Introduction:
This campground's greatest asset and biggest drawback is its location. The campground is located right next to the New River in Gauley Bridge, West Virginia, so it's fantastic for folks looking to get away and enjoy the river. But in order to get to it, you need to drive along very steep, winding mountain roads. It is not for the inexperienced big rig driver. Additionally, once you're there, the big, beautiful mountains that provide such stunning scenery create all kinds of havoc for your internet connectivity.
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The Basics:
Overall Rating: 2.8/5
Price per night / Discounts: $34 / None
Campground website: New River Campground
Our Site #: 37
Privacy Rating (how spacious and private do the sites feel):
4/5: There are a handful of sites that are laid out parallel to the river. We had one of these sites (#37), so we had no one next to us. Most of the rest of the sites are back in sites, and those are more typical of commercial campgrounds. Nothing terrible, but nothing great either. If you can get one of the sites like we had, you'll have a lot of space and it will feel quite private. Otherwise, it's pretty standard stuff. Also, be aware, only certain sites have full hook ups and 50 amp service.
Location Rating (accessibility to points of interest or to major highways):
3/5: If you're looking to get away from it all and you want to be right on the New River, this location can't be beat, but there's not much else around. Additionally, we had to go way off the main interstate to get there, and the approaches from either side of the mountain are no joke. It's absolutely beautiful, and a perfect place to explore the river from, but it's definitely off the beaten path.
Site Quality and Big Rig Accessibility Rating (utilities and accessibility of campground hook ups):
2/5: Getting to the campground in a large motorhome took serious skill because of the twisty mountain roads and, once we got to the campground, the turn into the driveway was extremely tight. The sites themselves were well maintained and we could access ours, but the place was very sparsely populated when we visited. If it was the height of the season, I expect it could be a bit more difficult. I would hesitate to recommend this place to owners of big rigs.
Technology and Customer Service Rating (online resources, reservations, and staff):
4/5: Their website is reasonably modern, but I had to call for reservations. The office was closed when we got there, but the lady who runs the place arrived quickly and got us checked in. She was very nice and asked if there was anything she could help us with and checked in on us again a little later on.
Internet Availability Rating (Verizon coverage or campground wifi):
1/5: This was the worst internet situation we've had since we've been on the road. We had almost no signal at all on our Verizon hot spot, and the campground's wifi was spotty, at best (per the usual). If you need internet access to do your job or for whatever else, I would strongly caution against staying here. It was incredibly frustrating to not be able to get simple things taken care of (like routing to our next stop or making campground reservations at other places) because of our inability to get online.
Summary:
This place is great, but terrible. It's great because it's right next to the New River and is surrounded by gorgeous mountains. But those mountains make everything more difficult. Getting to the campground requires a lengthy drive on twisting turning mountain roads, there are not many conveniences really close by, and the mountains make internet connectivity very difficult. If you own a smaller RV and do not require connectivity, this place is great. Otherwise, we cannot recommend it.
Worst campground ever !!!!!! The owner is super crazy !!!!!! Committed to being a campground host for her after passing on other host jobs and when those where filled the owner kicked us out !!!!! She has terrible customer service, false advertising and is extremely rude to customers. We have stayed and worked at many never have experienced this level of lack of communication, rudeness and many other things. Even though the view is beautiful and on the river I would suggest to never stay here because the rest will ruin your experience!!!!!