Ahhh... Cool, clean, clear mountain water, and soft white sand under foot. Rockcliff Lake at the Trout Pond Recreation Area is "almost heaven" indeed. I found it listed as a swimming area in my West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. It's about 2 hours from DC.
The lake is small, cozy. In less than an hour we circled it with the kids. A picturesque rock peninsula guards the dam end of the lake, protected with a sign forbidding scrambling. A small footpath leads past this sign. But a couple teens who ignored the warning were ordered off by park personnel who drove up within shouting distance on a 4-wheeler. This is the disadvantage of being within 2 hours of DC and its legions of lawyers -- by contrast, at southern Utah's Sand Hollow Lake, or Nevada's Lake Mead one can scramble and jump off of the geology at will - you can live at your own risk.
Walking up a gentle slope from the lake you pass a large picnic area with grills, facilities, a volleyball court and playground, before arriving at the campground. Divided by a small brook, the campground is tucked into a low canopied forest. Chestnut oak, red maple and black gum dominate. Making do almost without soil, trees share the floor of toaster-sized rocks with lichens, blueberries and mountain laurel. Skunks, not bears, prowl the campground at night, but the ones ran from our flashlight beams. There were a few deer around, but ticks were few, I found one large dog tick.
Sink holes present an interesting landscape feature there, and one of these has created the small Trout Pond that is considered West Virginia's only natural lake. The sink holes present as rocky depressions/pits, not as big gaping holes. Apparently hollowed-out limestone underlies the superficial bed of metamorphic rocks, and occasionally a roof will cave in. On a related note, the Lost River, which forms the western border of the George Washington National Forest in this area, mostly disappears into the ground for a few miles, before being born again as the Cacapon River several miles downstream in Wardensville.
Most types of boats are permitted on the lake, and fishing is as well -- it is stocked with trout and bluegill, at a minimum. Fishing permits can be obtained at the general store in Baker (but not in Wardensville), and online here; you'll need a trout stamp and national forest stamp, etc. The people we talked to were having little success. There was great whooping when somebody pulled in a small bluegill.
One downside of the campground is that, due to the soil/forest composition, the campsites are not quite as private as we would have liked. And, as with other National Forest campgrounds in the area, alcohol is forbidden.
Overall though, we found it to be a serene and refreshing place to spend the weekend as a family, and will be coming back. The sand, water quality, and scenery make a great combination. Furthermore, looking at a satellite image of the area, there appears to be a substantial band of rock not far from the lake, which I would like to explore for climbing.
Happy camping, and be sure to share your questions or experiences in comments below!
The lake is small, cozy. In less than an hour we circled it with the kids. A picturesque rock peninsula guards the dam end of the lake, protected with a sign forbidding scrambling. A small footpath leads past this sign. But a couple teens who ignored the warning were ordered off by park personnel who drove up within shouting distance on a 4-wheeler. This is the disadvantage of being within 2 hours of DC and its legions of lawyers -- by contrast, at southern Utah's Sand Hollow Lake, or Nevada's Lake Mead one can scramble and jump off of the geology at will - you can live at your own risk.
Walking up a gentle slope from the lake you pass a large picnic area with grills, facilities, a volleyball court and playground, before arriving at the campground. Divided by a small brook, the campground is tucked into a low canopied forest. Chestnut oak, red maple and black gum dominate. Making do almost without soil, trees share the floor of toaster-sized rocks with lichens, blueberries and mountain laurel. Skunks, not bears, prowl the campground at night, but the ones ran from our flashlight beams. There were a few deer around, but ticks were few, I found one large dog tick.
Sink holes present an interesting landscape feature there, and one of these has created the small Trout Pond that is considered West Virginia's only natural lake. The sink holes present as rocky depressions/pits, not as big gaping holes. Apparently hollowed-out limestone underlies the superficial bed of metamorphic rocks, and occasionally a roof will cave in. On a related note, the Lost River, which forms the western border of the George Washington National Forest in this area, mostly disappears into the ground for a few miles, before being born again as the Cacapon River several miles downstream in Wardensville.
Most types of boats are permitted on the lake, and fishing is as well -- it is stocked with trout and bluegill, at a minimum. Fishing permits can be obtained at the general store in Baker (but not in Wardensville), and online here; you'll need a trout stamp and national forest stamp, etc. The people we talked to were having little success. There was great whooping when somebody pulled in a small bluegill.
One downside of the campground is that, due to the soil/forest composition, the campsites are not quite as private as we would have liked. And, as with other National Forest campgrounds in the area, alcohol is forbidden.
Overall though, we found it to be a serene and refreshing place to spend the weekend as a family, and will be coming back. The sand, water quality, and scenery make a great combination. Furthermore, looking at a satellite image of the area, there appears to be a substantial band of rock not far from the lake, which I would like to explore for climbing.
Happy camping, and be sure to share your questions or experiences in comments below!
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