Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Poplar Branch Shelter
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · WV · 38.30156, -80.42413
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 Poplar Branch Shelter
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,592 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Poplar Branch 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 Poplar Branch Shelter · Monongahela National Forest · WV
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery8 mi
- LLaundry8 mi
- MMechanic8 mi
- @Mail8 mi
- FFuel10 mi
- HHardware12 mi
- RxPharmacy12 mi
- +Urgent care16 mi
- OOutfitter18 mi
- WWater19 mi
- EVEV fast charger19 mi
- DDump26 mi
- ShShower38 mi
- PPropane46 mi
- AAir-up54 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 — Poplar Branch Shelter
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
2,592 ft
State
WV
Coordinates
38.30156, -80.42413
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Poplar Branch Shelter · Monongahela National Forest · WV (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townRichwood · ~8.3 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~9.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~26.4 mi
- GroceriesDollar General Market · ~7.6 mi
- PharmacyGauley River Pharmacy · ~12.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicCommunity Care of West Virginia · ~16.3 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~12.3 mi
EV charging — from Poplar Branch Shelter · Monongahela National Forest · WV — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger18.8 mi straight-line E — 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 reach3 within 25 mi · 8 within 50 · 96 within 100 · 267 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)30.5 mi — Sutton, WV - Tesla Supercharger, Sutton
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO22.1 mi — SUMMERSVILLE WV SUMMERSVILLE, Summersville
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)7.9 mi — Richwood City Hall (at a municipal building) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-14 · hours: 24 hours daily
- 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 Poplar Branch Shelter · Monongahela National Forest · WV — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletCranberry Campground · ~1.7 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSummit Lake Campground · ~3.8 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBishop Knob Campground · ~4.3 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNorth Bend Picnic Area · ~5.0 mi S · USFS
Open Poplar Branch Shelter elsewhere
Other camps near Poplar Branch Shelter
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Cranberry Campground~1.9 mi
- Pheasant Hollow Shelter~2.8 mi
- Dogway Shelter~3.7 mi
- Summit Lake Campground~3.8 mi · fee
The unit that manages Poplar Branch Shelter
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Poplar Branch Shelter are set by Monongahela National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Poplar Branch 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 Poplar Branch 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 — Poplar Branch Shelter
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →How to read this 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 →