Campground · New River Gorge National Park
Five tent sites beside the New River and Southside Trail.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
New River Gorge Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for New River Gorge National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the New River Gorge audio tourRecorded for this place
Cunard River Access and Brooklyn“You're approaching Cunard River Access, a working launch for rafting trips and private paddlers on the Lower New River. Stop if you want to fish, get onto the water, or explore the nearby coal-town remains.”
Plays as you drive up to Brooklyn Campground in the Parkwolf New River Gorge Tour Guide.
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“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Brooklyn Campground is a small, primitive tent campground on the New River by Cunard River Access and the Southside Trailhead. Its five sites are four walk-in tent sites and one drive-in site for tents only. This is a simple riverside base, not an RV or car-camping stop.
Sites are first-come, first-served, and the campground is open year-round. There is no potable water, electricity, shower or camp store, so arrive with drinking water, food and what you need for the stay. NPS lists portable toilets, picnic tables and fire rings. It lists no ADA-compliant campsite or restroom.
The New River is right beside camp, with access for fishing and boating. The park strongly discourages swimming because of the current, rocky banks and sudden drop-offs. An active rail line runs across the river; trains can carry into camp at night, a tradeoff if you are a light sleeper.
Brooklyn grew in the 1890s as a company town for the Brooklyn Coal Company. The mine closed in the 1950s, and ruins including the coal tipple remain along nearby Southside Trail. Those remains are part of the separate Brooklyn Mining Complex; leave the structures untouched and stay off the active railroad, which is private property.
Wildlife
18 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
126 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
25 sightingsPileated WoodpeckerMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
15 sightingsBarred OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
14 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
58 sightingsCopperheadMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across New River Gorge. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateSouthside Trail14 mi · 5.5 hr · 1 mi awayA long river rail grade past abandoned coal towns
ModerateBrooklyn Mine Trail5.4 mi · 3.3 hr · 1.2 mi awayA shaded old road leads to the ruins of a coal mine.
ModerateStone Cliff Trail2.7 mi · 1.5 hr · 4.1 mi awayA shaded New River road ends near a rare old-growth stand.
ModerateOld Sewell Trail9 mi · 5 hr · 4.2 mi awayBoiler and falls reward a long walk on an old rail grade.
ModerateDalton Trail6.4 mi · 3.5 hr · 4.2 mi awayA rhododendron tunnel and a long, twisty ridge trail.
ModerateBeauty Mountain Trail1.1 mi · 45 min · 4.3 mi awayA short ridge walk opens onto wide views over the New River.
ModerateNuttallburg Loop2.5 mi · 2 hr · 4.3 mi awayA short coal-town loop past coke ovens and a towering tipple.
EasyKeeneys Creek Rail Trail3.3 mi · 1.5 hr · 4.3 mi awayA gentle rail grade through mining country, creek views, and trestles.
Sight · At the trailheadBrooklyn Mining Complex & Community RuinsA 1890s coal camp left a ruined tipple and coke ovens.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayCunard River AccessA river put-in beside a trail through former mining towns.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayRed Ash Island CemeteryA wooded island cemetery ties miners’ losses to everyday community life.
Sight · 1.9 mi awayRed Ash Community and Mining RuinsSee an unusual bread-loaf coke-oven design on the Southside Trail.
Sight · 2.5 mi awayRush Run Community RuinsA vanished coal town, with beehive ovens still by the trail.
Visitor center · 3.4 mi awayThurmond Depot Visitor CenterA rail-history stop worth the winding drive if you're exploring town.
Sight · 3.4 mi awayThurmond Historic DistrictA preserved coal town beside an active rail line.
Picnic area · 3.4 mi awayDun Glen Day Use AreaA handy river access point with a permit-required picnic shelter.Parkwolf’s New River Gorge ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
