Most to do
Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park
Stonewall Jackson Lake. Marina, rentals, fuel, lodge, golf and 82 miles of shoreline, all in one place.
Full guide to Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park →Boating & Motorboating
Ramps, navigation rules, registration and public water access are administered through the WVDNR boating program. The Ohio, Kanawha and Monongahela are commercially navigable; the reservoirs carry most of the recreational traffic.
Powerboating here means reservoirs, because the rivers that are navigable are commercial and the rivers that are scenic are too shallow.
Horsepower limits and shoreline development vary considerably between lakes, which determines what each is suited to.
Our recommendations
Where we'd send you
Best water
Summersville Lake
Summersville. Deep, clear, cliff-lined, and popular with divers for exactly that reason.
Full guide to Summersville Lake →Quietest
East Lynn Lake
East Lynn in Wayne County. A thousand acres, a big WMA around it, and hardly anyone.
Full guide to East Lynn Lake →Practical note
West Virginia requires a boater education certificate for operators born on or after December 31, 1986, and life jackets must be aboard for every person on every vessel — kayaks and paddleboards included.
What to know before you go
- Motorboat registration and education requirements are set by WVDNR
- Horsepower limits vary by lake — check before you trailer
Regions that do it best
Ohio River islands and the North Bend Rail Trail
Mid-Ohio Valley
The Ohio River corridor and the counties inland from it.
Reservoirs, trout water, developing rail-trailMountain Lakes
The geographic center of the state and its least-visited region.
Water trails and forest trails near CharlestonMetro Valley
The Kanawha and Guyandotte valleys around Charleston and Huntington, containing the largest share of the state's population.
Every place we cover for boating & motorboating
Lake · New River Gorge
Summersville Lake
West Virginia's largest lake and by a wide margin its clearest — 2,700 acres of blue-green water in a sandstone basin, popular for scuba diving, paddleboarding and boating.
2,700 ac surface327 ft max depth
State Park · Mountaineer Country
Tygart Lake State Park
A 1,750-acre reservoir behind a 1930s Corps of Engineers dam near Grafton, with a lodge, marina, scuba diving and steep wooded shoreline.
1,750 ac lake1938 dam completed
Lake · Mountaineer Country
Cheat Lake
A long, narrow 1,730-acre impoundment of the Cheat River just east of Morgantown, with a shoreline rail-trail, boat access and the closest flatwater paddling and lakeside recreation to the city..
1,730 ac lake13 mi length
State Park · Mountain Lakes
Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park
A 2,650-acre lake with the most developed resort facilities of any West Virginia lake park — a lodge, marina, Arnold Palmer golf course and the state's largest open-water fetch for small-boat sailing.
2,650 ac lake82 mi shoreline
Lake · Mountain Lakes
Sutton Lake
A 1,440-acre Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Elk River in Braxton County, with several campgrounds, quiet coves and the dam that creates the Elk tailwater fishery below.
1,440 ac lakeCorps managed
Lake · Mountain Lakes
Burnsville Lake
A 968-acre Corps reservoir on the Little Kanawha with the Bulltown Historic Area on its shore — Civil War earthworks, a preserved farmstead and a well-regarded campground.
968 ac lakeBulltown historic area
State Park · Metro Valley
Beech Fork State Park
A 3,981-acre park around a 720-acre Corps reservoir near Huntington, with one of the largest campgrounds in the state park system, good bass fishing and easy trails.
3,981 ac park720 ac lake
Lake · Metro Valley
East Lynn Lake
A 1,005-acre Corps reservoir in Wayne County with a strong bass and crappie fishery, a large wildlife management area around it and very little traffic.
1,005 ac lake23,000+ ac surrounding wma
State Park · New River Gorge
Bluestone State Park
On the shore of Bluestone Lake, the second-largest body of water in West Virginia, at the point where the Bluestone River meets the New.
2,155 ac park2,040 ac bluestone lake
State Park · Mountaineer Country
Prickett's Fort State Park
A reconstructed 1774 frontier refuge fort at the confluence of Prickett's Creek and the Monongahela River, with living-history interpretation, a boat launch and a trailhead on the Mon River Rail-Trail system..
188 ac park1774 fort date
Golf Course · Mountain Lakes
Stonewall Resort Golf Course
An Arnold Palmer Signature course on the shore of Stonewall Jackson Lake, attached to a state park resort lodge.
Arnold Palmer signature designLakeside setting
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Guides and rentals for boating & motorboating
Reserved for a West Virginia operator serving this activity. Everything above and below it is unpaid editorial.
List your business hereQuestions people ask
Do you need a boating license in West Virginia?
West Virginia requires a boater education certificate for operators born on or after December 31, 1986. Check current WVDNR boating regulations before launching.
Organizations, agencies and resources · 10
The groups doing the actual work — access, maintenance, licensing and data. Starred entries are worth following continuously.
West Virginia State Parks
Government
State parks, forests, rail trails, hiking, biking, paddling, camping, fishing, boating and lodging across 35+ properties.
Visit
WV Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR)
Government
Fishing, hunting, wildlife, boating, wildlife management areas, public lands and recreation. The licensing and regulatory authority for hunting, fishing and boating statewide.
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Upper Monongahela River Association
Nonprofit
Monongahela River recreation, boating, riverfront development and quality-of-life initiatives.
Visit
Cheat Lake Environment & Recreation Association (CLEAR)
Nonprofit
Cheat Lake water quality, shoreline recreation and lake access advocacy.
Visit
Upper Mon River Water Trail
Nonprofit
Monongahela River water trail access from Fairmont to the Pennsylvania line.
Visit
WVDNR Boating
Government
Boat ramps, boating regulations, registration and public-water access resources.
Visit
West Virginia B.A.S.S. Nation
Nonprofit
Statewide competitive bass fishing organization, tournaments and youth angling programs.
Visit
USACE — Summersville Lake
Federal
The clearest lake in West Virginia and the source of Gauley Season releases — SUP, diving, cliff climbing and camping.
Visit
USACE — Sutton Lake
Federal
Central West Virginia reservoir with campgrounds, bass fishing and flatwater paddling.
Visit
USACE — Burnsville Lake
Federal
Quiet Braxton County reservoir with camping, boating and muskie fishing.
Visit