8 Scenic Places to Go Camping in and Around Charleston, West Virginia

Located right outside Charleston, the Kanawha State Forest is the closest scenic area for camping. Open April through December, the campground has 46 sites nestled in the forest. During the summer months, you can reserve spots, but after Labor Day, all sites are first come, first served. The 25 miles (80 km) of trails often run alongside mountain streams, and the park is known for diverse plant and animal life, including rattlesnakes.

About an hour south of Charleston in the mountains is Chief Logan State Park. Named after a leader of the Mingo tribe, the park has 40 campsites that are open from March to November. If you like to experience the wilderness from slightly more comfortable accommodations, the Chief Logan Lodge has 75 rooms. You can learn more about the Native Americans who once lived in West Virginia and the more recent coal history of the area at a museum in the park, and enjoy 18 miles (29 km) of trails that wind through the mountains and forest.

Just north of the Gauley River National Recreation Area is Summersville Lake, about an hour and a half from Charleston. The 2,700-acre (11 km2) lake is perfect for enjoying boating, fishing, and water sports, and the cliffs that drop into the teal water provide amazing scenery. You can find spots to camp at Battle Run Campground right on the lake.

It would be a mistake to not at least go for a hike in the Monongahela National Forest when you are in West Virginia, even if it is about two hours from Charleston to the southern end of the massive forest. If you’re looking for multi-day hikes with backcountry camping in-between, then the Mon is the best place to check out, and the perfect place to lose yourself (figuratively) in the wilderness of the Mountain State. The Gauley Ranger District offers hiking and primitive camping in the Cranberry Wilderness District, and you might just feel like you’ve entered a fairyland-like escape with mushrooms, rhododendrons, mossy evergreens, and yes, cranberries.