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Located just below Summersville Dam. From Route 19 at Mt. Nebo, take Route 129 west across the dam, then turn left at the river access sign. Bear right through the parking lot to the campsites.
Free campground right on the Gauley River. Pit toilets close by and flush toilets 1000 ft down the road. Campground fills up towards the end of the day. It's a popular put in place for rafters and kayakers. Sites are nice and grassy but a little squished. No privacy at all. Still, for a free campsite it's amazing. Would definitely recommend staying here. The Army Corps of Engineers campground up the road is also nice but nothing beats the price of Gauley Tailwaters Campground.
Great little free campground. The lots are relatively small, and packed next to each other. It was great for my boyfriend and I. We stayed for 6 days and it was perfect. The siren for rising water levels is easy to tune out. The side next to the river gets shade in the morning and the side next to the hill gets shade in the evening. It's cozy, quiet, and comfortable. There are bathrooms at both ends which is great too. Couldn't ask for a better free stay.
It is a nice place to camp, it is free and it is close to Summerville Lake. The park is right there to. Each camp site has its own fire pit and grill. Also it has restrooms and a bath house. It is first come first serve. It has trash cans and a dumpster for your trash. You have to find downed trees to burn or you can bring your own. Fat Eddie's at the Dam is right up the road from it, plus a bait shop for the fishing people. I really liked camping there. I will definitely be going back.
Stayed the night on the way through. There were around 15 spots. Only one other camper there that night.
I did not look inside the bathrooms, but there were some.
No utilities, no garbage disposal but nice and quiet.
Nice for a night or two! Even better that it’s free! But with few trees and no space between each campsite it can feel a little crowded. There are pit toilets at the end of the road with all the sites but it’s a little rough in there. Each site had a fire pit and picnic table but no space for hammocks (steep hill down to the river on one side and a steep slope up the canyon on the other). There is no direct access to the Gauley since the campground is set much higher than normal water levels but you can find your way down w some determination. Heads up, there was a long horn that sounded multiple times in the night from over by the dam.
