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Looking for a dog-friendly West Virginia getaway with hiking, cabins, mountain views, and a fun small town nearby?
Cacapon Resort State Park combines resort amenities with outdoor adventure, including lakes, hiking trails, mountain biking, horseback riding, and cozy cabins tucked into the woods.
During our stay, we explored several hiking trails, stayed in a pet-friendly cabin, visited the overlook, checked out the Bark Park, and spent time in nearby Berkeley Springs. Here’s everything we learned — including what’s worth your time, what surprised us, and tips for visiting with dogs.
A few quick facts about Cacapon Resort State Park:
- Location: Berkeley Springs, West Virginia
- Best for: Hiking, mountain biking, golf, dog-friendly cabins
- Pet-friendly? Yes — cabins, trails, and Bark Park
- Camping? No traditional campground currently
- Hiking mileage: 23+ miles of trails
- Nearby town: Berkeley Springs (10 minutes away)
- Best feature: Cacapon Mountain Overlook and mountain biking area
- Good for weekends? Absolutely!
Cacapon Resort State Park's History and Location
Cacapon Resort State Park is located just outside of Berkeley Springs in northeast West Virginia. The town and park are about 3 hours of Pittsburgh and 4 hours from Philadelphia.
Cacapon Resort State Park began with the hard work of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. By the 1970s, the park had already added a lodge, cabins, and a golf course.
Now at over 6,000 acres, the park has exclusive areas for mountain biking, horseback riding, dog frollicking, clay shooting, and disc golf. We’ll get into those more later!
Two lakes offer guests the chance to boat, kayak, canoe, fish, and swim.
In addition, you’ll find different sports courts, shelters with picnic tables, and an overlook area worth the drive to the top of the mountain!
Just 10 miles to the north, Berkeley Springs has a tiny state park right in the middle of town. The highlight of the park is its mineral rich warm spring waters, first discovered by Native Americans. George Washington later frequented “America’s first spa” as well.
While Berkeley Springs is a pet-friendly town, pets are not permitted in the mineral springs area.
Best Time to Visit Cacapon Resort State Park
Spring and fall are the sweet spots for visiting Cacapon Resort State Park!
The temps are comfortable for hiking, the mountain views are beautiful, and Berkeley Springs is a better experience in cooler weather.
Summer is ideal for swimming and lake activities, (and if you don’t mind moutain biking or hiking while it’s hot!), while winter offers a quieter cabin getaway atmosphere.
Cacapon Resort State Park's Accommodations - Including Pet-Friendly Options
We had never visited Cacapon Resort State Park back when we had our RV, Axl Roads, because the park does not have a campground.
But it does have a new lodge complete with spa and golf course, plus cabins and an inn!
The 120-room lodge is the newest in the WV State Park system, but it does not allow pets (womp womp!). It has a full-service restaurant, library, fitness center, pool, and hot tub.
For large groups, the inn has 12 bedrooms and 8 1/2 bathrooms. It was the original lodge for the park and also has a large commercial kitchen and televisions.
Cabins are in three different sections of the park: 7 in the Middle Fork Cabin Area, 5 in the North Fork Cabin Area, and 18 in the Main Cabin Area. 13 of these can be rented year-round.
Some of these are fortunately pet-friendly cabins!
We stayed in pet-friendly Legacy Cabin#11 in the North Fork Cabin Area. Our group of cabins was up on the mountain and quite private.
If you are staying in a cabin, you will still check in at the lodge. Our attendant drew the route to our cabin from the lodge on this map:
The North Fork Cabin Area is up a long winding road. Cabin #11 has a porch with two adirondak chairs, a charcoal grill, and fire ring outside.
Inside, you’ll find a full kitchen, bathroom, fireplace, queen bed, nightstands, and two armchairs. Linens and towels are provided. A wall heating and air conditioning unit will keep you comfortable, and the overhead fan can provide a breeze.
Franklin and Hazel made themselves right at home!
If you’re loving Franklin’s elevated dog bed above, read more about how we’ve helped our senior dogs rock the road 🙂
We appreciated that our cabin had both a charcoal grilling area AND a fire ring.
We’ve been finding out that Maryland state parks only have a grill at their cabins, so you miss out on the campfire at night- but not in West Virginia!
Hiking Trails at Cacapon Resort State Park
Cacapon Resort State Park has 23 miles of hiking trails, some which share or intersect with mountain biking and horseback riding trails.
During this visit, we covered about 5-6 miles or so, marked in green:
The North Fork Cabin Area wasn’t a great starting point for hiking, so we drove down to the game courts parking lot.
From there, we started the rocky 2-mile long Laurel Trail next to cabin #25.
You’ll have a gradual uphill before leveling out at the top of the mountain, passing some interesting rock formations.
You’ll wind back downhill and end between cabins #21 and #22.
Next, we took the multi-purpose trail near the sports courts and part of Ridge Trail around the swimming beach.
A short walk from the swimming beach will find you at the Nature Center.
The Nature Center features a large pollinator garden outside and exhibits inside.
It also has two strange little Hazel-sized log cabins in its side yard.
You can create a loop back to the sports court parking lot by walking along the road.
Next, we drove up to the other lake that is nearest to the North Fork Cabin Area.
While there’s no official trail around the lake, you can make it about 3/4 of the way before having to turn around and retrace your steps.
You can also use part of Central Trail to get a better view.
Finally, we made the long (driving) trek up an uneven gravelly road just past the Batt Picnic Area to see the Cacapon Mountain Overlook.
The elevation here is almost 2,300 feet!
The sign at the overlook deck notes that you can see four states from this vantage point: West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
In addition to the West Virginia sign I posed with Hazel next to above, there is also an “Almost Heaven” swing for photos at the overlook.
Extras to Enjoy at Cacapon Resort State Park
Cacapon Resort State Park has a lot of extras! Not just extra activities like golf and horseback riding, but also extra places to explore like the mountain bike area and dog park.
First, mountain bikers in West Virginia will want to visit the mountain biking area on the west side of the park, complete with a large network of trails and a pump track.
I didn’t know what a pump track was. Turns out, it’s kind of self-explanatory once you see it…
And get ready, mountain bikers!
The large network of mountain biking trails will only be getting larger. A new grant will add 35 more miles of trail.
If you brought your furry friends, walk them to the other side of the parking lot to see the impressive Bark Park!
Tell them Franklin left them some pee-mail…
The Bark Park has separate areas for large dogs and small dogs, and is situated right inside the forest.
Your dogs will love romping around the rocks, trees, and logs!
Cacapon's Nature and Wildlife
During our visit to Cacapon Resort State Park, we saw many squirrels, chipmunks, and deer.
We also had a friend (?) in our cabin who tried to eat our chips! We had left them on top of the refrigerator, which I’d advise against.
Put all your food into the cabinets!
Orange seemed to be the color of the weekend for mushrooms…
SIDE TRIP! Berkeley Springs
On the way to or from Cacapon Resort State Park, make a stop in Berkeley Springs.
Not only will you find a really original, wellness-focused small town, you’ll also appreciate its good food and artsy vibe.
Franklin even calmed down long enough to pose next to this giant apple…
In Berkeley Springs, you’ll enjoy browsing the fun and quirky shops, getting into some mischief, and posing under a STAR.
On the way home Sunday morning, we stopped in town again to walk through the Berkeley Springs Farmers Market.
That made us so hungry that we dropped by the very dog-friendly (inside and out!) Fairfax Coffee House.
Their coffee is delish, and the biscuit sandwiches with pickles are to die for!
PIT STOP! Berkeley Springs Brewing Company
If you are ready to try some local beer, pull over for Berkeley Springs Brewing Company! Dogs are allowed both inside and out, and there’s plenty of variety on tap and on the menu.
Given Franklin’s sometimes wild disposition, we opted for the outside seating. We chilled in some adirondak chairs and tried the beer flight and spinach artichoke dip. Franklin and Hazel split the dog platter. Winners all around!
You can even pick up a 6-pack of your favorite brew to go. Here I am with runaway Hazel carrying Runaway Beer Truck Beer.
Who Will Love Cacapon State Park? The Wrap Up!
This park is especially great for:
- mountain bikers
- couples looking for a quiet weekend
- dogs!
- hikers who enjoy moderate trails
- travelers pairing outdoor adventure with small-town exploring
- golfers wanting a scenic getaway
It may be less ideal if you:
- want more motorized water recreation
- prefer flat hiking trails
- need a traditional campground for RVs or tents
Cacapon Resort State Park and Berkeley Springs have enough shops, restaurants, and outdoor activities to keep you plenty busy for the weekend!
This is the sign you’ve been looking for that you should visit…
