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Tawney Farm's Wild & Woolly

99%

· Summersville, Nicholas, West Virginia

129 acres hosted by Susan T.

2 RV/tent sites · 5 tent sites

Staff verified

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Susan is a Star Host

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Private pitches

97% of recent Hipcampers say pitches are private.

Hike-in pitches

Hike-in to some pitches at this Hipcamp.

What says agritourism more than a primitive campground on a sheep farm in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia? Here you’re only a short drive from the New River Gorge National Park where you can go whitewater rafting or take a hike and experience the stunning beauty of the gorge, swim or paddleboard in Summersville Lake or go rock climbing on one of around 150 routes on the crags of the lake. In addition, you’ll be within walking distance of the Gauley River with all it’s wild untamed beauty where you can kayak, swim, fish, paddleboard, or splash in a waterfall. Not to mention being on a sheep farm, you can have the opportunity to learn about wool and wool processing. You can even learn how to felt wool and take home your creation! The Tawney Farm is a small-scale wool sheep farm adjacent to the beautiful Gauley River National Recreation Area and just a short drive to the New River Gorge National Park. Our 126 acre farm lies nestled in between two beautiful mountains, one of them named Panther Mountain, in the Gauley River gorge. Here we raise Merino and Jacob sheep for wool where we process the fiber and either sell it to other fiber artists or felt it into crafts and hats ourselves. Our farm is also home to a miniature horse, chickens, and of course dogs and cats. In addition to the NRG and Summersville Lake and Dam, also close by are Carnifex Ferry Battleground State Park where you can see where a crucial civil war battle took place, as well as Babcock State Park with its iconic grist mill and waterfall. Our region has it all! But why stay in an overcrowded, commercial campground? Leave the beaten path and enjoy peaceful and private, safe and secure primitive camping on our mountain farm. We provide 7 sites on our farm for every camping style, from dry RV to tent, each with a table, fire pit and grill. All sites are spaciously separate from one another for privacy and perfect for couples who want to get away from it all, or for families or groups of friends who want to reconnect and catch up. Get away from it all! Experience the wilderness and wonder of West Virginia as only a native West Virginian could. Fry up some farm fresh eggs over the campfire or grill. Park-style grills, fire pit grills and tables are provided for your use. Very affordable firewood is available. And to make your "roughing it" camping experience not so rough, we've added a few amenities! Clean portajohns are provided as well as a common area with a dishwashing station and a "to die for" outdoor hot water shower (above-freezing temperatures permitting)! Drink in the beautiful views of the Gauley River gorge while hiking our nature trails and experience the sights and sounds of a real working farm. Green and lush in the summer and brilliant hues of red, gold and orange in the fall. Come see what the mountain lakes region of West Virginia has to offer at the Tawney Farm. DURING GAULEY WHITEWATER SEASON (SEPT. 6 - OCT. 15), THE PRICE IS DISCOUNTED TO $35/NIGHT AS WE BEGIN FESTIVAL-STYLE CAMPING. TENT, VEHICLE AND SMALL RV CAMPING (DRY-ONLY) ARE STILL PERMITTED, BUT THE ONLY DESIGNATED SITES AVAILABLE WILL BE THE WALK-IN AND HIKE-IN (MTN. TOP) SITES.

Activities

Biking

Boating

Fishing

Hiking

Natural features

Forest

Lake

River, stream, or creek

Swimming hole

99%

138 ratings · 69 reviews

Lauren D.recommends

October 24, 2024

Site 2 Pasture Field Site

Camping & Felting

The campsite was accessible in our non-lofted, 2WD vehicles. There were porta-potties located at all campsites that were very clean! Ample firewood for purchase on site, and we were greeted and directed to our site as soon as we drove in. Our spot was back in the woods near the pasture and we didn’t hear anyone else even though there were several other campers. We woke up to the sound of sheep in the distance. Running water down at the base and a hot outdoor shower. We also took Susan’s felting class which was great! Fairly priced and we left with little felted roses and a new hobby. I’d definitely stay here the next time I’m around Fayetteville/Summerville!

Felicity N.recommends

October 21, 2024

Wild & Woolly Walk-In Tent Camping

Great Folks, Great Views

My partner and I decided we wanted to get away for our anniversary weekend and somehow managed to snag coveted camp spot at Tawney Farm for the last weekend of Gauley Season. While we weren’t there to whitewater raft, we had an amazing time just hanging around the farm, hiking the trails, getting to know Susan and James (and finding mutual connections in WV’s environmentalist circles), and spending time at Site 7. Not only does Tawney Farm offer extensive information about their campsites on their web page (telling you exactly what to expect), you’re also guaranteed access to very convenient amenities: a dish sink, hot showers, and porta-potty. Their sites offer options for socialization with the large field open for group camping, a fire always lit around the stage and group campsite, and friendly faces everywhere to be found. The folks who camp here are regulars, offering stories and sometimes beers in exchange for another friendly face. In addition to all of the wonderful camping perks, this place truly holds a wealth of knowledge and insight into West Virginia’s environmental history and culture. If you’re looking to know more about Appalachia, don’t be afraid to strike up conversation with the Tawneys, and make sure to book a wool felting craft experience and experience an art form as old as the region itself. Susan and James were wonderful hosts, and we cannot wait to come back earlier in the season to catch the farm while more of the annual rafters are milling about.

David L.recommends

September 15, 2024

Site 3 Head of the Hollow Site

Great host and great site! Everything as advertised

Raegan G.recommends

August 1, 2024

Site 3 Head of the Hollow Site

Nice stay but come prepared.

We enjoyed our stay at Susan's; we liked that we had a large area to ourselves. The listing stated shower, dishwashing basin, and picnic table but I believe a map would have helped to show the distance from the site to the shower/ wash basin. To walk to this area would be more work than what's it's worth being at the head of the hollow and to drive your car down is a pretty steep and rocky path. I would recommend an SUV/ off road vehicle to get to the head of the hollow, pulling a trailer up the hill was difficult at times. The picnic table is only a table under a canopy so be sure to bring chairs for the table and around the campfire. Thankfully she provided a port a john at the head of the hollow (about 150 feet away) and kept very clean.

Davinka G.recommends

July 31, 2024

Site 1 - Wild & Woolly RV Dry Camping/Tent

We loved Susan's camp site. Pretty organized and cleaned. Thanks for everything

Lincoln B.recommends

July 22, 2024

Site 3 Head of the Hollow Site

We enjoyed our time at Tawney Farm. We were the only campers there, and especially enjoyed the solitude. We didn't use the amenities available (shower, entertainment area with board games, cards, etc.) but appreciate that they were available. We will definitely stay again!

Location

Summersville, Nicholas, West Virginia, United StatesTraditional, ancestral territory of Moneton, S’atsoyaha (Yuchi), and Shawandasse Tula (Shawanwaki/Shawnee) First Nations according to To respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking