(Photos courtesy of wvstateparks.com)

If June’s incessant rain/steam and August-like temperatures have put you off going camping so far this season, bear with me for a minute. A story I saw several days ago reminded me that a good camping experience doesn’t have to mean traveling far enough away that the comforts of home are also out of reach.

At least, not if you live here in the Mid-Ohio Valley.

The camping app Dyrt named North Bend State Park’s River Run Campground one of the best places to camp in the Southeast U.S. River Run was sixth on the top-ten list.

I probably spend more time than the average local resident at North Bend State Park because of its spur trail to the North Bend Rail Trail. But I’ve taken advantage of the campground, too. In fact, a couple of summers back, I had three young family members and a dog with me because we thought it would be a great idea to take the dog tent camping. The weekend started out great, but then at about the same time the clouds started to roll in, a worried, non-camping, adult family member called to warn us there was a nasty storm rolling in.

The kids were freaked out enough that they did not want to ride out the storm inside the tent with the dog, so we threw up the tarp, pulled everything away from the edges of the tent, zipped up … and drove home.

We arrived just as it became clear we’d probably made the right move. So we hung out, made an early dinner, watched the radar and a couple of hours later, drove back. We still ended up being able to enjoy an evening campfire and continue our planned time at the campground — complete with hiking, swimming pool and ice cream.

Dyrt’s contributing campers noted how family-friendly North Bend’s River Run is. Certainly the kids I took were never bored; and my nephew was so enthralled by the nature center that before we left he asked to go back to tell the staffer “thank you.”

I saw the only river otters I’ve ever seen in the wild while walking a trail there. If your campfire-cooked dinner didn’t work out as planned, there is a lodge up the hill with a restaurant. There’s a lot to like.

Don’t get me wrong, there are state and private campgrounds all over our wild, wonderful state that deliver similarly great experiences. I have a feeling Dyrt won’t have a hard time finding another one in West Virginia to make the list next year.

But if you are new to camping or just want to take a quick trip that doesn’t take you a day’s drive away from home (sure you can ride out a storm inside your car, but the couch is comfier) North Bend State Park is a great place to start.

While you’re acting like a tourist in your own backyard, take the opportunity to explore the kinds of things here that you would if you were traveling. Check out a new attraction or museum, eat at a new restaurant, walk a new trail. You can spend the whole weekend out and about and not return to your house until it’s time to go to bed for work Monday morning.

Congratulations to the folks at North Bend State Park and the River Run Campground for making Dyrt’s top ten. Here’s hoping the honor will spur a few more locals to find out what all the fuss is about.

Christina Myer is executive editor of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. She can be reached via e-mail at cmyer@newsandsentinel.com.