Looking to getaway and spend a weekend in nature? Look no further than camping in Coopers Rock State Forest, WV!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. I only recommend things I've tried myself or that a trusted peer has recommended and all additional income goes into keeping this site running smoothly!
Where to Stay
There are many options for camping in Coopers Rock State Forest. The state forest offers three different types of camping: traditional tent sites, modern hookups, and a unique canvas tent stay called a Tentrr. Two campgrounds are located at Coopers Rock, where campers can reserve sites up to a year in advance. The campgrounds close in winter but open by the first weekend in April (weather dependent – call the park for more details).
Traditional tent sites are located at Rhodedendron Campground (no trailers are allowed). On the other hand, McCollum Campground has modern hookups, showers, and Wifi. We originally looked for a site to car camp, which ruled out Rhodedendron, but we didn’t want to risk a loud or crowded modern hookup site. We decided to go with the Tentrr!
How to Book a Campsite at Coopers Rock
To book a stay at Coopers Rock, you’ll need to book through the West Virginia State Parks booking site.
- Ensure the top tab says “camping” and that the location listed is Coopers Rock State Forest.
- Put in your dates into the date selection and how many are in your party.
- Click “Search”. If there is nothing available, then you will need to pick new dates as there is no availability in your desired location.
- For the area you’d like to stay at, click the pink “View Sites” button
5. Once you click “View Sites”, the available sites will show up below. Click “View Rate” to click into the individual site for pictures and details.
6. Once you’re in the individual site page, you can click through to see photos of the site, amenities, look at the availability calendar, and read policies. Once you’ve done your research, click “Book Now” to book your site.
7. This will take you to a checkout page where you can review your dates and check-in/checkout times. Follow the checkout instructions and you’re booked and ready to go!
Alternatively, you can book directly with Tentrr if you are choosing that option instead of a more traditional campsite. Here’s a link to the exact site we stayed at! (FYI – If you use my link, I’ll get a commission at no cost to you!)
As always, follow the principles of leave no trace when you're out on an adventure!
Coopers Rock State Forest Tentrr Review
I had never heard of a Tentrr prior to looking for places to stay and didn’t even know what it was. A Tentrr is a pre-set up canvas tent on a platform. From looking at their website, it looks like different sites have different amenities. Ours had a queen bed with a mattress, two side tables, two Adirondack chairs outside, a table with bench seating, a firepit, and cupboards.
Overall Feedback
Overall, this was a great experience and I would recommend to anyone camping in Coopers Rock. This Tentrr site was amazingly remote. We felt like the only people on the face of the earth. Site D, the one we chose, was in the middle of a valley meaning we couldn’t hear anyone the entire trip.
The Tentrr setup was super convenient. It was great to not have to get to a campsite and set up a tent and sleeping pads. It was also easier to maneuver than car camping, since we had more room to spread out and prepare our food. We also didn’t have to pack everything back into bags at the end of the night.
We were unable to test the heater, as our host communicated that it was broken two days before our trip. While temps got into the mid-40’s at night, we were totally fine in our sleeping bags with a blanket on top. We also did not test the toilet, which seemed like a chamber pot (and I didn’t want to have to figure how to empty it).
Pros
Our host, Hunter, was very communicative and responsive. We were asked to provide our approximate arrival time to the host a couple days before. When I emailed him, he got back to me very quickly. He also was able to answer any questions very promptly.
The directions provided to the site parking area were very thorough. We were able to find the area very easily.
The bed was very comfortable. As mentioned above, we did not bring sheets as recommended by the Tentrr folks. Instead we brought sleeping bags, which was perfect.
The Tentrr was dog friendly!! We love bringing Tom on our adventures and would not have booked if it was not dog friendly. The remoteness of the site was perfect for our sometimes-reactive wee beast.
Cons
While the directions to the parking area were very thorough, we did not realize we would be hiking a tenth of a mile steeply downhill to the campsite. I do not recommend arriving to these specific campsites in the dark for that reason. (We arrived in daylight and were fine – just a word of caution!). I would have packed slightly differently if I knew I was going to be taking three trips up and down!
While the site description said another tent could be added to the site, I am unclear on how that would work as there was extremely limited flat ground. This also made it hard to walk around sometimes, as one side of the platform was on the ground and the other side was about four feet off the ground because of the location. This wouldn’t have been an issue for us except we brought an overactive dog who needed to explore everything!
My husband thought that $85/night was a little pricey (especially for not having the heater) but I thought it was nice to not have to worry about setting up and taking down camp.
Overall, I really enjoyed this unique experience. If you would love to try out a Tentrr like ours, click below!
Love West Virginia State Parks? Have you heard of Pennsylvania State Parks? Check out my guide to all the State Parks!
Why Stay at Coopers Rock
Coopers Rock State Forest is an awesome place for enjoying nature. The park features over 50 miles of hiking and biking trails, a scenic overlook, cliffs for climbing and bouldering, and picnic shelters. The park is also located only 13 miles from Morgantown, for those who like to combine their trips with some town life.
When we arrived at the park on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, it was PACKED. We were considering going to the overlook prior to the campsite but all the parking lots were full and we figured it wouldn’t even be worth it to get out of the car.
How do you avoid crowds like this? Stay in the park overnight and get there the next morning! We had the overlook to ourselves on Sunday morning.
Love a great outdoor weekend adventure? Click here for my post about Best Road Trips from Pittsburgh!
Post Updated 11/13/2022