New River State Park

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.