NOT the Cove. I’m looking for a spot near a fishing hole maybe, kinda secluded. Hour or two of driving is fine. Think family camping.
NOT the Cove. I’m looking for a spot near a fishing hole maybe, kinda secluded. Hour or two of driving is fine. Think family camping.
#RESIST
By "family camping" you mean with groomed campsites and facilities or just a lack of ruffians?Originally Posted by LittleLebowski
Chris
There's fishing near Elizabeth Furnace in the GWNF.
Something easy to get to, preferably no people.
#RESIST
Assuming "easy to get to" means "drive right to the campsite" and not backpacking...
You pretty much have the national forests and similar lands if you want to try and avoid other people.
Disclosure: I don't camp with my family, they're not into it. Also, most of my camping is from Fall to early Spring. I do very little warm-weather camping. That may keep people away and affect my view as to how "isolated" a spot may be.
If you're willing to camp during hunting season, there's a valley between North Mtn and Paddy Mtn off of RT55 just on this side of the WV/VA border called "Vance's Cove". You have to go during hunting season because the forest road is gated otherwise, but there's not as much hunting activity there as there used to be (I've been camping/hunting there for over 20 years). Most of the hunting activity is on deer "either sex" days. The road is well maintained and can be driven in a regular car. There are many primitive campsites all up and down the road. The further in you drive, the less likely you are to see other people. There's lots of good hiking there and the stream at the bottom of the valley is a stocked trout stream that friends of mine have caught trout in. It's closed right now, but will open for Spring Turkey in March or April and will be open till Mid May. I'm going out there with some friends the last weekend before the season ends actually (geeky radio stuff, not hunting this time).
On the other side of the WV/VA border, near Wardensville, is Waites Run. There's a lot of camping opportunities there, some more isolated than others. I've camped in that area 4 times since 2020. We saw a few people drive by, but had no direct interactions with them. At one spot, it was near a popular hiking trail, but our camp was a good 100yds off the road, so while we saw people, they weren't near our camp. I can't provide specific directions because I'm always following my friend, but I can get directions from him. I do recall a couple campsites next to or near streams that hold fish (saw trout, I'm sure there are others).
Further away is the area around Reddish Knob. My fav spot is on top of Flagpole Knob, but it's busy due to it being a popular offroading destination. If you camp up top, you will have offroaders (jeeps, trucks, motorcycles, side-by-sides, etc) driving by constantly. However, a couple weekends ago we were out there and camped off the forest road behind Reddish Knob (right turn off the paved road going to the summit about halfway up). We were 5 miles down that road at a campsite overlooking the valley and a good distance off the road. We saw 2 cars the entire weekend and neither of them stopped. Totally isolated. You could make the drive in a car, but not from the forest road to the campsite (the last 50yds from the forest road to where we camped isn't car-friendly). A truck would be fine though (my buddy's F150 had no problem). Fishing-wise there's a stream down the road from camp and as you drive into the national forest from Harrisonburg there's a small pond full of fish. This one is the furthest away and the one most likely to require 4x4, but it's also the most isolated. You're also close to Reddish and Flagpole and can do some stargazing or general sight-seeing while out there. @Welder can probably fill in the gaps in my description
I can work up more specific directions and such if any of these sound interesting. I also have a bunch of pics for all these sites (not many for the last trip though) and can post them if you think they would be useful.
Chris
I don't have specific recommendations for Campgrouds in the area, but in case it helps: I participate in this web site, which provides accurate up to date info from real people on camps/parks across the US:
https://campgrounds.rvlife.com/
These sound great and my F150 should be fine, please elaborate and thank you.
#RESIST
Did something happen with the Cove? I went there a few times years ago and liked it.
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If you don't mind camping in the national forest during hunting season, Vance's Cove is a nice place to consider. It's the valley between North Mountain and Paddy Mtn, with the VA/WV border running along Paddy's ridge. The Tuscarora Trail, a popular hiking trail in the region, also runs along the Paddy Mtn ridgeline. At the bottom of the valley is Paddy Run, a small stream (5' to 10' wide, no more than a couple feet deep in its deepest pools) that is stocked for trout. Being a stocked trout stream, you will need a trout license to fish there during certain parts of the year.
The forest road running through the valley, Paddy's Cove Lane, is accessible from RT55 about 15 miles from I81 via Exit 296. Paddy's Cove Ln runs about 5 miles from RT55 to the permanently closed gate. Past that gate the forest road runs another mile or so before petering out at the end of the valley. About half a mile past the end of the road is the VA/WV border.
Camping: There are lots of obvious campsites all along the road, but being the national forest, you can camp anywhere. What you can't do is drive around in the forest. Pull your vehicle into a campsite, but don't try to drive in the forest. The further down the road you go, the more alone you'll be for the most part until you hit the last gate. A lot of folks like to park there, so if you use the campsite on the right side of the road by the gate, you'll have to contend with folks parking right by your camp.
Fishing: Paddy Run. Bring your 3wt flyfishing outfit and your trout license.
Non-Hunting Shooting: Since you can only drive out here during hunting season, shooting a gun won't get any attention, but be mindful people are hunting and put a can on that gat.
Hiking: Lots of trails, including Tuscarora. About a half mile from the last gate is a trail (trailhead: 39.03919,-78.54923) heading up the mountain to the Tuscarora Trail, the Gerhard Shelter, and an outhouse. From there you can hike the Tuscarora Trail. At the bottom of the valley is a series of blazed trails that follow the creek and meaner around. On the other side of the valley, on Paddy Mtn, there is a logging road and other trails, but nothing "official".
Wildlife: I've seen bear, deer, coyote, turkey, bobcat, and so on. They all steer clear of people and campsites, so you don't need to worry.
Between I81 and the turn-off for Paddy's Cove Ln, there are two country stores and a local pool/beer hall (Four Corners). The first country store you'll pass has ice, firewood, and other supplies. They are also the last public toilet before you hit the woods.
GPS Coords:
Turn-off for Paddys Cove Ln: 39.09079895528875, -78.49858746148671
Trailhead to Gerhard Shelter: 39.03919,-78.54923
Pics (apologies for the potato quality, several of these were taken back in 1999-2000 when digital cameras sucked):
Camp this past Fall
Paddy Mtn pics:
Jeanette fishing
And she caught one!
It can get COLD there.
Chris
Last edited by mtnbkr; 03-31-2022 at 02:58 PM.
This one is a bit harder for me to describe as I've only been there a few times and always following my buddy who lives in the area. It's national forest land just outside Wardensville, WV (stay on RT55 past the turn off for Vance's Cove/Paddy Ln until you hit Wardensville). Once you get into Wardensville, you'll take a left onto Carpenters Ave, then a right onto Waites Run. From there, you'll drive until you're out of town and up in the hills. I'll need more specific directions from my buddy if you're interested in checking it out.
We've camped in three different spots, but only one more than once. It doesn't seem to be a major hunting area, but one of the spots we camped at was near a semi-popular trailhead. Our camp was a good 100yds away, so while we saw people, they weren't milling around or otherwise disturbing us. Waites Run itself has trout, but I don't know if it's stocked or not. Frankly, I'd go to Vance's Cove if you're camping during hunting season. The main benefit of Waites Run is that it's something different (for us) and open outside of hunting season.
Pics from two of the trips:
We just arrived:
Last morning after it snowed:
Chris
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