SOUTH CHARLESTON, West Virginia – Camping is trending and West Virginia’s state parks are ready for the 2015 camping season. “Our campsite reservation process is underway by mail, phone, walk-in and online,” said Sam England, chief of the State Parks and Recreation section of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. “Reservations may be made at state parks campgrounds between the Friday before Memorial Day until Labor Day.”
Campgrounds are managed at 29 West Virginia state park areas. Applications and information for each park with reservable sites are located at www.wvstateparks.com under the Lodging and Camping tab, “Campgrounds.” Many of those areas also feature lodges, cabins, cottages, swimming pools and other outdoor recreation options.
During the offseason, sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis, with exceptions. Tygart Lake State Park can take campground reservations prior to Memorial Day weekend and after Labor Day. Canaan Valley’s 34 campsites are all reservable from May 1 through October, weather permitting, but online reservations are not available. Stonewall Resort campsites are reservable online for any time of the year, weather permitting, for the 46 full-hook-up sites.
All of Pipestem Resort State Park’s 82 campsites are reservable online during the regular camping season. Beech Fork State Park made 136 of the 275 campsite available for advance reservations online in 2013.
“As technology, budget and planning allows, we will add more campgrounds to the online reservation service,” England said. “Campers like knowing they have a site reserved prior to arrival. We believe the inclusion of online reservations at more campsites will be a happy change over the next few years.”
Other areas that offer a mix of first-come, first-served and reservable sites are Babcock, Beech Fork, Blackwater Falls, Bluestone, Camp Creek, Cedar Creek, Chief Logan, Holly River, Little Beaver, North Bend, Tomlinson Run, Twin Falls, Tygart Lake and Watoga state parks; and Cabwaylingo, Coopers Rock, Greenbrier, Kanawha and Kumbrabow state forests.
Seven areas are first-come, first-served campsite occupancy only. Those campgrounds are at Audra and Moncove Lake state parks, Seneca State Forest and Berwind, Bluestone, Panther, and Plum Orchard Lake wildlife management areas.
What’s new in 2015 for state parks camping?
•Audra State Park has added electrical hook-ups to six of its 67 campsites.
•Babcock State Park now has 26 of its 52 campsites available for reservation.
•Cedar Creek State Park staff has completed an in-house goal of installing electrical service and water supply to all 65 campsites. Ten sites at Cedar Creek are reservable.
•Holly River State Park’s campground will experience extensive primary feed electrical infrastructure work in 2015. This major project began in March and may continue through mid-July.
•Beech Fork State Park campers have Wi-Fi access from Park Headquarters.
•All campsites at Pipestem Resort are reservable via an online reservation system.
For information about West Virginia State Park campgrounds, visit www.wvstateparks.com.