Horseshoe Recreation Area
- Right now
- Closed for the seasonOut of the season the agency publishes
- A night
- $22–$25Across the site types the agency prices
- Sites
- 6All of them booked ahead
- Season
- May 1 – September 30Open May 1 through September 30
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 5 notices
In the agency’s own words
Horseshoe Recreation Area is located in north-central West Virginia, 7 miles from the town of St. George. The campground is tucked in a valley along Horseshoe Run, providing excellent opportunities for fishing, wildlife viewing, and relaxing beside the creek in the beautiful Monongahela National Forest. The campground offers 21 campsites total. Sites 7 through 12 are reservable below, while sites 1 through 6 and 13 through 21 are available on a first come, first served basis. Keep reading
Recreation
Day hiking options include the 1.8-mile Losh Trail, the Dorman Ridge Trail at 1.3 miles, and Two Camp, a short 0.3 mile hike. Fishing for trout is a popular pastime and hunting is allowed in an area about a mile beyond the recreation area.
Facilities
Each site offers picnic tables, grills, and waste receptacles and standard sites have electric hookups. There are accessible vault toilets and non-accessible flush toilets. Hand pumps and a drinking fountain with faucet are available. The camp store sells firewood and ice. The two group picnic shelters are accessible. The large electric pavilion has an occupancy limit of 75, and the small non-electric pavilion has an occupancy limit of 10.
Natural Features
Within the recreation area, open fields are mowed and gravel roads are maintained along the river. The Monongahela Forest extends over the north central highlands of the state, straddling many of the region's highest peaks. Elevation ranges from 1,000 to 4,863 feet above sea level. Variations in terrain and precipitation have created one of the most ecologically diverse national forests in the country. Contact Info Between 05/13/2026 and 09/14/2026 this location is staffed. Please call (304) 801-3262 to speak with local staff. From 09/15/2026 to 05/01/2027 this location is unstaffed. Please call (304) 478-2481 for general information.
Nearby Attractions
Take a scenic drive throughout the forest. Fall brings incredible foliage colors to the region.
What the agency tells you
Be bear aware; keep all food out of sight in approved containers or locked inside your vehicle and remove all food from area after eating
This campground has first-come, first-served sites
For more information on Monongahela National Forest, click here
Everything else this campground posts · 2
Don't move firewood: To limit the spread of invasive tree-killing pests, firewood from outside the area is not permitted. Some states have quarantines and may confiscate your firewood. Please help protect our forests from invasive species by obtaining your firewood at or near your camping destination and burning it on-site. Visit dontmovefirewood.org for more information.
Horseshoe Recreation Area & Campground Monongahela National Forest – Tucker County, WV Horseshoe Recreation Area & Campground—your peaceful escape in the heart of the Monongahela National Forest. Nestled along Horseshoe Creek, this historic site offers a scenic blend of natural beauty and outdoor recreation for campers and day-use visitors alike. Whether you’re here to unplug and relax or explore the trails and creek, you’ll find something to enjoy at Horseshoe. Campsite Overview The campground has 21 campsites to accommodate a variety of camping preferences: - Electric Sites (1–13): 15/30/50 amp service, paved RV and tent pads, picnic tables, and fire pits. - Primitive Sites (14–18): Paved parking, picnic tables, fire pits, and full shade. No electricity. - Walk-In Tent Sites (19–21): Picnic tables and fire pits. One reserved parking space per site. No vehicle access to site. Site Availability: - Sites 1–6 and 13–21 are first-come, first-served (cash/check only; no credit cards accepted). - Sites 7–12 are reservable online at recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232006 up to 2 days in advance. If not reserved, they are first-come, first-served. - No Show/Cancelation: You must occupy your reserved site by 2:00 pm the day following your arrival date or your reservation will be cancelled. If you will be arriving after that time you must contact us at (304) 801-3262. The electric loop at Horseshoe Campground includes 13 sites, each with a paved pad of varying lengths to accommodate different vehicle sizes. Site lengths are as follows: Site 1 is 42 feet, Site 2 is 47 feet, Site 3 is 50 feet, Site 4 is 38 feet, Site 5 is the longest at 55 feet, Site 6 is 46 feet, Site 7 is 51 feet, Site 8 is 35 feet, Site 9 is 36 feet, Site 10 is 31 feet, Site 11 is 42 feet, Site 12 is 29 feet, and Site 13 is the shortest at 24 feet. Campers should select a site that suits the length of their vehicle or trailer to ensure a proper fit. 2026 Camping Fees - Electric Sites (1–13): $25 per night or $17 with Interagency Senior/Access Pass - Primitive & Walk-In Sites (14–21): $20 per night or $12 with Interagency Senior/Access Pass Amenities & Facilities - Restrooms: 4 flush restrooms with sinks (handicap accessible) – Please keep them clean and do not dispose of food or trash inside. - Water Access: 3 water spigots throughout the campground - Trash: Use the main dumpster for all campsite trash—do not use pavilion or restroom trash cans - Cell Service: None (no provider coverage) - Wi-Fi: Not available - Showers/Dump Station: Not available - EV Charging: Not available - Vehicle Size: Sites accommodate vehicles from 24 ft to a maximum of 55 ft - Quiet Hours: 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM - Check-In: 2:00 PM - Out Time: 12:00 PM Recreation & Day Use The day-use area includes a historic CCC-built pavilion with electricity (available for same-day rental if not reserved), a picnic shelter, and Horseshoe Creek, a designated snorkel site great for swimming, fishing, and relaxing by the water. Enjoy the volleyball net, recreation field, and three hiking trails that begin at the campground. A bin of balls and frisbees is located between the restrooms in Loop A—feel free to borrow for games and fun. At night, the day-use field is a great spot for stargazing. For safety, children should not ride bikes or scooters after dusk. Campground Guidelines & Reminders - Pets must be leashed or secured at all times (no pets in restrooms). - Do not park or drive on grass or campsites. Overflow parking is available in both loops and the day-use area. - Do not burn trash in fire pits. Fully extinguish fires before leaving. Buckets available from the camp host. - Do not flush anything but toilet paper—violations can result in restroom closures. Please treat the campground with care. All hosts are volunteers working to keep this area beautiful and accessible.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 6
- Hookups
- 6 electric
- Longest rig
- 35 ft
- Paved pads
- 4 of 6
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets · Vault Toilets
- “…electric hookups. There are accessible vault toilets and non-accessible flush toilets. Hand pumps and a…”
- Drinking water
- Yes
- “…and non-accessible flush toilets. Hand pumps and a drinking fountain with faucet are available.…”
- Store
- Nearby
- Firewood
- Mentioned
Around the campground
- On the water
- River, Creek
- Fishing
- Hunting
- Night sky · 46th darkest of 69 in WV
- Bortle 4
No reading yet, book on recreation.gov
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
No availability snapshot inside the last 36 hours, so this page draws nothing rather than ageing a reading into fiction.
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 19
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rates for this season, $22–$25 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
16 records
All 16 records
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 6 of the 16 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| HORS | 007 | standard electric | 30 ft | 15/30/50/15 amp | $22–$25 | |
| HORS | 008 | standard electric | 30 ft | 15/50/30/15 amp | $22–$25 | |
| HORS | 009 | standard electric | 35 ft | 15 amp | $22–$25 | |
| HORS | 010 | standard electric | 35 ft | 15/30/50 amp | $22–$25 | |
| HORS | 011 | standard electric | 30 ft | 15/30/50 amp | $22–$25 | |
| HORS | 012 | standard electric | 29 ft | 15/30/50 amp | $22–$25 | |
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXX | unnamed record | 35 ft | yes | $17 | |
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXX1 | unnamed record | $17 | |||
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXX2 | unnamed record | $17 | |||
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXX3 | unnamed record | $17 | |||
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXX4 | unnamed record | $17 | |||
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXX5 | unnamed record | $17 | |||
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXX6 | unnamed record | $17 | |||
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXX7 | unnamed record | $17 | |||
| PAVI | 001 | day use | 15 amp | yes | $85–$125 | |
| PAVI | 002 | day use | $20 |
The agency files 10 more records here that aren’t sites for the night: 2 it files as day use and 8 it types MANAGEMENT rather than a campsite. They’re in the table above, marked for what they are, and none of them is counted as a site.
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Stuart Recreation AreaMonongahela National Forest · 20 miStuart Day Use Area and CampgroundMonongahela National Forest · 20 mi
Seneca ShadowsSpruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area · 27 mi
Jess JudySpruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area · 27 miFrom Parsons, take State Route 72 northeast to State Route 5 to St. George. In St. George, turn south on State Route 1. Follow State Route 1 to the intersection of State Route 7. Turn left on State Route 7 and continue past the YMCA Camp Horseshoe to the Horseshoe Recreation Area entrance.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for St. George, WV
Typical weather
Typical May night 50°F, day 73°F.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or moreOutside the published season
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Horseshoe Recreation Area is in West Virginia’s 2nd congressional district. Its representative, Riley Moore (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →