Summersville Lake State Park


Summersville Lake State Park is a state park located on the northern shore of Summersville Lake, a reservoir on the Gauley River in the U.S. state of West Virginia.

Geography and setting

Summersville Lake State Park spans of forested hills along the northern shore of Summersville Lake, a reservoir on the Gauley River. As the largest lake in West Virginia, Summersville Lake covers with over of shoreline at the summer pool water level.
The park is situated near the eastern edge of U.S. Route 19 and West Virginia Route 41, about south of Summersville. Salmon Run, a nearby stream, flows parallel to US 19 and WV 41 and it joins Summersville Lake just west of Hughes Bridge, which carries US 19 and WV 41 over the lake. Although the park borders the cliffs overlooking the lake, it does not directly adjoin the shoreline, which is managed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Background

Summersville Lake and Dam

The USACE constructed Summersville Lake between 1960 and 1966 to control flooding in an area of the Gauley and Kanawha rivers' watershed. President Lyndon B. Johnson dedicated the Summersville Lake and Dam on September 3, 1966.

Park establishment and operation

In 2023, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice sent a bill to the West Virginia Legislature officially designating land along the northern shore of Summersville Lake as Summersville Lake State Park. Governor Justice announced the bill and the plans to create the state park on August 6, 2023. The West Virginia Legislature passed House Bill 214, and Governor Justice signed the bill to officially designate Summersville Lake State Park at the park site on August 11, 2023.