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.
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. The Forest Service runs it as a full recreation area: 104 individual and 10 group campsites across four loops, three boat launches, boat and canoe rental, and 18 miles of trail climbing off the water onto Allegheny Mountain. Only electric motors are allowed, which keeps the whole lake quiet.
Know before you go
- Lifeguards are not provided at either beach
- No electrical, sewage or water hookups; there is a dump station on site
- Day use is $5 per vehicle or $30 for the year; campsites run $16 to $20 in peak season
- Bookings must be made at least four days ahead, and up to six months out
- The island beach is the quieter of the two
What you can do here
Two sand beaches, one on the mainland and one on an island reached by footbridge, and the island one is quieter. Neither has lifeguards, so anyone in the water is on their own. Day use is $5 per vehicle or $30 for the year, and June through August is when the water is worth it.
104 individual sites and 10 group sites spread across four loops, with no electrical, sewage or water hookups and a dump station on site. Peak-season sites run $16 to $20. Reservations must be in at least four days ahead and can be made up to six months out, which rules out driving up on a whim.
Eighteen miles of trail leave the water and climb onto Allegheny Mountain, so this is a lake that doubles as a trailhead. It sits around 2,600 feet against the Virginia line and the walking goes up from there. Year-round, though the April-to-October campground season is when most people are on the trails.
Trails here
Local organizations
156 acres, the largest lake on the Monongahela National Forest, and electric motors only, which keeps the whole thing quiet. Three boat launches spread the pressure around, and there are two beaches to fish away from. No species list is published for this water, so check current WVDNR regulations and stocking before you go.
Local organizations
Electric motors only across all 156 acres means nothing is going to throw a wake at you. Boats and canoes rent on site and there are three launches to put in from. Beginners are the intended audience; the season is April through October, and at 2,600 feet the early and late ends of it are cold.
The four loops hold 104 individual sites, but there are no electrical, sewage or water hookups anywhere in them. A dump station on site is the whole of the RV infrastructure, so plan on self-contained camping and arrive with full tanks. Book at least four days ahead; peak sites run $16 to $20.
Canoe rental on site means not hauling a boat to a lake at 2,600 feet against the Virginia line. With electric motors the only power allowed, the 156 acres stay calm enough for an open boat all day. Paddle across to the island beach and walk back over the footbridge if you want to stretch.
Local organizations
Eighteen miles of trail climb off the water onto Allegheny Mountain, which is what makes this more than a lakeside stop: you can work from shoreline up into forest in one morning. Peak is May, which also falls before the campground fills. Four camping loops and two beaches mean the quiet ground is uphill.
Guides, gear and lodging near Lake Sherwood
Place-level placement for operators within range of this trailhead, put-in or crag.
List your business hereNearby in the Greenbrier Valley
Greenbrier River Trail
Seventy-eight miles from Cass to Caldwell on a former Chesapeake & Ohio logging grade, crossing 35 bridges by the state park's count and passing through 2 tunnels, following the Greenbrier River the entire way.
Watoga State Park
West Virginia's largest state park at over 10,100 acres, built largely by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.
Beartown State Park
A half-mile boardwalk through a formation of large Droop Sandstone blocks separated by deep crevasses, some of which hold ice into early summer.
Cranberry Glades Botanical Area
The largest area of bogs in West Virginia — sphagnum and cranberry peat bogs holding plant communities left behind after the last glaciation, more typical of Canada than the mid-Atlantic, including carnivorous sundews and pitcher plants.
Falls of Hills Creek
Three waterfalls in three-quarters of a mile, dropping 25, 45 and 63 feet — the last is the second-highest waterfall in West Virginia.
Highland Scenic Highway
A 43-mile National Scenic Byway climbing over 4,500 feet across the Allegheny plateau between Richwood and US 219, with four major overlooks and access to Cranberry Glades, the Falls of Hills Creek and the Cranberry Wilderness.
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.