Stonewall Jackson Lake Information
Launch sites: Two launch sites in the state park, near the marina or near the cottages; we used the launch site near the cottages, $3 fee
Paddleboard rental nearby or Bring Your Own Board: Check with Stonewall Resort for future rentals or BYOB
Nearby lodging: Stonewall Jackson Resort (lodge and cottages) Stonewall Jackson State Park (camping)
Dining options: Stonewall Jackson Resort has various dining options
Other nearby area activities: Disc golf on site and lots of other activities at activity center, kayaking hiking and mountain biking onsite and nearby
Third stop – Burnsville Lake
The puppies had no sooner gone to sleep, than we arrived at Burnsville Lake, the lake is convenient to I – 79, and only about 20 minutes from Stonewall Lake. We launched at the boat launch near the marina and campground. The sky was cloudy with a slight mist; the water was warm about 72 and about the same as the outside air. As we parked we noticed this nice canal like cove that continued along the road to the campground area, this was going to be a fun paddle on the narrow canal cove back to campground area, to the right was a steep hillside with trees overhanging the water, the water was calm and flat which made for a enjoyable paddle session. We found a old spring house along the way under the cover of the trees. As we reached the end of the cove a couple of bass made a big splash right off the front of our paddleboards, the water was clear and we could see the lake was full of fish. We turned around and head back up the lake to check out the marina area and the main body of the lake. Once we rounded the marina we had a great view of the upper end of the lake to the left and the Burnsville Dam to the right. The light mist had stop and the sun returned as we arrived back at the boat launch, we had found another great place to paddleboard. We loaded out and headed to our last stop of the day Sutton Lake. Burnsville Lake is a US Army Corps of Engineers Lake.
Burnsville Lake Area information:
Launch site: Burnsville Marina launch, $3 fee
Paddleboard rental nearby: BYOB – bring your own board
Nearby lodging: Burnsville Lake Campground (camping) or a couple motels near I-79 in Burnsville, about 5 minutes from the lake
Dining options: a couple family restaurants near I-79 in Burnsville; don’t miss Goodies Galore in also in Burnsville, try the Chocolate Raspberry Twist soft serve ice cream, Rasta and Bahama also recommend the vanilla soft serve.
Other nearby area activities: Hiking near the lake and fishing below the dam in the tail waters of the lake
Forth stop – Sutton Lake
Only about 15 minutes from Burnsville Lake we arrived at the South Abutment area of Sutton Lake, the dam is located just a few minutes from downtown Sutton and is only about 5 minutes off of I – 79, as you head up the hill along the dam, you realize how big the dam is, once we topped over the hill and headed down the backside of the dam the jewel of Sutton Lake came into our view, we launched just below the dam, the lake was clear, 72 and beautiful with the slight changing of color of some of the trees around the lake. We paddled up the lake and the Bee Run marina, beach and day use area was off the right as we paddled up the lake, it was a very calm evening and the paddle along the shore was quite and peaceful except for the occasional sound of a bullfrog along the water, as we headed back down to lake the sun began to set above the dam on what was a great day of paddleboarding in the great state of West Virginia. Sutton Lake is a US Army Corps of Engineers Lake.
We played with the puppies a little along the lake and loaded up and heading towards our next stop Adventures on the Gorge near the New River Gorge Bridge. We would meet up with Dave and Paul from Adventures on the Gorge and had some dinner, talked about all the recreational activities and recreational opportunities near the New River Gorge, before we headed back to our deluxe Cabin on the Gorge. It is only a couple of days until the start Gauley season, so Dave and Paul were excited about what is sure to be a great Gauley season with the added release dates and the added volume of water released on some of the weekends.
Adventures on the Gorge is an Adventure Mecca on the New River Gorge, more on all they offer in tomorrows update.
What a great day of paddleboarding, hanging out with Rasta and Bahama and catching up with some of my friends in the business of adventure.
Sutton Lake Area information:
Launch sites: We used the South Abutment area launch near the dam, $3 fee, launch also at Baker’s Run and Bee Run
Paddleboard rental nearby: BYOB – bring your own board
Nearby lodging: A couple of motels near I – 79 in Sutton, also camping at Baker’s Run, Bee Run
Dining options: A couple family restaurants near I – 79 and in town of Sutton
Other nearby area activities: Swimming at day use areas
