Army Camp Campground

Army Camp Campground is an 11-site primitive campground and day-use area tucked into a tight bend of the New River. It suits campers after a simple, free base and a quiet stretch by the river; the individual pads are set back from the water, with a separate sandy river edge nearby. Sites are first come, first served, with no reservations.

The approach is an unmarked dirt road off Route 41 near Prince. Several visitors describe it as narrow and winding, so take it slowly. Bring drinking water, food, and supplies: there is no potable water, electricity, hookups, shower, or camp store, and markets are several miles away. Sites have composting toilets, picnic tables, and fire rings with grills; there is also a shaded day-use picnic area. One campsite and the composting restroom are listed as accessible. The river has powerful currents, rocky banks, shoals, and sudden drop-offs, so the park strongly discourages swimming.

This flat river bottom was farmland before the Army chose it for floating-bridge training around 1950. The 1428th Engineer Float Bridge Company practiced assembling bridges to move equipment and soldiers across streams; usually 100 to 150 troops stayed here for six- to eight-week sessions. Training ended in 1957 and the camp closed in the early 1960s. Foundations and concrete floors from 11 buildings, plus a concrete water tank, remain. The New River bends west, north, and east within about half a mile here, giving the campground its distinctive setting.