Babcock State Park Campground

Babcock State Park has a pleasant 52-site campground. The state park is one of the few public campgrounds near to Fayetteville, West Virginia, and the New River Gorge Bridge, a popular river running, fishing, and rock climbing area. Due to the absence of public campgrounds in the area, this campground can fill up quickly. It is strongly recommended that you have reservations for summer/holiday weekends. On the other hand, although the campground may be full, you will often have the very pleasant trails in the park to yourself.

The campground is divided into three main loops with a few offshoots. One loop is across County Route 11 from the other two. Unless you are desperate for a site, this loop (sites 41 through 51) should be avoided. Sites are right on top of each other with no understory. There are also no restrooms in this loop. Unless your camping setup is self-sufficient, you would have to walk across the road to get the bathhouse—not something you would want to do if you were in a rush. These are all electric sites, best for big-rigs.

The main campground is on the site of an old Civilian Conservation Corps Camp Lee. The loop to the right as you enter, sites 1 through 22, is non-electric and the original part of the campground. As such, there is good space between most sites, as well as good shade, and these sites are just prettier. If you are tent camping or have a small trailer or camper, head for these sites. Do be aware that these sites tend to have a shorter and not necessarily level parking pads. If you are in a trailer or camper, be prepared to be creative in your leveling.

The other loop, to the left as you enter the campground, is part of a newer loop. Sites 23 through 36, 39, 40, and 52 have electric service and larger and flatter parking pads. They are also closer together and have less understory between sites. They are fine for big-rig campers. Not all the sites can handle large rigs, so check with the reservation website for availability of the larger sites. Some are good for up to 50-foot rigs.

The campground has a bathhouse with showers and laundry. It is a bit small for the size of the campground, and plumbing can be a bit testy. Near the bathhouse is a fun modern playground.

Firewood and ice are available at the entrance station. There are no other supply stores in the area, so bring all the supplies you need. The campground is several road miles from the main part of the park, so be prepared for a hike or a drive if you want to see the very popular and pretty gristmill at the state park. So when arriving, be sure to navigate to the campground, not the park headquarters.

Most of the trailheads are in the main part of the park, although there is some hiking right from the campground that connects to the park’s main trails. A great loop hike is available from the campground by connecting a few trails with short walks on the park's quiet roads that takes you along rushing creeks in the deep gorges to high ridge tops with expansive views.