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Tent Camping Heaven
Open: May 5 through November 31
Individual sites: 25
Each site has: Main Loop: picnic table, fire grate, tent pad, lantern post; Tent Camper's Area: picnic table, stand-up grill, fire grate
Site assignment: Reservations accepted, but not required
Registration: By phone, or self-registration at campground
Facilities: Water spigots, vault toilets
Parking: At campsites only for Main Loop or tent camper's parking area
Fee: $7 per night
Elevation: 1,750 feet
Restrictions:
Pets - On leash only
Fires - In fire grates only
Alcoholic beverages - At campsites only Vehicles - None
Other - 14-day stay limit
To get there: From Parsons, drive north on WV 72 for 6 miles to the Cheat River Bridge at St. George. There is a sign for Horseshoe Campground here. Cross the Cheat River and enter St. George. Soon turn right on Holly Meadows Road (Route 1) and follow it for 3 miles to Horseshoe Run Road (Route 7). Turn left on Horseshoe Run Road and follow it for 3.3 miles to Horseshoe Campground, which will be on your left.
For more information: U.S. Forest Service, P.O. Box 368, Parsons, WV 26287; information (304) 478-3251, reservations (877) 444-6777; www.fs.fed.us/r9/mon/
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By now you have noticed Horseshoe Run. There is a nice swimming hole here by the field. It's a great place to cool off. Trout fishermen will want to get a little bit away from the swimming hole to vie for trout in Horseshoe Run. If you want to try another watery experience, canoe the Cheat River. Nearby is the Blackwater Outdoor Center (304-478-4456, www.raftboc.com), which will provide canoes and shuttle for a fee on a 35-mile stretch of paddle-able river. Pick the length of your trip. The bass fishing in the Cheat is said to be good.
For more suggestions about what to do in the Horseshoe Run area, visit GORP's guide to Monongahela National Forest.
Nearby Hiking
Trails leave the campground if you want to hike. The Two Camp Trail (Forest Trail #111) leaves the campground near the pay station. It heads downstream for a level 0.4 mile before intersecting the Losh Trail (Forest Trail #155). Take the Losh Trail across Horseshoe Run on a footbridge to climb 1.8 miles to a trail shelter in the high country. Turn on the Dorman Ridge Trail (Forest Trail #153) for a ramble through open areas with mountain panoramas. Return the way you came.
Up McKinley Run, the side stream by the main campground, is another footpath (Forest Trail #154) that climbs along its namesake stream toward Close Mountain. If you want to see some waterfalls, try the Maxwell Run Trail (Forest Trail #157). It starts about a mile back down the road toward Parsons and climbs 2 miles up Maxwell Run in a narrow valley. Return the way you came. And after you come to Horseshoe Run Campground, odds are you will return.
Details mentioned in this article were accurate at the time of publication
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Package Trips:
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from $75USDfor 1 dayEnquire and BookOperated by Wilderness Voyageurs
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from $1175USDfor 4 daysEnquire and BookOperated by Wilderness Voyageurs
