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Summersville Lake is Fun for All!Fishing | Boating | Rock Climbing | SCUBA Summersville Lake offers recreational opportunities for everyone. In addition to fishing, boating, jet skiing, water skiing, SCUBA diving, and just relaxing at the beach, there are facilities for picnicking along with restrooms, showers, and open and wooded areas for hiking or exploring. Best of all, our cabins at Carnifex Ferry Cottages are just 2 minutes away! Summersville Lake has 60-miles of shoreline, and from various locations you can feast your eyes on a scenic contrast of terrain ranging from rolling knolls to vertical rock cliffs. Some Background About Summersville LakeLyndon B. Johnson dedicated Summersville Lake on September 3, 1966. The project was built by the Army Corps of Engineers between 1960 and 1966 at a cost of almost $48 million dollars. By the end of 1974 it had paid for itself by preventing nearly $67 million dollars in flood damage. The dam is on Gauley River near the town of Summersville in Nicholas County, West Virginia, and controls a drainage area of 803 square miles. It is one of the Corp’s most scenic dams. A rock-fill type, it gives the impression that nature, not man, planned and placed it. Summersville is the second largest dam of this type in the eastern United States and required 12 million cubic yards of earth and rock. The dam is 390 feet high and 2,280 feet long. Water is released through a 1,555-foot long, 29-foot diameter tunnel controlled at the lower end by three 9-foot diameter valves. On some days of sunshine, the torrents of water shooting from these valves create a beautiful rainbow. Strange
But True
The Corps of Engineers broke a long-standing tradition in naming the Summersville project after the nearest town and construction site. This name becomes permanent unless the project is later named for some famous person. Summersville was not the town nearest the dam site in this case. It was Gad, West Virginia, located near the present site of the Long Point Marina. After briefly considering the name “Gad Dam,” the name “Summersville” was used instead! Recreational
Mecca
Summersville Lake
has become a mecca for tourists from all parts of the United States.
Visitor influx is nearly 1,500,000 annually and is expected to keep
growing. |
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Fishing at Summersville LakeSummersville Lake is excellent for small mouth and large mouth bass, channel catfish, crappie, bluegill, walleye, and occasionally, trout. The lake is clean, clear, deep and provides many boulders, rock cliffs, trees and other cover - an excellent environment for fish to thrive. The tail waters of Summersville Lake are also stocked with trout bi-weekly in the fall . Night fishing and using live minnows for bait is permitted. Try fishing between the hours of 8:00 pm and 7:00 am of the next morning.This is because of the large amount of boating pressure. There is no limit on horsepower, but speeds are restricted in the no-wake zones. More detailed fishing info can be found here. |
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Boating on Summersville LakeVisitors are drawn to the lake's rolling hills, cascading cliffs, and 60 miles of gentle shoreline. Boaters love to explore Summersville Lake's 2790 acres. Several public boat ramps are available for launching. Launch ramps for the boating enthusiasts and fishermen are located at Battle Run, Salmon Run, Long Point Area and Picnic Area. There is a $3.00 Day Use fee for boat launching. Frequent boat launchers may purchase an Annual Day Use Pass. Golden Age and Golden Access passports may be used for a 50% discount at all federally operated areas where a fee is charged. |
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Rock Climbing at Summersville LakeThe rock cliffs of Summersville Lake are rapidly gaining popularity and many guided trips are available from local outfitters. These cliffs are rated very highly by the “cragging community.” Climbing at the lake also has the advantage of easy access to fishing, scuba diving, boating, water skiing, and swimming when you need a break from the rocks (no pun intended). More detailed info can be found here. |
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