On this trip, we were accompanied by my sister and our two nieces. This post is worth a read if you’re looking for family-friendly activities in West Virginia. Our adventures centered around Pipestem Resort State Park and New River Gorge.
We’ve been to Pipestem twice before. In 2023, we camped at a nearby state park and visited Pipestem. We enjoyed that visit so much that in 2024, we camped at Pipestem for the first time. We did different things in the area and visited at different times of the year, so those posts are worth a read as well. You can find the blog posts for those trips here: 2023 trip and 2024 trip
Where We Stayed
Pipestem Resort State Park has more than 4,000 acres of adventure. Activities include horseback riding, ziplines, mini golf, and more. You can visit for the day or stay at a campsite, in a cabin, or in a lodge.
Pipestem State Park Campground
The Campground
Pipestem’s campground isn’t fancy, but the scenery is nice, the campground is quiet, and the location puts you right in the middle of all Pipestem has to offer.
The campground has 82 campsites open year-round. Of those, 31 have full hookups and 19 have electric only. We stayed at a site with full hookups.
There’s a playground and a bathhouse by the campground entrance. Check-in happens in the small building on the right after you turn off the main park road.
Pipestem Cabins Travel Tip
Pipestem does have cabins, but be aware, they’re not interspersed among the RV sites like they are at many other campgrounds. The cabins aren’t too far, but they have their own section between the campground and McKeever Lodge. If you’re traveling with family, be aware you won’t be just a few sites away if someone’s staying in a cabin while you’re in a campsite.
Campsites on one side of the campground are tucked away among the trees and slopes that feel typical of the area. On the other, campsites feel more like they’re part of an open meadow; however, the sites in this section have no sewer hookups.
Our Campsite
Site 23 worked well for us. We weren’t right on top of our neighbors, and it was fairly level.
| Campground Name | Pipestem State Park Campground |
| Location | Pipestem, WV |
| Dates | May 22-25, 2026 |
| Site Number | Site 23 |
| Site Surface | Mostly grass with a small gravel spot |
| Hook-ups | Full hookups |
| Cost | $# per night (including taxes and fees) |
| Water Pressure | ~100 psi |
| Voltage | 120-125 V |
| Verizon Speed Test | 9 Mbps down; 6 Mbps up |
| T-Mobile Speed Test | 33 Mbps down; 3 Mbps up |
Pipestem Campground Travel Tip
Use caution if you don’t have a pressure regulator! Our pressure guage read ~100 psi! Thankfully, our pressure regulator took care of it.
Other Noteworthy Sites
Whenever we stay somewhere, we try to take note of other sites that look good, in case we come back. Site 17 looks quiet, and any site in that row would probably be ok. Site 16 looks a little short to me, but Jesse says we could make it work. Site 26 has a good “side yard” but isn’t full hookups.
Most of the sites aren’t bad, but the topography of the area makes some sites more challenging than others. On out last trip here, we stayed in site 6. Backing up the hill made it tricky to get in. This trip, we noticed site 38. The site was crazy unlevel front to back! Look at how many blocks they needed under the front stabilizers compared to the back bumper.
McKeever Lodge
My sister and nieces stayed in McKeever Lodge. It’s not the fanciest or most updated hotel, but it has some nice amenities, including an indoor pool (with lifeguard) and on-site dining options.
Normally the pool is heated to 92 degrees. Unfortunately, the pool heater was broken while we were there, so water was 68 degrees. The adults decided that was too cold, but the girls were determined to swim. I was impressed that they actually ended up swimming for about an hour.
There’s a sign in lobby that says coffee is available from 7:00-9:00 AM; however, it was empty when my sister checked. After she checked back once or twice and it hadn’t been refilled, she checked with the front desk who said someone in the restaurant upstairs could get her some coffee. Definitely not a deal breaker as far as considering if you want to stay here, but it’s a perk that whould have added to the experience if it were there.
Pipestem has multiple gift shops. There’s one in lodge and a larger one with the aerial trams and creamery. The creamery was decent; the ice cream was good and reasonably priced ($6.36 for 2 smalls in a cup).
Though coffee is on their menu, it doesn’t seem to be something the sell very often. My sister’s excitement at being able to get coffe was quickly squashed by the lukewarm latte she received. The unconventional coffee cup (complete with a plastic straw) is what confirmed coffee is not their specialty.
What We Did
Trail Ride
Pipestem State Park Resort has stables on the property! They offer seasonal trail rides of several different lengths. Our group would consist of Jesse, me, and our two nieces.
For trail rides, kids must be at least 7 years old, but they offer pony rides for younger kids. Given that I’m the only one with horse experience, we figured it was best to go with a short trail ride this time. We chose a 30-minute trail ride. The cost was $30 per person. We scheduled in advance, and they had us pay in person when we arrived.
Even though I have a lot of horse experience, this was my first guided trail ride through a company. The girls had a good time, but I have mixed feelings about it. It all felt a bit rushed to me. Upon arrival, we checked in and signed waivers. They pointed us in the direction of the back of the barn. Staff led several horses out of the barn and pointed each of us to a horse. They told each of us the name of our horse and helped us get on.
I wasn’t close enough to the girls to hear everything they were told, but I expected the staff to take a little more time getting them comfortable and teaching them to steer. I think the time it took for the horse to be led out of the barn to the time each of the kids were up on the horse and moving off was maybe 3 minutes (and most of that was to adjust stirrups). The youngest clearly didn’t understand, as she wasn’t able to get her horse back to the group when the mare decided to go off for a bite of grass. Eventually, our guide clipped a lead rope to the horse and led them for the ride.
It was a very quiet ride; the guide never said anything to us. In her defense, she did keep looking back to check on everyone. Much of the ride was through the woods, but toward the end we were walking in a field along the edge of the treeline.
Overall, I wasn’t impressed by the customer experience, but it was less expensive than trail rides elsewhere, so I guess you get what you pay for?
Jesse and I are going for a trail ride later in the year in western NC. It will be interesting to have something to compare this experience to. Will report back!
Aerial Tram
Pipestem has an aerial tramway, open seasonally, that takes you down into the Bluestone Gorge. At the bottom, there’s a playground, a lodge, and the Bluestone River. You can also access some hiking trails.
The first time we visited Pipestem, we rode the tram with Max and Corona. When we visited in 2024, it was closed for renovations. This time, the newly renovated tramway was open with brand new cars. They fit 6 people, and yes, dogs are still allowed. You purchase tram tickets in gift shop.
There’s a neat rock formation you can see from the car on the way down. This time, we saw a deer hangout out there.
We skipped rocks in the Bluestone River at the bottom. It’s also a good spot for dogs to wade in the water.
Almost Heaven Swing (Picture Time!)
Family photos are an important part of vacations for many people. Pipestem has the perfect place for a group photo, and it’s walking distance from McKeever Lodge.
In 2022, West Virginia installed nine Almost Heaven swings in scenic locations across the state to promote tourism. As of 2026, there are between 40 and 60 swings. One of them is in Pipestem bordering the parking lot by the golf pro shop. (Don’t worry, the view is much prettier than it sounds.) The spot is walking distance from McKeever Lodge (or there’s a parking lot you can use if you prefer to drive).
There’s also an Almost Heaven swing in Bluestone State Park, just a 13-minute drive from the campground.
New River Gorge
The New River Gorge Bridge is one of the most photographed places in West Virginia. Jesse and I have been there before, but my sister and our nieces haven’t, so we thought it was worth a stop before our TimberTrek reservation.
We stopped at Canyon Rim Visitor Center, located within New River Gorge National Park & Preserve. The visitor center offers terrific views of the bridge and the gorge. There are lots of hiking trails, a gift shop, and some educational exhibits.
We have done some hiking here on previous trips, but this trip, we took the short boardwalk to
The Plan Your Visit page on the National Parks Service webiste does a great job breaking down the options based on how much time you have and the type of activity you’re looking for (kid-friendly, historical, hiking, etc).
Obligatory selfie with the bridge in the background…
Adventures on the Gorge: TimberTrek
Adventures on the Gorge is a large resort north of Pipestem. It’s about 1 hr, 15 minutes from the campground. We went for their ropes course, TimberTrek, but they have lodging, pools, restaurants, playgrounds, and more.
Pipestem has a zipline course, but our nieces don’t meet the minimum age/weight requirements. The TimberTrek ropes course at Adventures on the Gorge is a reasonable option if you have younger kids with you.
The course is divided into several different routes of different levels, much like ski slopes. Everyone starts by climbing these stairs. Then you can choose the course you want based on difficulty.
Charlie, at almost 7-years-old, completed the chipmunk course and the yellow course. Josie, at 9-years-old, completed the chipmunk course, yellow course, and two different green courses.
Charlie will be 7 in a few months, and she was just able to do the lowest-level course with minimal assistance from an adult. Charlie was technically allowed to do the chipmunk course by herself, but she still needed help with a couple of things. Fortunately, that course is very low to the ground, so we could watch from the ground. I imagine they’d be too short to try to do any of their clipping/unclipping, and that’s if they had the dexterity to work the clips to begin with.
I know it says you can take kids as young as 4, but I’m glad we didn’t do this any earlier. Between wearing the gear and working the equipment (clips, zipline trolley, etc.), I can’t imagine a 4-year-old handling all of that.
List for Next Time
There’s never enough time to see everything. Here’s our list of things we want to see/do the next time we’re in this area.
- Bridge Walk (Adventures on the Gorge) — If you’ve never heard of it, during a bridge walk, you walk along a two-foot-wide, 876-feet high, steel catwalk beneath the New River Gorge Bridge. (Don’t worry you’re wearing a harness!) Participants must be 8 years or older, so not everyone in our group was old enough to do it, so it’s on the list for another time!
- New River Jet Boats (Adventures on the Gorge): We’ve never been down to the river before; we’ve always just seen the bridge from the top, so we thought it would be fun to try a boating activity. We had reservations for this originally, but they ended up having to cancel our reservation…something about the tram not being ready I believe. We definitely want to try this next time.
- Mini golf: Pipestem has a real golf course as well as 18 holes of miniature golf. I believe it’s $6 per person to play a round of mini golf.
- Ziplines: When the girls are old enough and meet the minimum weight requirement, it would be fun to do the zipline tour. Jesse and I did it a few years ago and enjoyed it.
- Drive-in movies: At some point over the weekend, we passed a drive-in movie theater. I think that could be fun to try some time.
- Playgrounds near McKeever Lodge: There are two playgrounds within walking distance of the lodge, but between the rainy weather and our busy schedule, we just didn’t have time.
- Pipestem spa: That’s right, Pipestem has a spa! Jenny tried to go there last minute when Jesse and I took the girls to the pool, but they didn’t have any availability until the afternoon (when we already had other plans). We tried to plan the big things, but leave a lot open for flexibility. Next time we’ll plan a little more and make an appointment in advance.
- Full Moon Hikes: On the first day of our trip, we saw a sign in McKeever Lodge for full moon hikes. Sadly, there wasn’t a full moon while we were there, so there wasn’t a full moon hike scheduled. But how cool is that! My advice is to check out the website well in advance of your trip in case you can plan for some of these things. And, even if you forget to plan ahead, even if you’re not staying at the lodge, be sure to go look around. You never know what you’ll learn!
Where We Ate
Market on Courthouse Square
Market on Courthouse Square is a little over 20 minutes away from the campground in the town of Hinton, WV. It’s much bigger place on the inside than I expected. You order up front when you go in, and staff bring the food out when it’s ready.
I enjoyed the burger and fries. The pizza wasn’t quite what we expected. I’m really not sure how to explain it other than the crust was kind of soft and had an odd flavor. I know that’s not very helpful, but just know if you’re looking for traditional, New York-style pizza, this isn’t it. The girls got grilled cheese and chicken tenders and thought they were good.
Swiftwater General Store
We were looking for a quick spot for lunch near TimberTrek. Swiftwater General Store is just minute or two down the road, so the location was perfect. Unfortunately, parking was dreadful. There are maybe 8 or so spots right in front of the store. Otherwise, the store is surrounded by homes with no parking signs by the street. We got lucky and waited only a few minutes before someone came back to their car and left.
Swiftwater General Store is kind of a cross between a convenience store and cafe. They sell some basic grocery items as well as a few gift items. There’s a refrigerated section with ready-to-eat items like salads, chicken salad, etc. They also have a small menu with breakfast foods, hot dogs, burgers, fries, and drinks.
I got a bagel; Jesse got a hot dogs and fries. I would not get the bagel again, but Jesse said the hot dog was perfectly acceptable. They have a small seating area inside with maybe 4 tables in addittion to several two-person tables outside.
Secret Sandwich Society
Secret Sandwich Society was our dinner spot after an afternoon on the ropes course. It’s more than an hour from the Pipestem campground, but it’s only about 5 minutes from the TimberTrek ropes course. This place is popular! They got busy early, and there isn’t a ton of parking. It might be worth making a reservation if you know you’re planning to go there and won’t be eating early.
As fra as food goes, I thought the burger and fries were good. Jenny got the Truman sandwich and said it was tasty but difficult to eat because it was kind of falling apart.
I was very impressed with their kids’ menu. I appreciated that it wasn’t the same old thing you see on most kids’ menus. There were monsters to color, a maze, a “crack the code” section, and a seek-and-find portion.
Wildlife
Can you spot the snake in the photo below? We were at an overlook for the New River Gorge Bridge when someone mentioned a snake on the ledge below the platform. I’ll give you a hint: look at the clump of vegetation below and left of the base of the tree.
Give up? Here’s a close-up of the beautiful copperhead showing off his amazing camoflague!
There are so many deer at Pipestem. We saw at least one almost every time we left the campground. The weather on this trip made it tricky to get good photos. As you can see, I did not succeed, but the deer were very much there.
Happy travels!
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