electric sites are 30-amp only, with no sewer at the site; two bathhouses, a camp store, coin laundry, and a dump station are on the grounds. Cell service is spotty at both parks, and leashed pets are welcome on trails.