Summer Days in a Summer Town
Our quest to escape the heat had us doing some last-minute rearranging of our campsite bookings. We were originally planning to spend 4th of July weekend in West Virginia, but everything got bumped earlier has we shortened our stay at Dale Hollow Lake in Kentucky. Making last-minute changes during a holiday is risky, but thankfully we were able to move our West Virginia stay earlier by a week, while also extending our next stay in Virginia and grabbing that campground's last available site for the 4th. It felt right; we'd be celebrating the 4th in the state of the first original colony, surrounded by history. But first, it was time to head to higher elevation so we could beat the heat and spend our days outdoors.
2022 was shaping up to be a journey filled with National Park visits, and we certainly weren't complaining. Our National Parks pin board was filling up, and we realized that, without trying, we found a way to narrow down our travel destinations. Since launching, we discovered that our favorite places tend to be National Parks or hidden gems for outdoor recreation. West Virginia delivered both. We booked a site at Summersville Lake Retreat and Lighthouse, a quaint campground, RV rental, and cabin retreat just 15 minutes from New River Gorge National Park. Summersville Lake itself, though, stands apart from the National Park and is filled with tons of fun summer activities. They don't call it Summersville for nothing!
We booked a standard back-in site which wasn't the largest and was a bit unlevel, but we had a beautiful evergreen tree that provided us shade (which was nice since we didn't have room for our awning), and we also had some grass and dirt areas behind our site, giving the illusion of more space. We were able to use our patio, which we decked out for summer with a new mat, umbrella, and side table. As always, we got quite a few compliments on our outdoor space. Our patio also served as a nice vantage point for viewing the beautiful fireflies, which seemed to be following us as we made our way northeast.
We grew to like our site, especially after noticing that the deluxe sites had zero shade. We felt like we had a little nook, and it was enough space for us. But the site wasn't what attracted us to Summersville Retreat. The campground has its very own lighthouse, an anomaly since it's located nowhere near the ocean. Long story short, the lighthouse was built from a wind turbine tower that got damaged in transit, and now it serves as a whimsical staple of the town. The campground offers self-guided tours, where you can climb the 122 steps and look out over the campground and lake in the distance.
The campground also offers boat, kayak, and SUP rentals right from their property, which we took advantage of the day before we left. We rented paddleboards for an afternoon and drove up to the boat launch, located up the road at a COE recreational area. We had a great time paddling the lake and seeing the dam that created it.
What really set this campground apart, though, were the little unique details, like a "hammock hangout," a tree grove filled with all kinds of hammocks and swings. We love when campgrounds come up with ideas for amenities that aren't seen often.
Off the campground property, we enjoyed a hike to the cliffs that overlook the lake. Of course we also ventured into New River Gorge National Park and did some hiking with Tanner and James the harp. New River Gorge is spectacular. In addition to hiking, the area is known for its white water rafting. There are also places to bike and some really cool scenic drives.
On our last night at the campground, we were treated to a 4th of July display: festive uplighting on the whimsical lighthouse. We were a bit sad that we couldn't celebrate the holiday there, but we successfully got our outdoor recreation fix during our wonderful week in Summersville. When people ask us our favorite place we've visited so far, although its impossible to just choose one, this area always comes to mind. Not only was the surrounding scenery beautiful, but the vibe was relaxing and friendly. We mark West Virginia as the first place we really felt like we could prioritize outdoor activities. The weather was right, the location was welcoming, and we were in good spirits to exert some physical energy.
Campground:
Summersville Lake Retreat and Lighthouse
Site #10, standard back-in, water & electric only, picnic table and firepit