Free camping near Bowden, WV
Within 25 straight-line miles of Bowden, WV there are 48 camps: 37 free, 11 fee. The closest is Monongahela National Forest, 2.1 miles north of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Monongahela National Forest, 2.1 miles out. 6 of them are camps Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 28 on the Forest Service; 20 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monongahela National ForestDave slept here | 2.1 | Free | Rattlesnake Run (stream) | 2.1 mi to Faulkner | — |
| Bear Heaven Campground | 2.2 | Fee | — | 2.2 mi to Bowden | — |
| Stuart Group Campground | 3.3 | Fee | Wolf Run (stream) | 1.4 mi to Meadows | — |
| Stuart Campground | 3.5 | Fee | — | 3.5 mi to Bowden | — |
| Lower Glady Dispersed Camp Site | 8.0 | Free | Glady Fork of the Cheat (stream) | 1.7 mi to Sully | — |
| Dry Fork Camping Area | 11 | Free | Glady Fork (river) | 1.0 mi to Gladwin | — |
| Laurel Fork Campground | 12 | Fee | — | 9.5 mi to Whitmer | — |
| Wildell Shelter | 12 | Free | West Fork Greenbrier River (stream) | 1.1 mi to Beulah | — |
| Johnny Meadows Camping | 13 | Free | — | 3.3 mi to Whitmer | — |
| Gandy Creek Camping Area | 13 | Free | Gandy Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Osceola | — |
| Randolph CountyDave slept here | 14 | Free | Gandy Creek (stream) | 1.4 mi to Osceola | — |
| Pointy Knob Shelter | 14 | Free | South Fork Red Run (stream) | 2.1 mi to Elk | — |
| Railroad Grade Shelter | 15 | Free | North Fork Red Run (river) | 3.4 mi to Elk | — |
| Gatewood Campground | 15 | Fee | — | 7.1 mi to Whitmer | — |
| Tucker CountyDave slept here | 15 | Free | Lindy Run (stream) | 3.1 mi to Douglas | — |
| Spruce Knob Lake Campground | 15 | Fee | — | 7.7 mi to Whitmer | — |
| Monongahela National ForestDave slept here | 16 | Free | Blackwater River (river) | 2.5 mi to Mackeyville | — |
| Davis Shelter | 17 | Free | North Fork Red Run (river) | 2.8 mi to Canaan Heights | — |
| Little River Camping Area | 17 | Free | Little River (stream) | 4.4 mi to May | — |
| Tucker CountyDave slept here | 17 | Free | North Fork Red Run (river) | 2.2 mi to Cortland | — |
| Tucker CountyDave slept here | 18 | Free | — | 2.4 mi to Thomas | — |
| Johns Camp Shelter | 18 | Free | Johns Camp Run (stream) | 1.1 mi to May | — |
| Seneca Shadows Campground | 18 | Fee | — | 8.6 mi to Whitmer | — |
| Dispersed camp #2 — Tucker County, WV | 19 | Free | Red Creek (river) | 2.5 mi to Laneville | — |
| Dispersed camp #4 — Tucker County, WV | 19 | Free | Stonecoal Run (stream) | 3.1 mi to Laneville | — |
| Dispersed camp #3 — Tucker County, WV | 19 | Free | Stonecoal Run (stream) | 3.2 mi to Laneville | — |
| Dispersed camp #12 — Tucker County, WV | 19 | Free | Red Creek (river) | 3.1 mi to Laneville | — |
| Dispersed camp #5 — Tucker County, WV | 19 | Free | Stonecoal Run (stream) | 3.8 mi to Laneville | — |
| Dispersed camp #6 — Tucker County, WV | 19 | Free | Stonecoal Run (stream) | 3.8 mi to Laneville | — |
| Dispersed camp #8 — Tucker County, WV | 19 | Free | Stonecoal Run (stream) | 4.0 mi to Cortland | — |
| Dispersed camp #13 — Tucker County, WV | 19 | Free | Stonecoal Run (stream) | 3.7 mi to Cortland | — |
| Horseshoe Campground | 19 | Fee | — | 5.2 mi to St. George | — |
| Mikes Run Shelter | 20 | Free | Horseshoe Run (river) | 1.7 mi to Pleasant Vale | — |
| Dispersed camp #9 — Tucker County, WV | 20 | Free | Red Creek (river) | 3.6 mi to Laneville | — |
| Dispersed camp — Tucker County, WV | 20 | Free | Fisher Spring Run (stream) | 3.7 mi to Laneville | — |
| Dispersed camp #7 — Tucker County, WV | 20 | Free | Fisher Spring Run (stream) | 4.4 mi to Laneville | — |
| Middle Mountain Road Fs 14 Dispersed | 20 | Free | Cambell Run (stream) | 4.1 mi to Thornwood | — |
| Dispersed camp #10 — Tucker County, WV | 21 | Free | — | — | — |
| Dispersed camp #11 — Tucker County, WV | 21 | Free | Fisher Spring Run (stream) | 4.8 mi to Laneville | — |
| Stonecoal Campground | 21 | Free | Red Run (stream) | 3.9 mi to Braucher | — |
| Stonecoal Dispersed Camping | 21 | Free | Red Run (stream) | 4.0 mi to Braucher | — |
| Dispersed camp #15 — Tucker County, WV | 22 | Free | Alder Run (stream) | 4.6 mi to Jordan Run | — |
| Dispersed camp #14 — Tucker County, WV | 22 | Free | — | — | — |
| Red Creek Campground | 23 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Davis | — |
| Island Campground | 23 | Fee | — | 5.1 mi to Bartow | — |
| Mower Basin Dispersed | 23 | Free | Lambert Run (stream) | 4.5 mi to Elkwater | — |
| Jess Judy Campground | 25 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Petersburg | — |
| West Fork Fs 44 Dispersed | 25 | Free | West Fork Greenbrier River (river) | 0.5 mi to Olive | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Bowden, WV, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.