Kanawha State Forest Campground

My wife and I camped here 2 nights to explore Charleston. Had some difficulty following gps directions in and it was getting dark, which didn’t help. Best for rustic expectations. Sites have not been well maintained and the main shower/bathroom building was poorly constructed and even worse maintained. Some of the sites were nice along the small stream, but really in need of some cleanup and gravel. My wife would not use the shower in it’s condition. Were glad to move on.
No cell signal in the camping area and wifi was not working.

The arrival was tricky. The GPS at one point tried to take us through a 9' x 9' tunnel. We backed out, but then two cars got into a standoff after us, going through the tunnel in opposite directions and neither would budge. "I have the right of way!"

We took an alternate route, entering from the north through windy, narrow roads. I was hoping for no more tunnels. We left the park the southern way, which was lots of gravel, but shorter.

Once at the campground, we'd reserved a site and the sign says to head right to it. There was already a tag with my name on it and no other campers within 100 yards. A little creek going through the back of the site. So many trails around! This is a cheap campground close to a metro area. Much bigger campgrounds much farther removed from the cities were full on this trip. We had planned to go into Charleston, but decided to stick around the campground for our one night to enjoy the quiet.

Google takes you in the “back way”. Do not do this with a camper. The “front way” is paved & very easy to navigate. The state park should really post signs about this issue. It is a bit of a drive from the entrance to the actually campground. Outside of that, the campground is a very beautiful and scenic place. Each site is unique. Some sites are up on hills. One tent site is accessed by walking over a small bridge. There is a stream running next to most campsites. There “is” WiFi but it doesn’t actually work unless you are next to the office door. I did not have service during my stay. You are literally camping on a mountain here. Staff are very pleasant and friendly. If you don’t catch them in the office you can catch them driving around in a marked pickup truck. The facilities could use some maintenance. There are a few small playgrounds near the campsites. On the way out, I noticed larger playgrounds near the front entrance. We stayed just one night, will stay again in the future.

We stopped here with our small trailer for the night before we head further on the road. We loved it! It's a lovely drive to get to the forest, and another 4 miles or so through the park until you get to the campground. I wish we could have stayed longer, it looked like a great place to spend the day walking around.

The sites were a great size and a lot of them are in the shade of the tall trees. It was extremely green while we were there, which was just beautiful.

We were able to back our trailer in between some of the trees to get a little further from the road. Most or all of the featured some sort of water feature either closeby or directly behind the site. Such a peaceful sound to wake up to.

Women's bathroom was super clean. No reception at all.

Great little park. Lots of hiking. Google took us in the back way (4 mile hollow road) which is gravel and has lots of turns. But our minivan did fine. Lots of nice picnic areas and hiking trails.
We Tent camped in a nice site by the creek. It poured at night but we stayed dry in our tent. Several other campers on a Tuesday night.
Bathhouse was dated but showers were really nice.
They are updating it all for next season tho.
No cell or data at all but they have free WiFi at the main bathhouse & laundry area.
Electric sites are $37.
If the office is closed just find an open spot and they come around to collect money.

We stayed here one night while we were traveling through the area. This state forest is surprisingly close to Charleston, WV the state capital. We would definitely stay here again, but the campground isn't without issues and therefore difficult to give it a star rating. First, the road into the campground is very steep with many blind sharp turns and through a neighborhood. Large RVs or 5th wheels would not be able to make the road down since we nearly didn't make it with a Toyota Highlander and small tent camper. Most sites are better suited for tent camping due to the size. We found one we got into but getting level was a challenge. I think we paid about $22 to a camp host who came around and collected money. We dry camped with a bathhouse, potable water available, ice and firewood for sale. The bathhouse met our needs but was not fancy. Some playground equipment available.

What we liked: this is very woodsy camping in a cool valley with a tiny stream running though the campground. The kind of stream kids and find crayfish and minnows in. The kind of campground you'd slather on some bug repellent and sit in the shade with a good book.