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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. The shoreline cliffs at Long Point, Pirates Cove and Whippoorwill hold lakeside sport climbing and deep-water soloing. The lake is drawn down each September to feed Gauley releases, exposing beaches and changing the whole character of the place.

2,700 ac · Surface327 ft · Max depthSept · Drawdown

Know before you go

  • Water clarity is best in early summer before algae
  • Battle Run Campground is the Corps site on the lake
  • Climbing access to some walls is by boat only

What you can do here

Stand-Up Paddleboarding

May–Sep

Flatwater Paddling

Apr–Oct

Sport Climbing

Mar–Nov

Bouldering

Sep–May

Boating & Motorboating

Apr–Oct

Fishing

Year-round

Camping

Apr–Oct

Swimming Holes

Jun–Aug

Sailing

May–Sep
AdvertiseThis space is available

Guides, gear and lodging near Summersville Lake

Place-level placement for operators within range of this trailhead, put-in or crag.

List your business here

Who looks after it

Friends of New River Gorge National Park & Preserve Nonprofit Supports the New River Gorge, Gauley River and Bluestone National Scenic River through conservation, recreation and National Park Service partnerships. Visit Meadow River Valley Association Nonprofit Particularly important around the Meadow River Valley and climbing and recreation access. Visit Mountain Project — West Virginia Platform Essential route-level climbing database for the New River Gorge, Summersville Lake, Meadow River, Gauley, Seneca Rocks and other climbing areas. Visit New River Alliance of Climbers (NRAC) Nonprofit One of the most important organizations on this entire list. Protects and expands climbing access, maintains trails, replaces hardware and works with landowners and land managers throughout the New River Gorge region. Visit NRAC Climbing Access Database Nonprofit Especially useful for determining land ownership, current access restrictions and sensitive climbing locations before you visit a cliff. Visit National Park Service — New River Gorge Climbing Federal Official rules, access information and climbing management for the national park. Visit New River Gorge National Park & Preserve Federal America's newest national park — 53 miles of protected river, 1,600+ climbing routes, hiking, rafting and mountain biking. Visit Gauley River National Recreation Area Federal 25 miles of the Gauley and 6 miles of the Meadow — the whitewater that defines autumn in West Virginia. Visit

Nearby in the New River Gorge

Overlook · New River Gorge

New River Gorge Bridge

A 3,030-foot steel arch carrying US 19 some 876 feet above the New River — for decades the longest single-span arch bridge in the world, and still the image most people carry of West Virginia.

876 ft above the river3,030 ft arch span
Trail · New River Gorge

Endless Wall Trail

A 2.4-mile point-to-point trail along the gorge rim through hemlock and rhododendron, crossing Fern Creek on a footbridge and reaching Diamond Point, an exposed rock outcrop with a view up the gorge to the bridge.

2.4 mi point to pointDiamond Point the overlook
Trail · New River Gorge

Long Point Trail

About 3.2 miles round trip on mostly level old roadbed to a rock promontory below the rim, which provides the most-photographed view of the New River Gorge Bridge.

3.2 mi round tripFlat most of the way
Overlook · New River Gorge

Grandview

1,400 feet above a horseshoe bend in the New, with a seven-mile view up the gorge — the widest perspective anywhere in the park.

1,400 ft above the riverLate May rhododendron peak
River · New River Gorge

Sandstone Falls

The largest waterfall on the New River — not tall, but 1,500 feet wide, spilling across the full breadth of the river between islands at the point where the gorge begins to open.

1,500 ft falls width10–25 ft drop
Trail · New River Gorge

Kaymoor Miners Trail

A steep descent from the gorge rim to the ruins of the Kaymoor One coal mine and processing plant, including 821 wooden steps down the former haulage incline.

821 steps2 mi round trip

Almost Heaven Swings