Backcountry Camping

Backcountry camping is permitted in many areas of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve outside established campground areas. The National Park Service recommends areas along its Glade Creek, Stone Cliff, and Brooklyn-Southside Junction trails and riverside bottoms most easily accessible by boat. More than a third of the property within the territory of the New River Gorge is private, in which case the rights of landowners should be respected.

Camping is prohibited at and near day-use areas and visitor centers in the national park area, including those at Grandview, Sandstone Falls, and Canyon Rim, and at Brookside Island. Camping is also prohibited within 100 feet of trail heads, state roads, parking lots, park structures, boat-launch areas, historic areas, and the top and bottom of cliffs. Campers should pitch their camp above high-water lines when camping along streams, should use existing fire rings where provided, should dispose of human waste and dishwater properly, and must carry-out trash.

For more information on backcountry camping, call the NPS at (304) 465-0508. Please discuss your plans with a ranger before an overnight backcountry adventure.