“Summersville Lake WV,” says Tony Benton who’s been boating on it for 30 years, “is a sort of paradise right here in the mountains.” You’ll hear a lot of that tone around the lake as visitors and residents enthusiastically play on what’s been called “the most beautiful Corps of Engineers project” in the country and which Skin Diving magazine called “the Bahamas of the East” and “the clearest, cleanest lake in the U.S. This is a pristine lake built in 1967 with 65 miles of shoreline, a 13-mile diameter at one point and 320-feet depth at its dam base. The surface temperature during recreation months ranges from a chilly 70 degrees to a swimmer-comfortable 85 degrees. Summersville Lake WV is the largest lake in West Virginia.  That temperature, clarity and expanse has created a recreational center for those who dive or snorkel, ski or boat, swim or fish. There is even rock climbing on the 75-foot cliffs towering over Summersville Lake. While the lake is the centerpiece in Summersville, the New and Gauley rivers offer a level of whitewater excitement rarely seen elsewhere in the United States. The New River Gorge is often called The Grand Canyon of the East when water is high in the spring. Summer levels open the experience to a wider variety of adventurer, but the Upper Gauley is often thought of as one of the two most difficult technical whitewater experiences in the country.  The Summersville area is primarily supported by the coal and timber industries, says Bucky Frame, president of Community Trust Bank, but recreational waterways have certainly been a boost to the economy. Frame is an avid pontoon boater (“I’ve had boats since 1975 and am on my fourth.”) who enjoys the long, slow expanses of the lake where “we can float and cook burgers and hotdogs, maybe do a little fishing.”  Frame says he has a reputation of being generous in taking visitors out on his boat, “but I just love doing it, showing off the lake. I get more out of it than they do.” In recent years, says Mark Allen, who runs Sarge’s Dive Shop and the Summersville Lake Marina, there have been dustups over tournament overfishing on Summersville Lake and clear cutting in the wooded areas around the compound, but the recreational value of the lake is only emphasized when it is threatened. The bass tournaments consistently draw large crowds to the lake. Benton says Summersville Lake presents the perfect setting for gatherings of his four-generation family, which is based at his home in Summersville, about three miles from the Lake. “We do it all here,” he said, “We fish, swim, ski. My whole family has been raised on the lake.”The 63-year-old who is originally from Kinston, N.C., says weekends on the lake”are busy, but weekdays are nice and calm.” He has a boat docked at Summersville Marina where the family often stays overnight and can recreate in nice calm water. There are six no-wake zones on the lake where families can play, he says. Allen, whose companies conduct swim, snorkel and dive classes and conduct lake tours, talks of the popularity of the lovely Long Point Cliff area, the most popular spot on the lake. It is an icon for the lake.” Climbers climb the rocks and divers go as deep as 100 feet below the surface to study the boulders, stumps and fish. Boats of all descriptions float the lake from kayaks and canoes to paddle boards, house boats, jet skis and other powered and non-powered boats. The area is surrounded by four camping areas, 20 cabins and a number of motels and eateries in Summersville, says Allen. “A family can recreate all day on a boat on the lake for about $375,” says Allen, “and they can stay in a motel nearby for about $65 a night. It’s a heck of a deal.”

http://www.summersvillecvb.com