New River State Park

We enjoyed our stay at New River State Park. We wanted to go after Thanksgiving to get a Choose and Cut Christmas Tree farm. Unfortunately, I did not think about booking this until a month before and all the sites were taken. Checking the reservation system daily paid off. About 10 days before 2 spots opened up. We got our tree and enjoyed walking to the river while there. It was so peaceful.

Our site was nice with one step up to the tent platform. Nice picnic table and fire pit. This platform and the platform to the site below (17 I think) back up to each other.

Verizon cover was ok on extended.

Really enjoyed the layout of this campground. We stayed at the walk-in sites US Highway 221 access. The sites were level with gravel throughout. Included the traditional picnic table, lantern post and fire ring. I liked how the fire rings left up exposing the concrete base do they can be cleared of ashes. Ours was completely clean when we arrived. The bathrooms were very clean and shower water hot. Not as close to the river as I would like but nice to be near it. Also liked that they had several rolling wagons available to transport your gear to the site. Unfortunately it is when Zeta blew through so we bailed earlier than expected because of high winds. Verizon cell service as perfect. We stayed in a tent in site 26.

We stayed 5 nights and it was wonderful. Each spot has its own patio area (some are raised or lowered) with a picnic table and fire ring. Within the park you can access the river which is beautiful and there are a couple trails that we loved. If it’s a clear night you can see the Milky Way. Most sites are only electric, no water or sewer (so fill up your tanks on the way in!). The only downfall is you must be in the park by closing, summer is not bad at 10pm but winter is 7pm. We have already booked Christmas and next Summer here.

We had a brief but wonderful 1 night stay. Almost all the 20 RV spots were very private with brush/tree barriers in between and most sites were fairly level. We had one of the 10 full service (elec/water/sewage) sites. The bathhouse was spotless. No WIFI. The hosts, Doug & Carol Murison, came by about 7pm, answered our questions and offered to deliver firewood ($5 exact cash per bundle). We will definately be back!

As others have mentioned, some of the sites are designed backwards, and ours was one of them. We had no issue though because we have a short rig and managed to pull in frontward so that the pad and table (and the view) would be on the door side of the RV. It was easy to run the electrical cord around to the other side. Our site had morning shade, but full sun in the afternoons. However, it was relatively cool while we were there, so it didn't matter.

Loved the trails near the 221 Access. Hiked down to the river, rested while having lunch, then hiked a longer route back along the river. We were almost alone out there.

There are only 20 sites at the US Hwy 221 access. All of which are beautiful, spacious and spread out. The bathhouse is new and well maintained. The only negative we noticed is for some of the sites the picnic table and fire ring are on the opposite side of the camper door and awning. We used this location as a basecamp to visit 5 additional NC State Parks and the VA Creeper Trail.

The appeal of this park is its access to the New River. The New River is notable for geological reasons and also for whitewater rapids in certain areas. We had a good experience and would camp here again, especially if it fit neatly into our travel plans. The RV campground (that's where we stayed) is very nice but not what we think of as a special destination. We did stroll through the walk-in/paddle-in campground on the river, and it is special.

We spent a weekend on site #7 (Hwy 221 access). The site was flat and sufficiently private. That site is in close proximity to the bathhouse, which is clean, relatively modern, has hot showers, and motion-activated lights both inside and on the surrounding sidewalk.

The visitor's center is nearby; it also offers a few staple items for sale, including wet sacks if you happen to be a paddler. There are very few stores in the immediate vicinity; the closest store seemed to close awfully early for Saturday in mid-summer.

Due to a large nearby tree, site #7 had good shade in the morning. Before mid-day the sun was directly on our camper and remained on it until early evening. Other sites have better shade -- for example site #12. While the solar exposure at site #7 may be enough to provide good solar power, some other sites do not have as much shade in the morning.

Verizon cell service was strong; my phone showed several bars of Extended LTE service. I tethered my computer and worked without service disruption.

We had fog or mist both mornings - it was froggy (foggy) as our nephew used to describe it. The fog burned off early in the day. There is a 1 1/4 mile path through the woods from the bathhouse down to the river. We did not walk the path. The drive from the campground to the river is somewhat hilly.

If we camped in a tent rather than a camper, I would choose to stay at the walk-in/paddle-in campground and would regard it as something of a destination camping experience. Paddlers can pull in next to numerous camp sites located within just a few feet of the river. Those sites enjoy ready access to a modern bathhouse and (presumably) good cell service. There is a storage rack for canoes on the river and a couple of landing areas with steps built from the bank into the water. These campsites are completely shaded and noticeably cooler than the sites at the RV campground. The sites are shared by walk-in campers who park 100 yards away and by paddle-in campers who arrive on the river. All sites must be reserved. The walk-in/paddle-in campground would be an extraordinary stop for a kayaker. It is cool, quiet, and peaceful but still has hot showers and a modern bathhouse.