New River Gorge Region
Seventy-seven acres of West Virginia mountainside near Danese, wrapped around one of the country's most celebrated outdoor regions. Here is the place, and everything around it.
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The New River Gorge
One of the longest and deepest river gorges in the East. A thousand feet of forested canyon wall, with the New River running through the bottom.
Danese, West Virginia
The first Ara Retreats location takes root near Danese, in the New River Gorge region. Seventy-seven acres of West Virginia mountainside, minutes from the national park and the New and Gauley Rivers. You wake up surrounded by whitewater, rock climbing, hiking, and fishing, with the quiet of the mountains all your own.
Operated by Ara Retreat New River Gorge LLC
The Lay of the Land
Cabins and glamping tents on the pond up north, RV sites down the central lanes, and primitive tent sites tucked into the tree line. Tap the map to explore it full-size.
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Five Ways to Stay
Every site is chosen for its setting. Pick the way you like to wake up outside.
A cabin of your own
A park model cabin tucked by the water, with a covered porch for slow mornings and warm light in the windows after dark. Four walls and a real roof when you want them, the whole outdoors when you do not.
Rates announced soon
Full hookup
Full-hookup RV sites with gravel pads, fire rings, and picnic tables. Everything you need, nothing in the way.
Rates announced soon
Nature, without compromise
Concrete pads with outdoor living built in: a pergola, Adirondack chairs, a Solo Stove fire pit, and string lights overhead. Full hookup, premium fixtures. Select sites are fenced, so pets can come along.
Rates announced soon
Close to nature
Cleared, private tent sites with fire rings, and picnic tables. Close to nature, close to the bathhouse.
Rates announced soon
The full ambiance
Wooden decks in the most secluded corners of the property, with a Solo Stove, Adirondack chairs, string lights, and a hammock. The full ambiance, without the price of a lodge. Select sites are fenced, so pets can come along.
Rates announced soon
Park Model Cabin
Park model cabins set along the water, porch lights warm as the sky turns and mist settles on the pond. Step inside to a kitchenette, a real bed, and four-season comfort. Step out to a covered porch made for slow mornings and long evenings. Cabin comfort, with adventure just up the road.
Premium RV
Pull onto a level concrete pad and step out into a living room with no walls. A timber pergola overhead, Adirondack chairs drawn around a Solo Stove, string lights that warm up as the sky goes dark. Full hookups and premium fixtures handle the rest, so the only thing left to do is settle in. Some sites come fenced, so the dog can roam off-leash, too.
Premium Tent
Wooden decks tucked into the quietest corners of the property, a few of them right at the water's edge. A Solo Stove, a hammock strung between the pines, and string lights glowing overhead as the lake goes still. All the romance of a backcountry night, none of the roughing it. A few are fenced, too, so the dog can come along.
Everything You Need
Everything you need to connect with the outdoors, nothing you have to worry about.
Two modern bathhouse facilities with private shower rooms, flush toilets, and climate control. No porta-potties, no compromises.
Don't let gear stand between you and the outdoors. Three rental tiers get you into camp with everything from the basics to a complete turnkey setup.
Camping essentials, local provisions, firewood, and convenience items. No long drive for what you forgot.
New River Gorge National Park, Babcock and Hawks Nest State Parks, the New and Gauley Rivers, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, and miles of hiking, all within reach of your site.
1 / 3
Tent, sleeping cots, sleeping pads
2 / 3
Base Camp plus camp stove, cookware, cooler, camp chairs, lantern
3 / 3
Trail Ready plus sleeping bags, pillows, full lighting, dishware, fire-starting kit
On the property
A grove of hammocks strung between the posts, lit soft after sundown. Bring a book, bring someone, or bring nothing at all.
New River Gorge National Park
In 2020, New River Gorge became the nation's newest national park, the first ever designated in West Virginia. The designation put the region firmly on the national outdoor map and drew a fresh wave of visitors and investment.
The gorge runs deep and wild, drawing paddlers and climbers from around the country to its whitewater, sandstone walls, and trails.
Explore the park on WV Tourism
New River Gorge Bridge
The steel arch over the gorge, and the stage for Bridge Day each October, when the deck opens to BASE jumpers and rappellers.
Right Outside Your Site
The New and Gauley Rivers offer some of the most celebrated whitewater in the eastern United States, from gentle Class I floats to thundering Class V rapids.
WV Tourism
New River Gorge is recognized worldwide for trad and sport climbing, with hundreds of established routes on its sandstone walls.
WV Tourism
Hundreds of miles of trail across the national park, Babcock and Hawks Nest State Parks, and the gorge rim. Every skill level, every kind of view.
WV Tourism
The New River is one of the great smallmouth fisheries in the country, and cold mountain streams thread the surrounding hollows. Classic Appalachian water, close to camp.
WV Tourism
Babcock State Park
Glade Creek Grist Mill sits about fifteen minutes from camp, a working mill above a tumbling cascade and one of Appalachia's most beloved views.
Within an Hour
Beyond the gorge, the region is dense with state parks, river towns, and landmarks. A few of our favorites, all close to camp.
Home to the Glade Creek Grist Mill, the most photographed spot in West Virginia, with hiking, fishing, and quiet water.
WV Tourism A sweeping overlook 1,400 feet above a horseshoe bend in the New River, part of the national park.
WV Tourism One of the longest steel arch bridges in the world, the heart of Fayetteville and its famous Bridge Day each October.
WV Tourism
A dramatic canyon overlook with an aerial tramway down to the river and jet boat rides through the gorge.
WV Tourism
The clearest, largest lake in the state, ringed by sandstone cliffs. Swimming, scuba, and cliff jumping in summer.
WV Tourism
Tamarack, the artisan marketplace of West Virginia, plus the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine and a full slate of dining.
WV TourismWe open Spring 2027. Join the waitlist and we'll bring you along.
Join the Waitlist