Campgrounds and RV parks near Smithers, WV

Smithers sits along the Kanawha River in Fayette County, West Virginia, roughly a half-hour drive from the northern end of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. The town works as a practical staging point for RV travelers heading to the Gorge, the Gauley River, and the surrounding state parks, with grocery, fuel, and dump-station stops available in nearby Montgomery and Oak Hill. Private RV parks in the immediate area include New River Campground Inc. and Rivermen Campground along the river corridor, plus Rifrafters Campground and Bear Mountain Cabins & Campgrounds closer to Fayetteville. The Outpost at The New River Gorge sits near the New River Gorge Bridge and offers cabins, RV hookups, and tent platforms. Inside the national park, camping is free at all eight campgrounds, which are rated primitive and lack drinking water, bathhouses, or hookups. Travelers who need hookups, showers, or laundry should plan around the private campgrounds outside the park boundary or the developed sites at nearby West Virginia state parks.

The eight in-park campgrounds inside New River Gorge National Park and Preserve are free, open year-round, and available only on a first-come, first-served basis with no reservation option. Stays are limited to 14 consecutive days within a 28-day period, and no more than two camping units or two vehicles are allowed per site. Group sites in the park require a special use permit. Private campgrounds around Smithers and Fayetteville, including New River Campground Inc., Rivermen Campground, Bear Mountain Cabins & Campgrounds, Rifrafters Campground, and The Outpost at The New River Gorge, take reservations directly through their own websites or by phone. For state park campgrounds such as Babcock and Pipestem, reservations are handled through the West Virginia State Parks reservation system and typically open several months ahead of arrival.