Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
South Fork Shelter
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · WV · 38.23519, -80.30201
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 South Fork Shelter
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,314 ft.
Fire & smoke — around South Fork 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 South Fork Shelter · Monongahela National Forest · WV
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- MMechanic8 mi
- FFuel8 mi
- +Urgent care8 mi
- @Mail8 mi
- GGrocery10 mi
- WWater11 mi
- LLaundry11 mi
- OOutfitter11 mi
- HHardware11 mi
- EVEV fast charger11 mi
- RxPharmacy20 mi
- DDump33 mi
- ShShower35 mi
- PPropane38 mi
- AAir-up56 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 — South Fork Shelter
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
3,314 ft
State
WV
Coordinates
38.23519, -80.30201
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around South Fork Shelter · Monongahela National Forest · WV (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureLittle Red Run (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townDogway · ~3.9 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelMarathon · ~8.4 mi
- Propane / LPGTrent's Arbovale · ~29.7 mi
- GroceriesMarathon · ~11.2 mi
- PharmacyGreen Bank Pharmacy · ~27.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicPocahontas Memorial Hospital · ~10.7 mi
- HardwareCJ Richardson Hardware Furniture Appliances · ~11.4 mi
EV charging — from South Fork Shelter · Monongahela National Forest · WV — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger11.4 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 reach1 within 25 mi · 7 within 50 · 105 within 100 · 267 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)30.2 mi — Lewisburg, WV - Tesla Supercharger, Lewisburg
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO29.1 mi — SUMMERSVILLE WV SUMMERSVILLE, Summersville
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)11.4 mi — Mitchell Chevrolet, Marlinton, WV (at a car dealership) · Non-Networked · J1772, CCS · 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 South Fork Shelter · Monongahela National Forest · WV — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletWilliams River Valley Scenic Overlook · ~3.4 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBig Spruce Scenic Overlook · ~4.1 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFalls Of Hills Creek Parking/Trailhead · ~4.4 mi SW · USFS
- Flush restroomCranberry Mountain Nature Center · ~4.5 mi SE · USFS
Open South Fork Shelter elsewhere
Other camps near South Fork Shelter
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- North Fork Shelter~2.0 mi
- House Log Shelter~3.4 mi
- Tumbling Rock Shelter~3.4 mi
- Bear Run Campsites~4.6 mi
The unit that manages South Fork Shelter
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at South Fork Shelter are set by Monongahela National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — South Fork 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 South Fork 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 — South Fork Shelter
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Leave no trace →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 →