National Park Service · West Virginia
Gauley Tailwaters
National Park Service · West Virginia, United States · in Gauley River National Recreation Area
- Sites
- 18
- Season
- Year-round
- Max RV length
- 25 ft
- Drinking water
- No
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Showers
- No
- Dump station
- No
- Laundry
- No
- Elevation
- 1,473 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 3
- Cell coverage
- AT&T weak · Verizon weak · T-Mobile good (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Lake
- Gauley River National Recreation Area
- Nearest town
- Summersville
- Phone
- (304) 465-0508
About
The National Park Service offers primitive camping at Gauley Tailwaters, located just below Summersville Dam. From Route 19 at Mt. Nebo, take Route 129 west across the dam, then turn left at the river access sign. Bear right through the parking lot to the campsites. There are 18 drive-in sites for tents and RVs. Camp only at designated sites. RV, camper, or car camping in non-designated sites, walk-in sites, or any parking area is strictly prohibited.
Fees
Gauley Tailwaters Campground: free. The National Park Service offers primitive camping at Gauley Tailwaters, located just below Summersville Dam. From Route 19 at Mt. Nebo, take Route 129 west across the dam, then turn left at the river access sign. Bear right through the parking lot to the campsites. There are 18 drive-in sites for tents and RVs.
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 21° | -10° | 63° | 10 of 11 |
| February | 45° | 30° | 5° | 68° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 56° | 36° | 1° | 74° | 9 of 11 |
| April | 68° | 46° | 24° | 83° | 4 of 11 |
| May | 74° | 57° | 37° | 88° | 0 of 11 |
| June | 79° | 63° | 50° | 88° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 83° | 68° | 58° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 81° | 68° | 54° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 78° | 62° | 45° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 65° | 46° | 34° | 80° | 0 of 10 |
| November | 53° | 35° | 17° | 69° | 6 of 10 |
| December | 44° | 30° | 4° | 66° | 10 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- Battle Run · Army Corps of Engineers · 1 mi · 117 sites
- Long Point Campground · Army Corps of Engineers · 2 mi
- Summersville Lake State Park · West Virginia State Parks · 3 mi · 73 sites
- Babcock State Park · West Virginia State Parks · 16 mi
- Brooklyn Campground · National Park Service · 18 mi · 5 sites
All public campgrounds in West Virginia · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-09-08. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.