Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Bear Pen Shelter
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · WV · 38.36962, -80.17597
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Bear Pen Shelter
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,331 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Bear Pen ShelterNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Bear Pen Shelter · Monongahela National Forest · WV
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail5 mi
- GGrocery8 mi
- FFuel8 mi
- HHardware10 mi
- OOutfitter10 mi
- LLaundry11 mi
- EVEV fast charger11 mi
- WWater12 mi
- MMechanic16 mi
- +Urgent care16 mi
- RxPharmacy18 mi
- DDump29 mi
- ShShower38 mi
- PPropane43 mi
- AAir-up52 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 8 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Bear Pen Shelter
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
4,331 ft
State
WV
Coordinates
38.36962, -80.17597
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Bear Pen Shelter · Monongahela National Forest · WV (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureRed Run (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townSlaty Fork · ~4.2 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelMarathon · ~10.9 mi
- Propane / LPGTrent's Arbovale · ~20.0 mi
- Dump station~28.9 mi
- GroceriesWildcat Grocery · ~10.2 mi
- PharmacyGreen Bank Pharmacy · ~18.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicPocahontas Memorial Hospital · ~12.2 mi
- HardwareCJ Richardson Hardware Furniture Appliances · ~11.1 mi
EV charging — from Bear Pen Shelter · Monongahela National Forest · WV — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger11.2 mi straight-line SE — Mitchell Chevrolet, Marlinton, WV (at a car dealership) · Non-Networked · J1772, CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-14 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach1 within 25 mi · 9 within 50 · 110 within 100 · 315 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)34.9 mi — Sutton, WV - Tesla Supercharger, Sutton
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO35.8 mi — SUMMERSVILLE WV SUMMERSVILLE, Summersville
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)10.2 mi — HOA at Rimfire Lodge, Snowshoe, WV · Blink Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Snowshoe Mountain Resort - Tesla Destination, Snowshoe, 10.1 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- Pricing at the fast chargerFree (as listed by AFDC)
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 326089 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Bear Pen Shelter · Monongahela National Forest · WV — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletLittle Laurel Scenic Overlook · ~2.1 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWilliams River Rua Sites D4 · ~3.6 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTea Creek Campground · ~3.6 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWilliams River Rua Sites D2 · ~3.7 mi SW · USFS
Open Bear Pen Shelter elsewhere
Other camps near Bear Pen Shelter
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Forks Shelter~1.4 mi
- Tea Creek Shelter~1.5 mi
- Williams River Rua Sites D4~3.6 mi · fee
- Tea Creek Campground~3.6 mi · fee
The unit that manages Bear Pen Shelter
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Bear Pen Shelter are set by Monongahela National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Bear Pen Shelter
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
USFS/BLM authoritative: free & dispersed. Access not field-checked (assumed drive-up).
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Bear Pen Shelter
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Bear Pen Shelter
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Reading your camp page →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →