Grandview Sandbar Campground

Grandview Sandbar Campground is one of the eight primitive campgrounds in the New River Gorge National River. It offers opportunities for fishing, hiking, and easy put-in or take-out for rafters and kayakers on the New. The sound of the river is always present.

Grandview Sandbar Campground is a bit over a mile down the 6-mile improved dirt Glade Creek Road. It is suitable for any car and mid-sized RV if you are willing to carefully work your way around the numerous potholes. At the end of the road is Glade Creek Campground and the Glade Creek Trailhead that is also a great primitive campground and hike along a beautiful, noisy creek.

At Grandview Sandbar Campground, there is a small community cemetery from the old mining town of Royal. The cemetery is just up the hill from the campground. The Little Laurel Trail trailhead is located at the beginning of Glade Creek Road after you cross the railroad tracks on your way into the campground. It is a long graded trail that ascends about 1,200 feet up the gorge to the canyon rim near the Grandview Visitor Center. It passes through the few “nature reclaimed” remains of the old town of Royal. The Little Laurel Trail is suitable for hiking and mountain biking.

There are six walk-in and seven mid-sized or smaller RV and tent sites at Grandview Sandbar. The best campsite in the walk-in area is the farthest from the parking due to the additional privacy provided by natural screening. The best drive-in site is at the far end of the loop adjacent to the handicap accessible site. The sites are not numbered.

The campground has a small boat ramp for launching and recovering rafts and kayaks. There is a large parking lot for this popular launch and recovery site along with several picnic sites and a river beach. Care must be taken before wading in the powerful New River, particularly with kids.

The campground has centrally located vault toilets with a smell suppression system that works well. The walk-in sites also have vault toilets. The campground is open year round, is free, and has handicap accessible camping and picnic sites. There is no cell phone coverage. The New River Gorge is a major modern rail transportation route with the busy tracks on the far side of the river. Modern freight trains aren’t as romantic as old steam trains, so expect train noise that is a bit more annoying. Still, this is a great, relaxing location that provides easy access to the river, the hiking at Glade Creek and Little Laurel Trail, and exploring the surrounding areas in the gorge.