Camp on the beach? In West Virginia? Impossible! Except... it's actually not. True, we don't have ocean beaches. But we're no parched desert, either, so we've got plenty of alternatives, like beautiful lake and river beaches that are scattered all throughout the state. And yes, you absolutely can camp on a few of them, including a particularly scenic, sandy spot along the New River in West Virginia's famous New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
Perhaps one of the best ways to fully experience the depth of West Virginia's rugged beauty is by camping.
Pitching a tent in a primitive campsite in West Virginia's New River Gorge National Park, for example, allows you an unforgettable opportunity to become well-acquainted with this national treasure and to see it subtly (or dramatically) change throughout the day in ways that many people miss by just visiting for an afternoon.
While all the primitive campgrounds in West Virginia's New River Gorge National Park are excellent and many offer easy river access, one of the best of the bunch is the Grandview Sandbar Campground on Glade Creek Road near Prince, West Virginia.
The Grandview Sandbar Campground is riverfront camping at its finest.
There's nothing quite like watching the evening light highlight and divide all the sharp edges of the New River Gorge into layer after rugged layer, unless it's letting the river that has been winding through all these rugged layers since ancient times lull you to sleep.
Ready to come enjoy a few days of fishing, swimming, and exploring at Grandview Sandbar? Choose a wooded or beach tent site; a few of the wooded sites can also accommodate small RVs.
Two of the riverfront sites are fully ADA-accessible, as are the bathrooms. As with all of the New River Gorge National Park's campgrounds, there's no fee to camp at Grandview Sandbar.
To learn more about how to reach Grandview Sandbar Campground and what other National Park guidelines you'll need to follow for camping there, visit the National Park Service website. And while you're in the area, be sure to check out the ruins of the abandoned mining town of Royal, which is also located along Glade Creek Road not far from the campground!
Subscribe to our newsletter
Get the latest updates and news
Thank you for subscribing!
