Picnic clearings open between the hardwoods on the campground loop at Kanawha State Forest, and the ridge trails climb out of that same shade. The night and the trails share the same forest, so the van stays put while you walk. Van is a small Boone County town, and this forest campground is the public overnight closest to it and to Charleston.
Spend a day in Charleston, then come back under the same hardwoods. The capital is the town day, and the forest is where you sleep, cook, and start the next morning's walk. A van based at this loop can do both without changing campgrounds.
Some sites have water and electric hookups, and as of September 2026 a stay stops at fourteen nights. You can keep the van in the hollow for a week and walk the ridge system from the same loop. If you need more sleeping space than a campervan, look at RV rentals in West Virginia. If you are already pointed at the Hatfield-McCoy trails, Chief Logan is the other first night.
Hatfield-McCoy trails near Man
Mud stays on the side-by-sides overnight around Man, where Hatfield-McCoy trailheads back gravel RV rows straight onto the gates. People ride all day and sleep next to the gate they started from. Logan is the larger town on this stretch, and Madison is another town in the coalfields.
Rockhouse RV Park is about a mile from the Rockhouse trailhead, with water, sewer, and electric hookups on a back-in setup. As of September 2026 it asks for two nights Sunday through Wednesday and three nights Thursday through Saturday. Buffalo Mountain and Devil Anse sit in the same cluster, and Hillbilly Heaven Campground is about a mile from those two trailheads, with trail access from the campground.
Chief Logan State Park
Creek-side sites sit under tree cover at Chief Logan State Park, four miles north of Logan, and deer come through the grounds in the evening. You come here after a day on the Hatfield-McCoy trails, which is how the park itself frames the campground.
As of September 2026 the campground runs spring through summer, weather permitting. A van that misses that window still has the trailhead parks around Man.
Twin Falls Resort State Park
The campground loop at Twin Falls Resort State Park sits next to the golf course, and the namesake pair of waterfalls is the walk from there. Stay on that loop for the weekend without moving the van. Some sites have electric hookups, and as of September 2026 the campground stays open all year, bookings stop after fourteen consecutive nights, and weekend stays need two consecutive nights. Beech Fork State Park is another state park in this part of West Virginia.
The rest of the state belongs to West Virginia. Kentucky picks up across the line from the trail towns.