When it first opened in 1980, Boyer Station Campground was a modest 12-lot campsite for visitors to Pocahontas County. In the past 45 years, it has grown to have 45 lots in the lower campground, shown above, and 35 lots in the upper campground. The site also includes primitive campsites, trails for walking and biking, a dining hall and pavilion, shown at right.
Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
When Karen Murphy was a little girl, she and her family would travel from their home in Frederick, Maryland, to camp in Pocahontas County. Her dad, George Phillips, fell in love with the county, so much so that he looked for jobs here.
“He found out there was a teaching job at the Green Bank school, so he applied, got it and then, of course, everything just fell into place,” Karen said.
One of the things that caught Phillips’ eye every time they came to Pocahontas County was a field near the Boyer Motel. Because of his love of camping, he didn’t see a hayfield – he saw a campsite.
In 1977, Phillips bought the motel. By 1979, there was a restaurant and, in 1980, a campground with 12 camper sites.
“That’s how it all started,” Karen said.
Karen followed in her father’s footsteps and became a teacher. She married Mike Murphy, who is a retired school bus driver and owns Murphy’s Body and Repair Shop.
In the past 40 years, many things have changed – good and bad. The motel and restaurant are both now closed, but the campground is thriving with 80 camper sites, primitive camp sites and a new set of cabins coming soon.
After Phillips died, his wife, Carolyn Phillips, carried on the operation until she sold it to Frank and Susie Murphy in 1994. The couple just so happens to be Karen’s in-laws, so the campground remained in the family.
Karen and Mike work with Frank and Susie to maintain and expand the campground for visitors and locals alike. Now that she’s retired from teaching, Karen is able to help out more at the campground and plans events for guests and locals to enjoy.
“Everybody has a really important part in making it go,” Karen said. “Frank’s our ambassador. He loves doing this. He takes people around and explains everything – the history of the area. Susie does all the reservations and all the bookings.”
From the road, the campground looks modest enough, but once you hop into a side-by-side with Frank or Karen, you realize just how big the place is.
There are 45 lots in the lower campground – visible from the road – with full hook-ups. Then there’s the upper campground with another 35 lots with full hook-ups.
Connecting the two sites and the primitive camping sites are a series of trails that the family has worked hard on carving out of the mountain.
“We had to put the road in and thin this bank out,” Karen said of one of the trails. “A lot of people don’t know about this part of the campground.”
The Murphys expanded the campground when they realized there was a need for more options. The campground attracts families, groups and even locals who enjoy a little “staycation” in the summer.
Winding around the trails, the higher you go, the more rustic it gets. There are several flat areas known as the primitive sites. Those are for the campers who want to totally unplug and rough it.
“People come and they don’t want electric,” Karen said. “You can bring a camper up here, but it’s mostly tents.”
On the 58-acre campground, there are trails perfect for walking or biking and the property is right beside national forest for those looking to explore even more.
“These paths – they’re mapped out if they want to go for a hike or ride their bikes, they can get a map,” Karen said. “There’s no way you’re going to get lost because it all circles back.”
The Murphys had help with the trails from a local contractor, Wally Starks, who made a special hardwood bridge for a portion of the trail.
Boyer Station Campground has a total of 58 acres, which includes a labyrinth of trails for hiking and biking. When the Murphys were working on the trails, they realized there was a need for a bridge to connect them. They called in local contractor Wally Starks, who helped clear out the trails and built this bridge out of locally sourced timber that is sturdy enough for an ATV to cross.
“This was a surprise for Frank,” Karen said. “You could only get so far and then there wasn’t anything, so Wally Starks came up and finished the bridge to connect the other trails. I absolutely love the bridge.”
Campers can also enjoy the sights around them while they are at the campground, including woodland critters such as whitetail deer, squirrels and maybe even a few wild turkeys.
Then there’s the night sky. The view from the upper campground and primitive sites is spectacular. It’s even attracted astrophotographers who wanted to capture the bright stars.
The newest addition to the campground is a series of small cabins that visitors can rent. Two are arriving in June and four more will be on-site in October.
“We’ve been talking about the cabins for a couple of years now and one of the reasons why is because there’s people who don’t want to pull their camper or don’t have a camper,” Karen said. “They still want to come camping with their family. This will give people the option. If they don’t want to camp, they can stay in the cabins and still be part of the campground.”
The cabins will feature sleeping quarters, of course, as well as a kitchen, bathroom and sitting area.
The campground is all inclusive, with a dining hall that has a full kitchen a pavilion for dining and meetings, the trail system for hiking and biking, and fun activities planned all year.
“We have had squares dances and a couple of magic shows,” Karen said. “Fourth of July we do the slip and slide and inflatables. We had two color runs on the trail. Then we do the Halloween trail and, this year, we added Christmas.”
A lot of the activities are free to visitors, with the option of making donations for local organizations. The past Christmas event benefitted the Humane Society, Pocahontas County Senior Citizens and Pocahontas County Reading Council.
For more information on the Boyer Station Campground, visit boyerstation.com or call 304-456-4667.
