For scenery
Summersville Lake
Summersville, unquestionably. Sandstone walls, clear water, and coves reachable only by boat.
Full guide to Summersville Lake →Flatwater Paddling
Corps of Engineers reservoirs — Summersville, Sutton, Burnsville, Stonewall Jackson, Beech Fork, East Lynn — plus Cheat Lake and the pooled sections of the Ohio, Kanawha and Monongahela. Reliable water when the rivers are too low or too high.
The reservoirs are the answer when the rivers refuse to cooperate — too high in April, too low in August, too cold in November.
Corps of Engineers lakes provide sheltered water with camping alongside, and most see light traffic on a weekday.
Our recommendations
Where we'd send you
For camping
Burnsville Lake
Burnsville Lake with a night at Bulltown. Quiet water, Civil War earthworks on the shore, and one of the better Corps campgrounds in the state.
Full guide to Burnsville Lake →For wildlife
Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge
The Ohio River Islands refuge. Sheltered back channels behind protected islands, with herons, eagles and mussel beds under you.
Full guide to Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge →Practical note
Corps reservoirs fluctuate for flood control, sometimes several feet in a week. A launch that worked last month may be a hundred yards from the water.
What to know before you go
- Reservoir levels are published by the Army Corps district office
- Ohio River islands offer sheltered paddling with wildlife refuge protection
Regions that do it best
Reservoirs, trout water, developing rail-trail
Mountain Lakes
The geographic center of the state and its least-visited region.
Ohio River islands and the North Bend Rail TrailMid-Ohio Valley
The Ohio River corridor and the counties inland from it.
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.
Cheat River whitewater and rail-trail networkMountaineer Country
The northern counties around Morgantown.
Every place we cover for flatwater paddling
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 · New River Gorge
Hawks Nest State Park
A rim-top lodge above the Mill Creek arm of the New River Gorge with an aerial tram to a marina on the water.
276 ac parkTram to the river
State Park · Greenbrier Valley
Watoga State Park
West Virginia's largest state park at over 10,100 acres, built largely by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.
10,100 ac largest state park1930s ccc-built
State Park · Greenbrier Valley
Moncove Lake State Park
A small park in Monroe County built around a 144-acre lake with warm-water fishing for largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish, plus a swimming pool.
Local knowledge
144 ac lakeWarm water fishery
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
River · Mountain Lakes
Elk River
One of the finest and least-known trout fisheries in the Appalachians.
Tailwater cold year-roundWild browns fishery
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 · Mountain Lakes
Cedar Creek State Park
A 2,483-acre park in Gilmer County with three small fishing lakes, a campground and a network of easy trails.
2,483 ac park3 fishing lakes
National Park · Eastern Panhandle
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Where the Shenandoah meets the Potomac and three states meet at once, with the Appalachian Trail running straight through town and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquartered a block off Washington Street.
3 states visible~24 mi at in wv
River · Eastern Panhandle
Shenandoah & Potomac Rivers
The Shenandoah's Staircase rapids above Harpers Ferry give Class I–III whitewater in a resort-town setting, while the Potomac below the confluence spreads wide and slow for tubing and flatwater.
Class I–III staircaseWarm summer water
State Park · Mid-Ohio Valley
North Bend State Park
A 1,405-acre park on a horseshoe bend of the North Fork of the Hughes River, with a lodge, cabins, campgrounds, a 305-acre lake nearby and direct access to the North Bend Rail Trail.
1,405 ac park305 ac north bend lake
State Park · Mid-Ohio Valley
Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park
An island in the Ohio River reached by sternwheeler from Parkersburg, holding a reconstructed 1800 Palladian mansion, horse-drawn wagon tours and quiet riverbank walking.
Local knowledge
500 ac islandSternwheeler access
Refuge · Mid-Ohio Valley
Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge
Twenty-two islands and several mainland tracts scattered along nearly 400 river miles of the Ohio, protecting some of the last relatively undisturbed island habitat on the river — critical for freshwater mussels, migratory birds and river-bottom forest.
22 islands~400 mi river span
Trail · Mid-Ohio Valley
Mountwood Park
A county park outside Parkersburg with a 50-acre lake and one of the better mountain bike trail networks in the western half of the state, plus camping, disc golf and the site of the old Volcano oil town.
2,600 ac park50 ac lake
River · Metro Valley
Coal River Water Trail
An organized water trail on the Big Coal, Little Coal and main-stem Coal rivers south of Charleston, with maintained access points, mapped mileages and signage — the product of sustained work by the Coal River Group to turn a working-class industrial river back into a recreation asset.
88 mi water trailClass I difficulty
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 · Mountaineer Country
Tomlinson Run State Park
The northernmost park in the system, in Hancock County at the tip of the Northern Panhandle.
1,398 ac park29 ac lake
State Park · New River Gorge
Bluestone State Park
On the shore of Bluestone Lake, the third-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 · New River Gorge
Little Beaver State Park
A park just off I-64 near Beckley with an 18-acre lake, a seasonal campground, an extensive trail network used for running and mountain biking, and easy access from the interstate.
562 ac park18 ac 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
Wildlife Area · Southern Coalfields
Laurel Lake Wildlife Management Area
A quiet 12,854-acre WMA in Mingo County built around a 29-acre lake, with primitive camping, warm-water fishing and public hunting in the southern coalfields.
Local knowledge
12,854 ac wma29 ac lake
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
Golf Course · Mountaineer Country
Lakeview Golf Resort
A resort on Cheat Lake outside Morgantown with two courses, the Lakeview and the Mountainview, plus lodging and conference facilities.
2 coursesCheat Lake setting
Lake · Greenbrier Valley
Lake Sherwood
The largest lake on the Monongahela National Forest, 156 acres at around 2,600 feet against the Virginia line, with two sand beaches — one on the mainland and one on an island reached by a footbridge.
156 ac lake2 beaches sand
Lake · Greenbrier Valley
Summit Lake
A 43-acre cold-water lake ten miles from Richwood in the Monongahela National Forest, with a 33-unit campground on the shore and the Cranberry backcountry immediately behind it.
Local knowledge
43 ac lake33 campsites
AdvertiseThis space is available
Guides and rentals for flatwater paddling
Reserved for a West Virginia operator serving this activity. The listings above and below it are unpaid.
List your business hereQuestions people ask
What lakes are best for kayaking in West Virginia?
Summersville Lake for clarity and scenery, Stonewall Jackson and Sutton for size and camping access, Cheat Lake for proximity to Morgantown.
Organizations, agencies and resources · 11
Groups that handle access, maintenance, licensing and conditions data for this activity. Starred entries publish updates worth following.
Guardians of the West Fork
West Fork River watershed protection, cleanup and river access advocacy.
Visit
Upper Monongahela River Association
Rivers
Monongahela River recreation, boating, riverfront development and quality-of-life initiatives.
Cheat Lake Environment & Recreation Association (CLEAR)
Rivers
Cheat Lake water quality, shoreline recreation and lake access advocacy.
Upper Mon River Water Trail
Paddling
Monongahela River water trail access from Fairmont to the Pennsylvania line.
WVDNR Boating
Paddling
Boat ramps, boating regulations, registration and public-water access resources.
Visit Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge
Federal lands
Protected island chain along the Ohio main stem — paddling, birding and mussel habitat.
Visit USACE — Summersville Lake
Federal lands
The clearest lake in West Virginia and the source of Gauley Season releases — SUP, diving, cliff climbing and camping.
Visit USACE — Sutton Lake
Federal lands
Central West Virginia reservoir with campgrounds, bass fishing and flatwater paddling.
Visit USACE — Burnsville Lake
Federal lands
Quiet Braxton County reservoir with camping, boating and muskie fishing.
Visit Summersville CVB
Tourism
Summersville Lake, Gauley access and Nicholas County recreation.
Visit Visit Greater Parkersburg
Tourism
Ohio River recreation, Blennerhassett Island, North Bend Rail Trail and Mountwood Park.
Visit Related activities
Every organization we link to: local tourism offices, the state and federal agencies that manage the land, the nonprofits and clubs that keep access open, and the universities doing the research.
West Virginia has roughly 1.5 million acres of public land and a handful of places that carry almost all of the attention. The consequence is that a great deal of very good ground sits nearly empty, usually for one of three reasons: nobody has heard of it, the road in is gated or rough, or it is undeveloped and has nothing to advertise. Those are the places below — of them across regions.