Stuart Recreation Area

[BOBSMITH]

My wife and I wanted to visit a part of West Virginia where we hadn't been in a couple of years, and we reserved a campsite at the Stuart Recreation Area in the Monagahela National Forest not far from Elkins, WV.

The campground is very nice, located off of a Forest Service Road in the woods in a very quiet and peaceful setting. During the day there is some slight noise from neaby SR 33, but it quickly tapers off in the afternoons and the nights are extremely quiet. The campground is located not far from the river where there are some great swimming holes and a very large picnic area with bathhouses along the riverbank. Extremely picturesque.

Nearby are Bickle Knob Observation tower, Bear Heaven Campground, Stuart Memorial Drive (a very beautiful Forest Service Road through the forest), and the Otter Creek Wilderness. We used the campground as our base camp to visit Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, Bear Rocks Preserve, Spruce Knob (highest mountain in WV), Blackwater Falls State Park, Seneca Rock, and to go whitewater rafting on the Cheat River. We only had five days and quickly ran out of time before being able to visit all of the places we wanted to see. We're going to head back to that area in October to hit some of those places we missed.

I highly recommend the campground to any interested in a great place to stay in that part of the state. Electric hookups, but not water. There are potable water sources throughout the campground, and a dump station. There are warm showers and flush toilets located at the front of the campground.

<div align="center">

</div>
<div align="center">Casita and truck on the asphalt spur. Not visible is a tent pad behind the Casita.</div>

<div align="center">

</div>
<div align="center">The campsites are very roomy and separated from neaby sites by trees and ample distances.</div>

[Mary F]

Looks gorgeous, Bob. Nice pics, too!